Travelling to your destination: flying versus train travel
Wednesday, 4th March 2009
I remember the days when catching a plane was still exciting. Arrival at the airport marked the beginning of your holiday, and the relative rarity of taking a flight anywhere meant that you felt like you were embarking on an adventure...
Such a shame then that air travel in general seems to have become such a fraught and generally unpleasant experience. Rather than offering a welcome start to your trip, flying to your destination has become somewhat of an ordeal that you need to survive before the fun can begin.
It could be down to the fact that my meagre travel budget forces me more often than not to fly with ‘no frills’ airlines, but the average plane journey seems now to involve at least three of the following:
1.Waiting in a half-mile long check-in queue.
2.Being charged for extra baggage.
3.Being delayed.
4.Being delayed and knowingly misinformed about how long you will need to wait.
5.Losing your take-off slot thanks to a drunk couple who have misjudged the suitability of having ‘just one more’ in the airport bar.
6.Even worse than point 5, being the unfortunate passenger who arrived three hours early, but chose the wrong security queue and, bustling on to the plane 5 minutes after the allotted take-off slot, is greeted by two hundred burning pairs of eyes and a sarcastic comment from the captain.
7.Paying £5 for a shot of Diet Coke.
8.Having the misfortune of sitting behind the BFG, who needs to recline until his head is almost in your lap. For the entire journey.
9.Sitting next to someone with body odour of truly wicked heights.
My last plane journey (unfortunately long-haul) was particularly special. It surpassed any journey that I have previously experienced in the ordeal stakes. Granted, it didn’t help that I had shocking sunburn and half of my face was akin to that of the elephant man, but i had been allotted a seat with no tv screen that was positioned next to an unfortunate man suffering from Tourettes. In addition, we endured 4 hours of the most awful turbulence I have ever experienced, for which no explanation or even acknowledgement was offered. Shrieks of ‘we’re going to die!’ were tearfully emitted by the panicked group of women sat in the two rows behind us - just the words you long to hear whilst in mid-air, 6 hours from home, somewhere over the Middle East.
In any case, suffice to say, air travel has become ‘overrated’ in my opinion! Obviously, some airlines are better than others, and it’s true that air travel still tends to offer the cheapest options, but it’s important to bear in mind that there are other ways that you can travel.
With Eurostar offering more and more services, and existing routes being extended to other parts of Europe, train travel continues to become a more and more popular option for holidaying abroad.
The increased services, coupled with the fact that it is so much better for the environment makes train travel a great option for anyone heading to Europe from the UK or vice versa. Travelling by train really does mean that your holiday can begin straight away too. It may take a little longer, but the benefits in terms of both ease and comfort are ten-fold, and it means that you can relax right from the word go…
More information on Eurostar routes
More information on rail routes in Europe
More information on international rail travel
More information on language courses abroad
Tags: italian, german, french, spanish, english
Posted by Laura Harrison 2009-03 under Anecdotes,
Permalink
