Doctoral student Karin Ersson at a conference in Milan where she travelled by train. Photo: Hans Jacob L. Koefoed

2023-10-20

Train to Milan offered undisturbed writing time and fantastic views

In September 2023 Karin Ersson, doctoral student at the Department of Medical Sciences and the Department of Women's and Children's Health, travelled by train to an international lung conference in Milan. She recounts her train journey for us here.

I began my train journey on 7 September 2023 to Milan and the European Respiratory Society Congress. The journey would take me through Copenhagen to Hamburg, with an overnight train to Zürich and from there across the Alps to Milan.

It was really easy to work on the trains through Sweden, Denmark and Germany. The internet connection (mobile data) worked acceptably for my needs for the majority of the Uppsala–Hamburg leg. It was a little unstable, so digital meetings or streaming would likely not have worked so well.

I had booked my own sleeper cabin for the leg between Hamburg and Zürich. The cabin had a surprisingly high standard, with its own toilet and shower. It was great to be able to take a shower in the morning after being on the move for 24 hours!

Poor internet connection, beautiful route

Workplace on the train Following a change in Zürich, the journey continued over the Alps. The internet connection was almost non-existant for this stretch, so I was really pleased that I had prepared and downloaded a few of my files locally onto my computer.

Due to a problem in a train tunnel in Switzerland, the train had to take a longer scenic route between Zürich and Milan. It was an incredibly beautiful route that offers fantastic views of towering mountains, tiny Alpine villages and huge mountain lakes. I did some work of course, but in all honesty I spent most of the time taking in the view from my train window. After around 30 hours’ travel, I arrived at Milano Centrale at the scheduled time.

The conference took place over five intense days. Afterwards, it was time to board the train once again for the return journey to Uppsala. This time, the route went through Berlin as there were no spaces on the night train between Zürich and Hamburg. The detour to Berlin extended the trip by a couple of hours, which felt a bit sluggish. Changing trains in Copenhagen also proved to be pretty stressful, with just one minute’s margin to catch the next train.

Possible to work on the trains

At the time of writing and recently returned home, I can state that it is indeed possible to undertake business travel through Europe by train and that working on the trains is possible for the most part. I’ve put together some tips below for those considering taking the train to a meeting, conference or other event in Europe as part of their work.

Karin Ersson

Tips and read more

Use a travel agency for help with planning and bookings. I used Centralens Resebutik i Kalmar AB, which has an agreement with Uppsala University. They handled everything smoothly.
The Rail Planner app offers a good overview of the connections and changes.
Check that you have a sufficient amount of mobile data as part of your subscription. Mobile roaming in the EU works on your standard Swedish subscription at the same cost as in Sweden.
Plan some undisturbed writing time on the trains. Download the files you need and take noise-cancelling headphones – this will make the train journey both productive and harmonious.
Pack a lunch box, water and a thermos for hot drinks. Nuts and dried fruits are easy to carry and work well as a snack. I filled the thermos with coffee each time I changed train.
Take the chance to eat something when you change train, as the range of food on board was limited and rather expensive.

Trains reduce carbon footprint and are a harmonious way to travel, news item on Staff Portal, 21 June 2023

Sustainability Forum to Support Environmental and Sustainability Efforts, news item on Staff Portal, 12 October 2023

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