Written in collaboration with Byway Travel
Receive £50 off your Byway holiday with code LIVEFRANKLY50. T&Cs below.
When did sustainable travel become so sought after?
For me, there were a few reasons. I started to seek it out even more after covid, which made me really focus on how I spend my time.
I mean, waking up disgustingly early for that budget air flight to Budapest on a Friday morning, coming back late on a Monday night and heading straight into work on Tuesday just doesn’t hold the same appeal it once did. Especially not now delays are more likely and baggage requirements ever-smaller, meaning that even packing is no longer a fun experience.
Do you remember that feeling of anticipation before you went away? I used to spend hours reading about places to visit and adding destinations to my bucket list knowing that each one would be a conscious choice because I would have to choose that one and forsake all others. But, cheap flights and easily accessible cookie-cutter tourism put them all at my fingertips, turning what was once a hobby into a to-do list, without me even realising. Without any of us realising.
As Oliver Burkemann writes in 4,000 weeks (a brilliant book if you’re feeling overwhelmed): “So the retiree ticking exotic destinations off a bucket list and the hedonist stuffing her weekends full of fun are arguably just as overwhelmed as the exhausted social worker or corporate lawyer.”
That sounds crazy at first, but it holds a lot of truth. It’s time to reclaim holidays and travel.
And, for me, travelling by train has been a wonderful way to do that. I’ve travelled to Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Glasgow on three separate occasions over the past couple of years – and have got the train each time. We’ve also driven to Switzerland in an electric car and caught the overnight ferry that takes you from Portsmouth to Bilbao, but those are stories for another article.
Each time was an experiment. Each time I questioned if we were going to regret the decision not to take the quicker, or often cheaper, option to fly. My doubts were especially strong as I was the driving force behind each trip and the responsibility laid with me.
And every time, I lost count of the amount of times we told each other how much we ‘loved the journey!’, wondered at all the new places we saw and would have missed had we flown, how grateful we were that we took the ‘risk’ and repeatedly asked each other why we hadn’t done this before!
For me, the desire for train travel coincided with the luxury of being able to work from home or – as I now call it, ‘work from anywhere’. This means long train journeys zipping past the countryside in that much sought after state of ‘flow’.
Admittedly, it’s beneficial being able to travel outside of peak times (which is, apparently, a more sustainable time to travel), so summer can start earlier and last longer if we plan our trips right.
This has opened up new experiences and enabled me to redefine what travel means to me – rather than buying into someone else’s dream of a five-star all-inclusive holiday in a chain hotel that looks the same wherever you are in the world, I can follow my own to boutique hotels owned by families, to restaurants that serve local dishes, and to lakes and beaches that are off the well-beaten tourist track.
But, only a little way off! I know I still like to feel safe when I travel, to follow recommendations, to know someone has been here and done that before. The luxury of having an industry and networks that are (slowly –possibly too slowly!) catering to increasing demand for more sustainable travel, has made it more desirable than it’s ever been.
So, what could sustainable travel look like in Europe? Well, here’s five ideas to inspire you…
Europe by rail: Five of the best late summer holiday deals
1. Tuscan Sunsets
Destination: Tuscany, Italy
Days: 9
Off-peak travel deals:
Travel in September: Price from £1550
Travel in October: Price from £1367
Peak season travel cost:
Travel in August: Price from £1714
All prices include travel tickets, accommodation, on-demand WhatsApp support, city guides and 100% disruption refund guarantee.
Turin, Florence, Siena and Milan. By rail. This must be one of the most romantic proposals someone could make to you. Possibly even surpassing ‘will you marry me?’.
Did you know that a train takes you from Paris to the elegant tree-lined boulevards and cobbled squares of Turin in less than six hours? And once you’re there you’re a mere hop-skip-and-jump away from the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence; the bustling contrade (districts) of Sienna; and the fashion capital of the world, Milan.
This trip allows you to spend at least a night exploring some of the best art, culture, food and nightlife Tuscany has to offer. You could even add a night in Paris into the mix on the way home. Pourquoi pas?
Book your holiday to Italy by rail now
2. Dog-friendly travel to UK foodie hotspot
Destination: Malton
Days: 4
Off-peak travel deals:
Travel in September: Price from £570
Travel in October: Price from £525
Peak season travel cost:
Travel in August: Price from £640
All prices include travel tickets, accommodation, on-demand WhatsApp support, city guides and 100% disruption refund guarantee.
