It’s hard to beat train travel when it comes to travelling long distances. Flying has its ups and downs and road trips require a lot of planning, but train travel is stress-free and can be an enjoyable way to travel. Of course, trains have their limitations in that they cannot take your everywhere, but there are a few reasons why they are many people’s preferred form of travel.

Freedom

You get a sense of freedom when travelling by train that is hard to match. This is because once you are abroad you can simply sit back and watch the world go by. People can spend their time on the train reading, listening to music, eating, talking, playing games or any other activity.

Cost

You will also find that train travel can be more affordable than other forms of transport. Flying can be hugely expensive and with road trips, there will be running costs to cover, but with train travel, you only have your train ticket to worry about and you can often get discounts on popular routes to make it more affordable.

No Traffic & Stress-Free

When you get the train, you do not have to worry about traffic, driving and figuring out the best route to take unlike driving. It can be hard to relax while driving, but this is not an issue with train travel which means that you can arrive at your destination feeling calm, happy and relaxed.

Flexibility

There is also flexibility with train travel in that you will usually have a few options for what train to get and what time to leave. When flying, there is not much flexibility and this can add to the stress. If you are travelling to popular areas like London, there will always be an earlier or later train that you could get.

Comfort

Train travel can also be the most comfortable way to travel, especially during off-peak hours. Being crammed into a plane with little to no leg room can be incredibly uncomfortable, especially on a long haul flight. Travelling in the car can be better, but with a train, you have the ability to get up and move around which can make travel much more comfortable and enjoyable.

These are a few of the main benefits of train travel over flying or driving. There are limitations, but train travel can be a lot easier, stress-free, fun and comfortable than other forms of travel and it is always an option that is worth considering when planning any kind of trip.

I am not one for resolutions and I don’t much like plans. If I make a plan to explore I tend to go overboard and there is too much room then for anxiety and doubts to start creeping in. I can go from writing a packing list to wondering what we would do if the worst should happen – and it happens every single time. More often than not resulting in me cancelling altogether. So, for me, plans are exhausting.

Much more preferable is to wake up one morning and have a feeling that I want to do something and then to just go with it. Obviously you cannot take this approach with all things though and I appreciate that sometimes a little planning is essential. My top tip for this is to marry a spreadsheet lover.

This year is our tenth wedding anniversary (and 20th together) and even though it meant that I had to make a plan, I was determined that we should do something special.

So, after a bit of deliberation over whether it is feasible in our current Covid climate, I have decided that 2022 should be our year to explore! I thought a lot about what that means and from it I made a sort of a wishlist for the year:

Back to the island

Many moons ago when we first met, MrG invited me to come along on the holiday he had booked with his friends. His sister was meant to go but she had had to drop out. So, just a couple of months after this rando from off of the internet, I agreed to go with them. The holiday was to Lanzarote. That was 20 years ago. I thought it would be a lovely idea to return to our first ever holiday destination to celebrate our time together.

I also know that M will LOVE being able to visit a real life volcano!

It’s only for a week but we haven’t been abroad for 5 years and I think it’s about time we try. We are going to be staying in Playa Blanca in a really lovely apartment next to a water park which means we will barely see Elizabeth! That girl grows gils on holiday, I swear.

The Norfolk coast

Remember earlier when I addressed my love of spontaneity? Well, a couple of weeks ago I was chatting with my sister and she mentioned that she had just booked a long weekend to the Norfolk coast for May. She said “you should book it too”. So I did!

I had been umming and aahing over taking the children to the seaside anyway – as we haven’t been in about 2 years – and I think that the Norfolk coast is vastly underrated. So we are now off to a place near to Great Yarmouth. I know it’s only a weekend but it will be a nice break and will also give Bonnie a short trial at the boarding place I have found for her. We have never left her before and this is someone’s home rather than kennels. It will be good to take her for the weekend to see how she gets on before our holiday in the summer.

I would love to tell you that we have an action packed weekend planned. But we don’t. I am looking forward to exploring Burgh castle and Gorleston beach but that’s about it really. Other than that I plan to be giggling with my sister while we watch our children play and the men BBQ (to be clear they will be operating the BBQ and not on it)

Cream teas all round

Another coastline I adore is definitely Cornwall. I love the idea of staying in a Falmouth hotel and exploring nearby attractions like Pendennis castle. Obviously a must when visiting Cornwall is to treat us all to a proper cream tea. On top of that you have the beautiful beaches of course. The only thing holding me back from visiting is just how busy it can get in the summer so I think we might aim for a bit earlier in the year and hopefully make the most of the local wildlife cruises. I think Bess and Moose would both love a bit of dolphin spotting. We would have to make sure we remember our sea sickness pills though, I still shudder at the thought of our ferry crossing to Guernsey a few years ago!

Castle spotting

When MrG was a youngster he says that his Mum used to drag him round old castles on trips all of the time. Sadly for MrG he has only gone and married a woman who has the same love of history that his Mum did (and does) so an absolute must when I think about exploring HAS to be some trips to castles!

There are so many really cool ones. I love the idea of spending a couple of weeks just going from castle to castle during the summer. For a moment there I did even think we could save loads of money by staying in our tent. Then I remembered that I hate camping so maybe not!

Top of the list though, has to be Edinburgh castle. I have always wanted to visit Edinburgh and never have. If anyone wants to suggest other places we should see in or close to Edinburgh then please comment below!

Humans go through cycles. Some of these cycles are generational. Others occur over a longer term. Such as the rise and fall of civilisations and empires. With the advent of the car, having your own vehicle became a symbol of financial and social as well as literal mobility. Allowing people to easily travel just about anywhere they wanted to go. Following this there was a realisation of the effect of vehicles on the environment. Whereupon the more conscientious members of society invested in bikes, bought bus and train season tickets or walked to work and school instead. And then came Covid-19.

Dangers of Public Transport

Sharing your space with others becomes a problem when faced with the possibility of contracting a serious respiratory virus, with potential long-term after-effects. No longer can you shrug and use a dab of hand sanitiser or just remind yourself to wash your hands as soon as you can. That might work for colds which are mild, or even seasonal flu which is only serious for older people or those with compromised immune systems, most of whom are already eligible for the flu vaccine. The actuality of Covid-19, plus the effects known as ‘long Covid’ add up into a nasty illness from which recovery, for anyone, is not guaranteed.

Costs of Running a Car

For some, the costs of running their car made making the switch to public transport a common sense decision. But, given the huge rises to public transport costs of late, reconsidering this might be a pleasant surprise! Sure, the initial cost of the car will be significant. However a used car is instantly much cheaper than a new model. And thereafter, your running costs will drop to much less than a lengthy commute, especially if it requires more than one bus or train. Insurance and taxes are reduced when you invest in a second-hand car, as they are based on the already reduced purchase price, making the saving continue for the life of the vehicle.

Loss of Eco-Friendly Cred

While you might think that going back to car ownership is giving in to the dark side, in an environmental context, again, this is not the case. Used cars have already gone some way to amortising the ecological impact of their manufacture, and every year that it is in use thereafter continues this process. You might not think of yourself as eco-friendly as you would be on a train. It might surprise you though. Especially if you manage to buy a second-hand hybrid vehicle which has high green clout in its own right.

If you are going back into the office and your skin crawls at the thought of being crammed in close to strangers after all this time. Why not check out the used car market? You can buy used cars at cheap prices from KAP Motors.