Conference: Beyond Aviation, Tourism and Capitalism
For a Just Mobility for All.
Time to strategise! Join our conference!
From July 3 – 6 2025, social movements and people engaged in countering air traffic’s and tourism’s negative impacts will meet for a big conference. What can we do to win the battle against the escalating ecological and social crises?
We’ll have time to evaluate, discuss our strategies, and build relationships to empower, support and learn from each other.
The conference will work without a flight taken. It will take place in person in Barcelona, with possibilities for online participation for parts of the program, and local hubs in India and Mexico.
Official registration will open mid April. If you are interested in joining, sign up here to receive updates:
Program & Registration
We will make parts of the program available for online participation from all over the world. Watch out for the hybrid program.
To join in Barcelona, book your public transport soon to avoid rising prices – but be aware that we have a no flight policy. For people with special needs we aim at finding solidary solutions. Feel free to already get in touch before the official registration via sara[at]stay-grounded.org.
The conference is planned with interpretation in English, Spanish and French.
A more detailed program and a call for workshops is coming soon.
We will ask for a registration fee to cover food, venue and travel costs, based on your financial possibilities.
Official registration will open end of April. If you are interested in joining, sign up here to receive updates.
Why this Conference?
Looking at this, we think it’s time to gather, pause, and think. It is time to connect different perspectives and movements, join forces and plan together what we will do in the next years. We want to prepare emotionally and strategically for the intensifying polycrisis we live in. And we want to gather inspiration and knowledge to fight and overcome it.
Tourism and Aviation – why we want to bring this together
We therefore see it as absolutely necessary to build pressure for a reduction of aviation not in an isolated environment but together with people and movements that organise against those negative effects, fighting for their rights and understanding where the roots of the problem come from. Together, we can understand how our struggles are connected, how we can learn from, how we can avoid falling for false solutions that only shift the problem elsewhere, and how to support each other and become stronger together.
Conference Formats
Thematic Groups
- What’s happening at the moment?
- What do we want to do next?
- What actions, activities or positions are important for our work in the coming years
- How can we build alliances and trust among our movements?
The working groups will already have preparatory meetings before the conference and/or ask groups from the movement to submit strategic proposals or comments that can inform the discussion. If you are interested in joining one of the working groups beforehand please get in touch with the contact person.
Aviation, Tourism and Housing
Red Lines for Airports
Grounded Imaginaries
Movement Skills for the Crisis
The Big Picture - General Strategy
Workshops
Panels & Keynotes
Interactive formats
Culture
To win, we need to connect to people’s emotions. We are looking for dancing, theater, exhibitions and other forms of emotionally connecting with each other and our fights. If you have any proposals, please do reach out to us.
Local hub in India
More info to come soon!
Local hub in Mexico
More info to come soon!
Join online for the hybrid program
Location and Travel
Venue and Accommodation
Languages & Interpretation
Travel
This is a non-flight conference. If you need help booking your trains, check out the information below, as well as our hints for best booking systems.
It might also be nice to travel together and already have time for connecting. So if you already know when you will take which train or bus, feel free to share it with us so that we can include this information here. Enjoy the journey!
How to get to Barcelona from abroad by:
Day Train:
- In the summer, there are two daily connections from Paris to Barcelona run by SNCF. They often sell out so it is advisable to book in advance. The train stops in Valence, Nimes, Montpellier, Beziers, Narbonne, Perpignan.
There is one daily connection (afternoon) from Lyon to Barcelona run by Renfe (Spanish railway company). The train also stops in Valence, Nimes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan. - There is one daily connection (morning) on high-speed train from Marseille to Barcelona run by Renfe (Spanish railway company). It also stops in Aix en Provence, Avignon, Nimes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan.
- Usually Renfe is cheaper than SCNF, which is why it is advisable to look for the trains and book tickets from the Renfe website (sometimes they do not appear on third party search engines). If you are travelling from Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland or Germany, it is advisable to check connections separately if you want to get on a renfe train.
- In all of the above trains you will need a reservation if you are travelling on an interrail pass.
- All high-speed trains arrive to the main station: Sants Estació. From there, there are metro, train and bus connections to anywhere in the city.
Night train:
- The night train stops at the French border, with the need to change to a local train. If you have an interrail pass you will need a reservation for the night train. There are two options (but they do not run everyday, so make sure to check the dates before booking).
- Paris- Cèrbere by intercité de nuit run by SNCF + local TER Cèrbere – Portbou + local renfe Portbou – Barcelona. Please note that the local trains cannot be booked it advance but have a fixed price and tickets should be bought at the station. For interrailers, local trains do not need reservation.
- Paris – Latour de Carol by intercité de nuit run by SNCF + local Renfe train Latour de Carol – Barcelona. Tickets for the local train should be bought onboard of the train. No need of reservation with an interrail for the local train.
Bus:
Usually cheaper than the train but also longer. Flixbus is the main operator of buses to France and Italy, but there are even connections to Belgium and Germany during the summer months. Ouibus also offers some connections to France. All buses stop at Barcelona Nord, which is the main bus stop in the centre of the city. It is well connected by public transport to other parts of the city.
If you are travelling from another part of Spain:
- Ferries from Balearic Islands are run by
- Trasmed or Baleria
- High-speed trains are run by Renfe, Iryo or Ouigo
- All regional trains are run by Renfe
- The main bus company is Alsa, although there is also Flixbus
Food
Accessibility
Support Us!
Due to the lack of funding for conferences like ours, we are very happy if you volunteer. We however also aim at providing a pot of money, so that those of you who would not be able to volunteer could get support. We would definitely aim at supporting with travel and accommodation costs.
Please contact [email protected] in case you can imagine helping make this conference happen!
We are also grateful for financial support. If you can imagine donating to the conference, please do so here and indicate the purpose “strategy conference”:
