Cross European rail travel boosts productivity, I know I did it

Despite being over 45, a father of two and self employed, I’ve never managed or wanted to shake off the romance of long distance train travel. My wife and I took our first holiday together touring Italy by train, while criss-crossing Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and France with my first pay cheque brings back fond memories of youth. 

So with a commission to support a major technology company in Copenhagen and an increasing fear for the health of the planet I decided to travel to the Danish capital by train, and a ferry too.  

This journey wasn’t just about assuaging my tree hugging guilt, I was pretty certain that this journey would be highly productive and therefore provide my small business with a greater return on investment (RoI). 

The journey involved the Sunday night overnight ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, then trains into the Dutch capital Amsterdam, on to Germany and then into Denmark.  It involved five changes and took a full day, disembarking from the ferry at 7am, joining the tram service and then train changes in Holland (1), Germany (3) and one in Denmark.  At first glance this may appear tiresome and a pain in the proverbial. The truth is vastly different, rail journeys (in mainland Europe and not the UK) make you feel alive. Seeing is understanding after all, on a train you get to view the landscape (a lot of it between Hook of Holland and Copenhagen). You spy the similarities, the connections between the three countries you pass through and it is very clear how similar and connected your own little island is to these neighbours. As someone who makes a living out of writing, it fuelled my creativity, whilst lowering the CO2 impact my work required. 

From Amsterdam to Germany a four person compartment had the air of Agatha Christie or the Hogwarts Express about it and after a hundred or so kilometres conversations began. Again the connections (and concerns about damaged severance) arose as we shared common concerns about the economy and even that thorny subject of immigration. No one stands alone with these problems, we all share them and must all work together to find answers and yet foster a freedom that engenders peace and understanding. 

Over the course of the journey three clients received their written commissions as four major pieces of work flowed from my keyboard to a similar click clack as the loco wheels crossing each rail sleeper. Four articles and one proposal were completed, a couple of client calls and emails kept in check. 

The journey cost ￡211.08 in total. Just ￡92 of that was the rail journey (in first class too) to get from Holland to Denmark, whilst the UK rail journey cost over a third of that (￡39.78) to go from the Surrey Hills to Harwich.  The total cost amounts to less than one commission, so the return on investment is clearly there. But travel cannot only be measured in monetary value - vital as it is as a small business - but the education, the feeling of being alive, the increased creativity and the decreased damage to our fragile planet are all worthy investments. 

As we approached the wonderful city of Copenhagen last night it occurred to me, speed does not always equal productivity. A flight to Boston USA earlier in the year led to a reduction in productivity (although it is difficult to reach Boston by train!). 

As the old saying goes, let the train take the strain, not you and your planet.  

PS: This piece was written in Malmo, Sweden a short train ride away and ideal for lunch and a bit of work when you are in Copenhagen.