Mission Travel
A mission is travel for work for which ESA has agreed to cover the costs. It is generally provided for ESA Staff Members and Integrated Teams upon request and acceptance by one's Line Manager and Head of Department.
Missions for non ESTEC young professionals to attend the YPE should be possible for ESA Graduate Trainees (EGTs) (formerly Young Graduate Trainees), National Trainees (NTs), Research Fellows (RFs) and Junior Professionals (JPs) upon request and acceptance by your line manager.
Usually, it is possible to get a mission to cover 1 return travel ticket and 1 hotel night to attend the YPE. If you wish to stay longer, you can ask for extra nights' accommodation but this is dependent on your manager's discretion. It is also possible to self-fund additional nights as part of the mission.
To get your mission approved, the first step is a discussion with your manager. A formal communication has previously been sent by HR to all the directorates informing them about the YPE and kindly requesting them to allow their young professionals to attend the event with a mission covered by their department.
If your manager does not agree to covering the cost of one return travel ticket and one night of hotel, contact Andrew Kane for help.
Once your manager has agreed to cover the cost of the mission, you need to enter the mission into MAS. Ask your line manager or administrative assistant for details on how to do this. We will also organise some information sessions Teams to help you use MAS. Keep an eye on your emails for details.
Travelling to the Netherlands
When you book you mission in MAS you can either choose to pay for your own tickets and get the cost reimbursed or you can ask the Travel Office to book the tickets for you as part of the mission. The address of ESTEC is:
🏢 European Space Research & Technology Centre
Keplerlaan 1,
2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
The easiest way to reach ESTEC is by train to Leiden Centraal station and then bus from Leiden Centraal to ESTEC.
From the UK: You can take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Rotterdam Centraal and then a local train to Leiden Centraal station.
From France: You can take the Eurostar from Paris Gare du Nord to Rotterdam Centraal or Schiphol Airport and then a local train to Leiden Centraal station.
From Belgium: You can take the Eurostar from Bruxelles-Midi - Brussel-Zuid or Antwerpen Centraal to Rotterdam Centraal or Schiphol Airport and then a local train to Leiden Centraal station.
From Germany: You can take the ICE International train from both Frankfurt and Cologne Central stations to either Amsterdam Centraal or Utrecht Centraal and then a local train to Leiden Centraal station.
For all other sites: There are possibilities with trains but it is likely more reasonable to arrive by plane via Schiphol Airport. From Schiphol Airport, it is a 15 minutes train ride to Leiden Centraal Station. There is also a shuttle bus service from Schiphol Airport to ESTEC for 20€ which can be reserved here: ESTEC Schiphol Shuttle Bus Service (taxibrouwer.nl)
See the intranet for more information about travel to ESTEC.
Where to stay
Most Young Professionals live in Leiden and social activities including the gala will take place there. The most convenient accommodation would be near Leiden Centraal Station where you can find the bus station to go to ESTEC. Examples of hotels near Leiden Centraal are the Ibis Hotel, the Fletcher or the Golden Tulip, all with quite similar prices.
When you put your mission into MAS you can either choose to book the hotel yourself and claim the cost back or ask the travel office to book it for you. Check with your line manager or admin assistant that the price of the hotel falls within the "daily subsistence allowance".
Public Transport in the Netherlands
ESTEC can easily be reached by public transport.
The nearest bus stops are:
- Katwijk, ESTEC (located in front of the main entrance) line 400 (Zoetermeer; stops at Noordwijk, ESA ESTEC) to Leiden Centraal.
- Schorpioen/Rijnsoever (bus stop located approx. 300 metres from the entrance gate) lines 31 (Leiden CS; stops at Katwijk, Schorpioen) and 385 (The Hague CS).
You can check the bus times, plan your journey and see details of any disruption on the 9292 website or app.
You can pay for domestic train and bus travel in the Netherlands using contactless card, Apple pay, Google pay etc. by touching your card or device at the station barriers or the card readers by the entrance to the bus. You should also tap the same card when you get off the bus!
A screenshot of your bank account showing the transaction should be sufficient for reimbursement of the ticket.
ESA also has an agreement with a local taxi company see here for more information.
