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Cycling Adventure - Studying Abroad on Two Wheels
More than 1,800 kilometers by bicycle to a semester abroad: Two KIT master’s students deliberately chose a sustainable alternative to flying and cycled across Europe to their host universities in Iceland and Sweden. Their journeys combine mobility, adventure, and sustainability—and offer new perspectives on travel and personal growth. Maylin Özbilgic spoke with them.
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When people think of a semester abroad, they often imagine booking flights, struggling with luggage, and dealing with airport security. Not so for Julian and Arnd. The two master’s students from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) independently chose an unusual yet sustainable way to travel: cycling more than 1,800 kilometers across Europe.
The International Students Office at KIT launched the “Green Challenge” for students who wish to travel by bicycle. What began for both as a personal challenge also became, almost incidentally, a contribution to this initiative.
“I Just Set Off” - Julian’s Journey to Iceland
Julian, who studies Electrical and Information Engineering, did not even know about the Green Challenge when he set out for Iceland. “I had already done several cycling trips before,” he says. Right after his exams, the 24-year-old took the train to Hamburg, continued by bike through Denmark to the ferry to Iceland, and finally crossed the Icelandic highlands. In total, he was on the road for 17 days: 12 days cycling, 2 days on the ferry, and 3 rest days.
The official feedback regarding the Green Challenge came later by email, simply stating: “Nice that you participated.”
“It Was a Rational Decision” - Arnd Cycles to Sweden and Back
The destination for 24-year-old Arnd was KTH in Stockholm, where he planned to study “Functional and Structural Engineering.” “I’m very open to other cultures, and since I had never been to Denmark or Sweden, it was a great opportunity,” he explains. A look at Google Maps, the ferry connections, and his sense of adventure sealed the deal for the eleven-day, 1,800-kilometer journey from KIT to Sweden.
After completing his year abroad, Arnd undertook the 2,450-kilometer return trip through the Baltic states, Poland, and the Czech Republic back to Karlsruhe together with a friend. It was a contrast to the solo outbound journey and a true friendship project: “We mastered challenges together and kept our spirits up even with little comfort. You really get to know each other in a completely different way.”
Inspiration from Home and the Challenges of the Journey
Although both are master’s students, Arnd and Julian were driven by different motivations. Julian consciously wanted to avoid flying - his last flight was in 2018. Arnd, on the other hand, was influenced by his family: “My parents used to go on cycling holidays and raved about them.” His first solo tour took him on a rickety old bike from a train station to visit his grandmother in Saarland - without GPS, just a piece of paper listing the towns along the way. Looking back, he says: “Especially at the beginning, it’s good when not everything runs perfectly.”
Despite their experience, the journey was no walk in the park for either of them. Julian vividly remembers arriving in Iceland during “the worst weather of the summer”: rain, fog, and low-hanging clouds. “I came from sunny Denmark, and suddenly everything was gray.” The bad weather lasted a week. Even a painful ankle did not stop him: “You just have to find a solution. Giving up is not an option.”
Arnd struggled with long stages: “The last three days with 200 kilometers each took a lot of strength. I lost six kilos on the way there.” The three-week return journey was also physically demanding due to rain and headwinds. What helped? “Not overthinking it - just keep going and look forward to dinner.”
Encounters Along the Way - Brief but Memorable
Among all the experiences, a few highlights stood out. For Julian, it was a chance meeting with a French cyclist: “We spent a fun day together at a campsite because the weather was too bad to continue. We exchanged a lot about our travels and experiences.”
Arnd recalls several memorable moments as well. In Lübeck, he chatted with an elderly man at a fried fish stand about his eventful life. On the return journey, a stray dog followed him for kilometers before they parted ways after sharing some food.
Breakdowns, Challenges, and Lessons Learned
Julian was lucky - no breakdowns, no major issues. Arnd’s journey was different: a creaking bottom bracket accompanied him for many days. Although the replacement part arrived at a parcel station near the German-Danish border, it was too late. “After waiting two days, I just kept riding with the creaking.” On the return trip, water damage rendered his phone unusable - three weeks of digital detox, which “actually did the trip good in hindsight.”
Both agree that the biggest challenge was not physical strain but mental endurance: packing up the tent in the rain, cycling on despite frustration, being alone. Music, conversations with others, and small routines helped.
What Julian had learned on previous trips - solving problems pragmatically - proved invaluable. Arnd agrees: “You learn that somehow everything works out - just rarely as planned.” He adds: “The less you have, the easier it is to move forward - a metaphor for life.”
New Perspectives on Mobility and Consumption
Both draw similar conclusions: sustainable travel is possible, but demanding. “I didn’t meet anyone who traveled to Iceland without flying,” Julian says. Arnd, an avid cyclist himself, gained a new perspective: “How little you really need and how much everyday luxury you often stop noticing.” Julian reflects: “If the effort were lower, many more people would probably do it.” For future trips, he and his girlfriend are already planning a combination of train and bike - a compromise, but a conscious one.
Looking back, Arnd says: “With every day, you move forward. And every day is an opportunity to learn something new about yourself, other people, and life on the road.”
Both demonstrate that you don’t have to be an activist to act sustainably. Sometimes, all it takes is a brave decision or simply the desire for an adventure that changes more than you initially expect.
🎥 Julian’s journey can be followed on his YouTube channel under the title A Tour of Ice and Fire.
📸 Short videos of Arnd’s trips can be found on his Instagram channel (@arnd.hanisch).
📸 Short videos of Arnd’s trips can be found on his Instagram channel (@arnd.hanisch).
🔊 The International Students Office’s “Green Challenge” also applies to Erasmus stays in the 2025/26 academic year. If you travel by bicycle - whether from abroad to KIT or from KIT to your Erasmus semester - contact erasmus-out ∂does-not-exist.intl kit edu. Document your journey and win great prizes!
