In the minds of some travelers, it's hard to reconcile ecological sobriety with a trip abroad. That's why UTT Alumni, together with the UTT Carbon Footprint Group (made up of UTT staff and students), has been working since summer 2022 to reduce the carbon impact of Erasmus semesters for UTT students.

This carbon impact is strongly and negatively influenced by air travel. Alternatives are sometimes expensive, and not very popular.

That's why UTT Alumni, in partnership with the UTT Foundation, is offering to finance and award Interrail Passes to encourage soft mobility for UTT students during a semester abroad, when the destination can be reached by train.

The Interrail Pass allows you to take trains at reduced prices or free of charge. Only seat reservations are the responsibility of the student.

But in addition to funding, UTT Alumni also offers to support students in their soft mobility initiatives in a more general way, through this guide and discussion forums.

Reducing the carbon impact of trips abroad

Travelling by soft mobility means, first and foremost, aligning our modes of transport with the objectives of reducing the carbon impact of individuals and companies. For example, a journey by train emits up to 80% less CO2 equivalent than the same journey by plane.

Since stays abroad last several months, and are interspersed with vacations, it's easier to envisage slower but more rewarding mobility, such as by train.

Discovery

A long-distance train journey is often made in several stages. Crossing Europe in this way means discovering a multitude of cities, cultures and languages on the way to your half-year destination abroad.

Greater autonomy and adaptability

A trip takes planning, and above all, it never goes as planned!

Going on a soft mobility trip gives you the chance to gain autonomy, evolve in a multi-cultural context and adapt to life's ups and downs. All qualities you'll want to bring to your future interviews when you leave school!

Creating a virtuous circle of mutual support

Students benefit from Interrail Passes according to their destinations and the number of Passes available. Once they have graduated, if they so wish, they can finance other Interrail Passes for future classes.

This is financed by donations to the UTT Foundation, which are tax-deductible. The UTT Foundation then indicates to UTT Alumni for each semester the number of Interrail Passes that we will be able to allocate (formula 4 days over 1 month, at 194€ for under 27s, 258€ for over 28s, as of June 2023).

Parents, relatives, companies and individuals are also invited to take part in this collective initiative. And to make a donation, click here (International Mobility signpost, comment Interrail Pass)!

Once the commission has made its decision, International Relations notifies the students concerned. These students must confirm their interest to UTT Alumni, who then purchase the Interrail Passes with funds raised by the Foundation.

Follow-up

Each semester, UTT Alumni will report on the carbon savings achieved by this initiative, and on how each euro invested helps to reduce the carbon impact of departures abroad.

Feedback from students will also be provided to inspire other students, alumni, UTT staff and companies to follow these efforts...

Limitations

Of course, only journeys that can be made by train can be financed by this project. And not all journeys are created equal! Our commission ranks destinations according to the carbon impact of a plane journey versus a low-carbon transport journey. For a trip to Cyprus, a ferry from Greece following a train journey is so fossil fuel-intensive that financing such a trip to reduce the carbon impact makes no sense.

We are nevertheless open to proposals for including these destinations in a way that is relevant from a carbon impact point of view. If you have any ideas, please contact us at contact@utt-alumni.fr!

The other limit is the number of Interrail Passes we can distribute. And for this, we're counting on you to communicate this project to potential sponsors and support the initiative financially by making a donation (International Mobility signposting, Interrail Pass commentary)!

Are trains free if you have it or is there just a discount ?

The Interrail Pass allows you to travel on European trains. The ticket is free, but you still have to reserve your seat. For TER or equivalent trains, reservation is free. For high-speed trains, reservations are compulsory and can vary between €15 and €30 per journey.

How are travel days calculated?

A travel day starts at midnight and ends at 11:59pm. During this period, you can take as many trains as you like. With the 4-day Interrail Pass offered by UTT Alumni, you can have 4 sessions of 24 hours to travel on, spread over the same month (30-day period starting on the first day of travel). For more information, click here.

If the train leaves at 11pm and arrives the next day, does that count as two days?

In the case of a night train, the site only counts one day: the day of departure. For more information, click here.

These routes are provided as a guide only. Feel free to plan your own routes!

Troyes -> Riga

The first part of the journey to Riga is going well. The aim is to reach Lithuania. For example:

J1: Paris - Frankfurt - Berlin / J2: Berlin - Warsaw (Poland) / J3: Warsawa - Kaunas (Lithuania).

Once in Kaunas there are several options:

• A Kaunas-Riga flixbus (excluding interrail pass, approx. $20)

• Take a Lithuanian train to the border, then a bus and Latvian train to Riga as shown here.

Rail CC: Feedback and advice from travelers