Ida, Sweden

After I graduated I wanted to travel. However, I had just begun to understand the severity of the climate crisis and soon realised that I had to drop the idea of ​​flying to the other side of the world and go backpacking in Asia like so many others – for the sake of the climate (and my conscience). I simply had to rethink my plans and instead I made the best trip of my life – by interrailing in Europe. I’m so incredibly happy that I dared to do this. It made me understand that it is possible to travel to so many amazing places so smoothly and easily in other ways – and since then I have stayed on the ground.

Doing something different and challenging yourself can feel both scary and awesome at the same time, and it is a step I hope and wish more people would dare to take. Once done, it feels much easier. I did experience some questioning from people around me, which I think one might have to expect – but this is also what can start discussions and change in the long run. These questions and discussions are often the ones that quickly turn into cheers instead. Now I am studying the second year in Environmental Sciences at Linköping university and my goal is to work with environmental issues and make a difference in the future.

Ida Woxlin
Student Environmental Sciences, Norrköping.