|
Drive-Alive Newsletter September 2008 - Number 1
Let the train take the strain!
You may have noticed a couple of new links on the Drive-Alive website:
Book Eurostar and
Book Trains in Europe.
This might seem strange for a website specialising in driving holidays, but
we enjoy train travel almost as much as driving. With the opening of the
spanking new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International, and the advent of
integrated ticketing, we really think rail travel has arrived as an eco-friendly
alternative to both self-drive and air travel.
The excellent service provided by Eurostar and the various High Speed Train
operators on the Continent mean that travelling by train has now firmly arrived
in the 21st century. The links above allow you to make integrated bookings from
your home station right to your destination in Europe!
 Because
the rising price of fuel has a much greater impact on a flight than on a train
journey, this autumn will be the first time for at least half a decade when you
will be able to travel abroad more cheaply by train than by plane - at least for
many destinations within a day’s travel from London. Not only that but for many
of those destinations rail will also be the faster option.
Nick Trend, writing recently in the Telegraph, compared air and rail fares to
seven European cities and found airlines to be cheaper in only two cases. The
table shows the full set of results. Apart from Bordeaux (which takes six hours
26 minutes on the train including connections), journey times are less than
five-and-a-half hours from St Pancras. Remember that there are no long waits at
check-in and baggage reclaim, and that you are usually deposited in the heart of
your destination, not an hour or so's coach ride away. The airline fares include
checked-in baggage charges, but not the cost of getting to or from the airport,
which can be considerable.
If you live more than two hours from London, because of the time getting to
St Pancras, it may well be that there are flights from a nearby regional airport
that would be a quicker, if not necessarily cheaper, option.
For some more good reasons to relax and take the stress out of travelling,
have a look at our newly launched website specialising in
European train travel.
Train v plane:
Return journeys from London
| Destination |
Eurostar from London |
Flight |
| Brussels |
1hr 51mins, from £59 |
£93.60 with BMI from Heathrow |
| Paris |
2hrs 15mins, from £59 |
£122 with BA from Heathrow |
| Tours |
4hrs 26mins, from £79 |
£42 with Ryanair from Stansted |
| Cologne |
4hrs 59mins, from £59 |
£95.55 with Lufthansa from Heathrow |
| Lyon |
5hrs and 16mins, from £99 |
£121.80 with BA from Heathrow |
| Amsterdam |
5hrs and 17mins, from £59 |
£69.36 with Easyjet from Stansted |
| Bordeaux |
6hrs and 26mins, from £99 |
£57.57 with Easyjet from Luton |
Rail fares, per person, were the cheapest found for travel in mid-October.
Flights were the cheapest from a London airport, including Luton. All fares
liable to change without notice. WITH THANKS TO THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Car hire at your destination
 Don't
forget that we work with two of the leading and most competitive car hire
companies in Europe, so if you decide to take the train (or even fly!) we can
offer you unrivalled deals through either
Auto Europe or
Argus Car
Hire. Just enter your destination and hire date and choose from their great
range of hire cars. Get the best of both worlds: hassle-free travel to your
destination then the freedom to drive around when you get there.
Excess hire car insurance with Argus Car Hire
Avoid ALL Excess Charges for just GBP 4.73 a day!
Most car rental companies charge an Excess if you have a claim. Typically you
pay the first GBP 1,000 or so. Also, most policies issued by car rental
companies don't cover windows, tyres, undercarriage, roof or loss of keys.
Excess Insurance gives you complete peace of mind for just GBP 4.73 per day.
The policy will cover up to GBP 2000 of any excess; it can be used on any
vehicle type and if Argus can't confirm your particular vehicle you can use it
with any rental company so you won't lose out.
You will be offered the Excess Insurance towards the end of the booking
process with Argus, and Excess Insurance is billed separately on your credit
card statement. It will almost certainly be cheaper than the equivalent offered
on collection abroad.
|
