In 1977, the German band Kraftwerk released Trans Europ Express, an album that had a monumental affect on the course of music and conjured the beginnings of a new forward looking identity for Europe. The album embodied the idea of travel as a unifying force in a post-WWII world full of divisions—most notably, in Germany itself. 

Kraftwerk’s train reference hinted at a newly forming European identity—a multi-nation community—and the album itself was a reflexion and product of this growing interconnectedness. Building off of these ideas, we discuss how travel can physically connect places, and how it can also create a psychological bond between peoples.