View of the slow travel map of Kreulingen and northern Thurgau (2025). Screenshot: umap.
I was also a guest lecturer at the University of Konstanz in the 2024/2025 winter semester. As part of the “Schlüsselqualifikation N” program, four seminar days were again available to address the topic of “sustainable travel.” In the seminar, students from various degree programs learned about the green travel concepts of “Slow Travel” and “Microadventures.”
Rolf Müller and his team also identified slow travel destinations in Thurgau. Photo: Anika Neugart.
As in the previous year, the seminar was supplemented by contributions from invited guest speakers. Rolf Müller, managing director of Thurgau Tourism, presented the organization of tourism in Switzerland, particularly in Thurgau. He highlighted clear differences in tourism management in Germany. He also discussed the tourist offerings in Thurgau (Untersee region) and pointed out the sustainability work and the swisstainable movement.
Students at the University of Konstanz, SQ seminar “Sustainable Travel” WS24/25 during the urban sketching city tour with artist Simone Hauck. Photo: Anika Neugart.
New parents and seasoned travelers Miriam and Sven König were guests on another day. They reported on their long-term cycling trip across Europe during the coronavirus pandemic. Their stories about different regulations in individual countries, route planning with some border crossings closed, and their perception of different cultures during the crisis were fascinating. Their presentation was peppered with amusing anecdotes about their experiences as a volunteer on various farms, such as an olive farm and with a Greek family who lived as self-sufficient farmers. Her journey was also accompanied by periods of self-reflection, planning for the future, and intimate togetherness, which ultimately culminated in a marriage proposal.
Miriam and Sven König encouraged all to just go on a trip instead of worrying too much. Photo: Anika Neugart.
However, the main project of the seminar, which took up most of the time and effort, was the joint development of a slow travel map for the city of Kreuzlingen and northern Thurgau. This is now available digitally to anyone interested via the Umap map service, which uses Openstreetmap data as its basis: to the map (no app required).
The map contributes to sustainable tourism and provides the following information:
Three tours
- Tour 1 | Basic tour for art and culture enthusiasts
- Tour 2 | Sporty bike tour into the Thurgau hinterland
- Tour 3 | City tour in Kreuzlingen for those on a budget
Places of interest, divided into the seven slow travel criteria
- Cafés, restaurants, shops
- Digital detoxing
- Sights + culture
- Doing good
- Places of the locals
- Mindfulness + creativity
- Oases of tranquillity
St. Ulrich monastery church and the grounds of the Pädagogische Hochschule Kreuzlingen campus. Photos: Anika Neugart.
On the last day, we took a trip to Kreuzlingen. First up was an urban sketching city tour with artist Simone Hauck. After visiting the monastery church—and making some quick sketches in the church and garden—the tour continued across the campus, with its unusual architecture, to her studio, Kunstraum. There, she taught the students the basics of sketching, and they produced their first quick sketches. Afterwards, we went to Seeburgpark, past the petting zoo and Seeburg, to the lake museum.
The seminar ended with a visit to the lake museum, where there was more time for sketching. A final discussion and presentation of the sketches in the exhibition room rounded off the seminar. The conclusion: Kreuzlingen and northern Thurgau are definitely worth a visit! Above all, there is also a lot to discover in the hinterland – when the weather is good, a bike tour is recommended. In winter, you can also reach the excursion destinations by train.
On the day of our visit, we discovered that Seeburg is also a venue for wedding fairs. Photo: Anika Neugart.