Trying to not fly. Was going to take the train from Munich to Leiden tomorrow. This morning I get a message that tomorrow there’s going to be a strike. Changing to today is an absolute nightmare on the Bahn website and don’t get me started on the unmitigated disaster that is the app.
I did that trip last week Wednesday (from Heidelberg, not Munich, though) and it was not fun. Without strikes.
I can strongly recommend https://bahn.expert, which offers the real-time knowledge about train departires and together with the DB app allowed me to re-route. Which I had to do several times.
My original connection was the ICE international from Cologne, which was broken. Via Venlo was too delayed, and finally went via Arnhem with several changeovers. Good luck!
@knud from Heidelberg it makes little sense to fly. From Munich it’s the difference between doing it in a day or 3 days. Assuming you work some of the time on the train (current neighbours not making it easy) it’s bearable. It’s not effective nor efficient. Still here I am on the way to Arnhem …
It took me 7.5h instead of 6 last week, same on the way back. I was able to work ~half the time.
But I changed the question for myself: it's not "flying or rail". It's "is the meeting requiring me to be there in person or not". I won't fly in Europe, that's my goal. (And try not to do intercontinental in the first place.) So it's rail - or video. If rail, then it takes as long as it takes.
But in the current astro-"sociology" situation and with the still not perfect remote-technology I fully acknowledge that I have to treat this approach as a privilege.
My kids are older and I don't have to be at every meeting in person. So I can take my time, or attend remotely.
But looking at which prerequisites this requires for early/mid-career researchers, this is not good. Be mobile, have no other responsibilities, have money and right passport.
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