There was a time when you used to have to decide – your dog or a really good meal in a lovely restaurant? Not any more though. You really can have it all these days. Dubbed the ‘foodie capital of Yorkshire’, Malton is a market town of breweries, local festivals and artisanal makers. The town has been voted one of the most dog-friendly in the UK. Plus, it is surrounded by stunning walks. It’s also steeped in history – being a favourite spot of Dickens.
This trip includes glorious views of the Yorkshire countryside on the Transpennine Express and a stay in a 17th century coaching inn with gorgeous gardens. The rooms are comfy and modern and the menus are designed to showcase the best of seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients.
Book your holiday to Yorkshire by rail now
3. Sleeper Train to Slovenia
Destination: Lake Bled
Days: 7
Off-peak travel deals:
Travel in September: Price from £1057
Travel in October: Price from £1029
Peak season travel cost:
Travel in August: Price from £1376
All prices include travel tickets, accommodation, on-demand WhatsApp support, city guides and 100% disruption refund guarantee.
More than 30 hours to get to Slovenia, you gasp? For a seven day holiday!? You must be kidding. But, what if a third of that journey was on a sleeper train, so you were being rocked gently to sleep in a bed when you would be sleeping anyway? A bonus being that this saves you two nights of accommodation.
And what if travelling in this way meant you arrived at the beautiful Lake Bled – a settlement that began as a spa town for wealthy central Europeans – already relaxed into holiday mode. After all, how else would you arrive after truly having time to stare out the window, read, drink wine, and chat?
Plus, once you’ve arrived, you’ve really arrived. This package includes five days and four nights in a spa hotel on the edge of a glacial lake that is the gateway to the Triglav National Park. And, rather than be yanked from paradise into reality, your return journey gives you the chance to adjust slowly to city life, having had time to reflect and fully soak up your experiences.
Book your holiday to Slovenia by rail now
4. The Dalmation Coast for the time decadent
Destination: Croatia
Days: 17
Off-peak travel deals:
Travel in September: Price from £2119
Travel in October: Price from £1773
Peak season travel cost:
Travel in August: Price from £3447
All prices include travel tickets, accommodation, on-demand WhatsApp support, city guides and 100% disruption refund guarantee.
So, you’ve done the only decent thing to do and that’s to let parents take the summer holiday dates available at work. Now, the school holidays are over. But, yours could just be beginning. And if there’s any possibility of working from anywhere with your job, then you could swing it so you’re working from the train and only having to take 10 days off work for a 17 day trip.
This journey to Croatia takes you through France and Germany on the way, and Austria and Switzerland on the way back. Sure your destination includes the renowned Split and Dubrovnik (both incredible sun-soaked places with delicious food), but if you were booking this alone would you ever have you considered visiting some of the Adriatic’s most beautiful islands such as Korčula or Mljet while you’re there? Us neither. But, that’s the beauty of a trip that’s planned for you. This holiday offers you the chance to do the type of exploring you haven’t done since you were young, or you tell yourself you will do one day. Well, that day is here. And you can do it in comfort. ‘Flashpacking’ we used to call it. Travelling in style is how I like to think of it now.
Book your holiday to Croatia by rail now
5. The Burgundy wine route
Destination: France
Days: 7
Off-peak travel deals:
Travel in September: Price from £808
Travel in October: Price from £842
Peak season travel cost:
Travel in August: Price from £894
All prices include travel tickets, accommodation, on-demand WhatsApp support, city guides and 100% disruption refund guarantee.
Vineyards, vineyards and more… wine, if you please. But, also some of the best fairytale towns, forest explorations, and river rambles northern France has to offer.
This trip starts in London, goes via Paris and through France’s Champagne region to Strasbourg, Alsace, famous for its vineyards and enchanting forests. After a couple of nights here, a 30-minute train ride will take you to Colmar, where you’ll find yourself spoilt for choice with Michelin-starred restaurants and lively wine bars along flower-lined canals. A small detour into Dijon on the way back, gives you the opportunity to explore and sample some of The Burgundy wine route (Routes des Grands Crus) that stretches 170km and passes 100 gorgeous villages. The only real question is, will you have more fun if you go with friends or with a romantic partner?
Book your holiday to France by rail now
Receive £50 off your Byway holiday with code LIVEFRANKLY50.
Redeem at checkout. Valid until 30 September 2023. The code can be used once per trip by new customers. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other codes.
About Byway Travel:
Byway Travel offer flight free holidays, and A to B journeys, that optimise for enjoyment rather than speed or cost.
The benefits of booking with Byway Travel include: Full customisation of your trip; Flexible tickets so it’s easy to change your plans while you’re away; Covid-19 refund guarantee with full financial protection from ABTA and on-demand support when travelling.
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