Be the (wo)man in Seat Sixty One!
A year ago, I embarked on a special train journey I'll never forget. Travelling to Madrid from London, my partner and I opted to forego the quicker flying option and take the Trenhotel instead: a luxurious sleeper train from that goes Paris to various Spanish cities.
To me, this is quite simply the most exciting way to travel, but it's also undeniably greener than air travel: a trip from London to Barcelona, for example, racks up 277 Kg of CO2 by plane but just 40 kg by train, including the Eurostar transfer. Many travellers who would once have baulked at the idea of taking the train anywhere beyond Brighton are now opting for long-distance rail travel as part of their holidays. And the best way to book if you're coming from the UK is via The Man In Seat 61, a site that was created with the belief that 'getting there is half the fun' in mind.
Related: Poll: Train vs. Plane: which is greener? | How to get cheaper train travel across the UK
What's great about this site is that it brings together what used to be a complicated mass of information on European routes, presenting them in one smartly-designed place. Simply tell it your destination, and it'll work out the best route and prices, regardless of how many borders you'll be crossing. It'll also help you find hotels.
The Man In Seat 61 has just scooped a Nigel's Eco Store Green Web Award, coming second in the 'green travel' category.
Just over a year ago I spent about half a day on the seat61 site looking up the possibilities (and prices) of getting to Morocco for a 2 week holiday.
Were I based a little closer to London, I certainly would have done it. Unfortunately the prices would have doubled flights, and the time would have restricted our holiday a little too much. But I plan to use this both this winter to get to Lithuania and next summer for Iran.
Posted by: Richard Millington | August 5, 2008 1:14 PM