No-fly zone: the wonder of travelling without wings

An unpleasant and definitely inconvenient truth is dawning upon us all like a queasy hangover (you know, the ones that start about 10 o'clock, just as you're thinking you've got away with it). All the lovely cheap flights which have been whisking us around the world for less than a pair of jeans aren't quite as cheap as they seem.

In fact, plane travel is starting to catch up with road travel in the pollutant stakes - in 2005 it contributed 3.5% of all climate change emissions, and that is likely to climb to 15% by 2050. One flight from the UK to Melbourne produces the equivalent emissions of three typical cars in a year, while a plane trip from London to Glasgow chuffs out six times more crap than the journey by train.

Even government voices such as the Commission for Integrated Transport have been saying for some time that action is needed. "Polluters should meet the costs that they impose on society," states one CFIT factsheet. So how about considering these non-flying options to travel around Europe and even, virtually, to get to the other side of the world?


Despite the slagging train services get from the press and some passengers, they are actually pretty efficient. The key is to book ahead to avoid last-minute extortion. Then you can sit back, sweat-free, on such design classics as the 125mph Virgin Pendolino train as it whisks you from London Euston to Glasgow in 4 hours and 25 minutes (internet access provided, though they charge for the privilege).

Given these easily available rail services, it's surprising that more than 6 billion passenger miles were flown within the UK alone in 2002. And almost half of all air journeys in Europe cover less than 300 miles - a distance easily covered by train. So if you're thinking about a holiday, try the Eurostar. You can be in the south of France in just six hours, with fares starting at £99.


Underrated, and suffering at the hands of the Channel Tunnel and cheap airfares, it's possible to get unbelievably low ferry fares to France, Spain, Holland and Ireland. You can fill your car with folk, get over there, load up on duty-free and sell it when you get home to cover your trip ... Oh no! That's probably food miles or something. Have a nice holiday, though.


Okay, it's not the quickest way to get off the island - but it can be really cheap: National Express do £13 fares to Dublin, Amsterdam and Paris. And within the UK they can rival trains: you can do Birmingham to Cambridge in 3hr 20min on a bus and not much less on a train - but the bus will cost you £18 while the train (depending on which of nearly 20 options you go for) will be up to £72. In the south buses can be particularly good if you want to avoid going via London - when travelling from Heathrow, for example.


How's this for an idea - don't go at all! For about £150 an hour you can rent a video-conferencing suite: they're dotted about all over the place. Okay, so £150 might be more expensive financially than flying up to Edinburgh for a business meeting. But it will save time, and might have something to do with the future of the planet, too.