{"id":178475,"date":"2025-05-01T11:44:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T09:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=178475"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:48","slug":"diversity-travel-a-waste-of-everyones-time-and-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/05\/01\/diversity-travel-a-waste-of-everyones-time-and-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity Travel: \u2018A waste of everyone\u2019s time and money\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should the university keep bookings through Diversity Travel obligatory? Is its sustainability worth enough for long booking procedures and expensive, time-consuming travelling? Our readers don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI ended up paying an extra 100 euros for a two-day conference with Diversity Travel\u201d, said one reader. \u201cThis costs the university a fortune and results in missed opportunities for international cooperation.\u201d In addition to the high costs, our Instagram followers complained about the slow and \u2018low quality\u2019 website: \u201cIt constantly crashes, and the options aren\u2019t cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n

PhD candidates are also strongly affected by the requirement. \u201cI will now not be able to go to conferences anymore, since my remaining budget will only last for one more conference under these high costs\u201d, said the PhD student. Another candidate agrees, stating that this decision \u2018will impact EUR\u2019s international networking and standing\u2019.<\/p>\n

Some believe it\u2019s a problem of bureaucracy: \u201cWe need to cut budgets everywhere and then EUR decides to create more bureaucracy\u201d, one reader said. Another reader describes the process as an \u2018unworkable system\u2019: \u201cThe university (particularly the Executive Board) shifts as much work, red tape, and costs onto the employees as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The solutions<\/h2>

What should the university do? Some only see one way back to normalcy: \u201cBooking your own trips.\u201d On Instagram, the suggestions are more straightforward: the university must \u2018stay out of staff\u2019s business\u2019. One follower thinks a more radical approach is necessary: \u201cGet rid of Diversity Travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another reader believes the problem isn\u2019t the website, but the idea behind travelling sustainably: \u201cMonitoring sustainability may be fashionable, but it\u2019s frankly ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t