And the only way to do it is to study and teach.
Almost five thousand kilometers in five countries in five years – that’s how much Till Anilla did, mostly alone, on foot, with a backpack. He lived in Iceland for the past six months and worked as a visiting researcher at Reykjavík University. His favorite form of travel is long-distance hiking. He lives a vegan lifestyle, is currently preparing his doctoral dissertation on the communication of planetary health, and if all goes well, he will receive a doctorate in communication sciences next year.
“It was a great experience, one of the best periods of my life, the Nordic mentality is very close to me, as are the natural and cultural features of Iceland,” says enthusiastically 29-year-old Till Anilla, who is a doctoral student at Budapest’s Corvinus University and went to Sweden’s Jönköping University for a master’s degree. and for the past six months he has been researching the rhetoric of planetary health at an Icelandic university. He lived in Reykjavík with his friend – who had accompanied him on two major tours so far. He recently completed one of the most serious tours of his life within the country: everyone says that the 78-kilometer Laugavegur is harder than it looks. Still, Anilla was able to complete the journey all by herself in a week, and she says she has never seen such amazing places – although on almost every special tour she feels she has visited the most beautiful landscapes. “This was perhaps the most difficult so far, because I have never camped alone in nature for so long, carrying a week’s worth of food and all my stuff. Sometimes I was a little afraid at night, but I pushed the bad thoughts away, I knew that I did everything to escape safely: I left the bag and the food outside the tent.”
The first trip he remembers was when he was still in primary school, he went to Mátra and Cserhát with his family and school. In 2019, he walked the El Camino, it lasted almost four weeks, it was his first major tour alone. He had such a good time that he looked for such opportunities from there. “When hiking, I work towards a goal every day. Walking is not difficult, you put one foot after the other, you can think while you are in nature, and you will reach somewhere in 2-3 weeks, while you see and experience all kinds of things, meet interesting people, beautiful places and other cultures,” he says about his passion.
Anilla started writing a blog in 2018, first reporting on her travels, then combining her professional experience in sustainability communication with her hobby. Today, he also makes video content on various topics, gives sustainability tips, combines his passion and work, nature walks and protecting the planet. He completed the National Blue Circle last summer. He went alone through the 72-day Blue Tour, the longest journey of his life so far. He had low points after the first week and a week after the last. “At the beginning, you are not used to the conditions, so it is difficult, and at the end, when you can almost see the goal, you are very tired both physically and mentally, so it is taxing. There were times when I cried, but everyone’s stress comes out differently. The Blue Circle did me a lot of good, it gave me self-confidence, I had the opportunity to go deep and think about what a good life I have, which I want to return to, but not to do computer work, but to create a nature-centered everyday life. Wild camping presented me with many challenges, sometimes it got dark before I got to the accommodation. Fortunately, I was never injured, only my knee hurt when I fell on it.” He made a documentary about this 2,550-kilometer, unique adventure with Ferenc Mándi, entitled 2,550, which has been shown nationwide in independent cinemas since spring, and has already been seen by thousands of people. Public meetings are organized in libraries and cultural centers, for example in Zalaegerszeg this week. At the moment, he is not planning a tour lasting several months, it would be difficult to surpass the Blue Circle. He wants to improve in technical things, for example to be able to hike in the wilderness with a compass.
He is interested in how, in his opinion, young people could be “lured” into nature. He says that there are indeed more older people walking in nature, but a positive trend can be felt. “It would be important for everyone to learn about the beneficial effects of nature walks and sustainability, so that it becomes an average leisure activity, as everyday as, say, sitting down for coffee with a friend, relative, or acquaintance. It is possible to plan that if you only have two hours, it is worth going here, and if you have a week, then there. Working on the Internet also allows us to go away for days at a time, and I also work on the computer during almost all of my tours. I believe in transparency, the importance of setting a good example and patting ourselves on the back so that we all live on a happier planet.” According to Anilla, anyone can start hiking at any time, all they need is comfortable, waterproof boots or sports shoes and a backpack, the rest of the equipment will be developed as needed.
Regarding the communication of planetary health, he says: he looks at the world holistically, i.e. healthy people need a healthy environment. During his research, he examines and proves that if we do things that are good for the planet, it is ultimately good for us as well. He looks for arguments to motivate people to action. “It is our duty to care about the health of our planet and help it heal. You have to learn and read a lot about environmental protection. What is important to everyone is different: for some it is water, for others air, food or plants, animals, garbage collection or even energy saving, the point is to do something for the planet and for yourself in the topics that are important to you.”
Anilla’s headquarters are in Pásztó and Budapest, but she almost feels at home in many places in Europe. “The bad side of living in a large house is that I don’t have a permanent room of my own, I often live out of a suitcase, it’s difficult to meet my loved ones, but at the same time I see the world and gain experiences. And I know it won’t last forever.” When and where they will settle is still in question, Hungary and Northwestern European countries are also possible. “They have a higher standard of living, greater well-being, so they are lighter, more relaxed, have more free time, less stress, are happier, so they can also deal more with environmental protection, which is very important to me,” Anilla points out that the tip of the scales is strongly towards the latter. Who.
Source: nepszava.hu
