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Rail Breaks - Why many people are turning their backs on flying.

By: Robin Richmond

Article Word Count: 804 words  [Comments (0)]
Total Views: 9 Views






According to statistics supplied by Great Rail Journeys (GRJ) –



one of the UK’s premier holiday companies that specialise in



rail - an amazing 40,000 Britons are taking package rail



holidays every year. These figures would have been hard to



believe some five to ten years ago when the phrase “British



Rail” was synonymous with poor service and unreliable transport.



However, as we will learn taking a holiday via train has become



increasing popular amongst persons who prefer a more comfortable



and yet adventurous way of travelling.







Traditional railway holidays were very much the norm in 50’s



Britain. Be it short breaks to cities such as London, York or



Edinburgh or exciting trips across continental Europe many



Briton’s grew up with the rail package holiday. It is perhaps as



a result of this that the back bone of the rail holiday industry



in the UK is couples in their sixties and seventies reliving the



vacations of their youth. Be it rushing to make tight connecting



flights, crowed airports or a simple fear of flying – many



travellers today simply don’t want to get from a to b on an



airplane. The very fact you have allocated more time out of your



schedule to travel by rail ensures the whole experience can be a



great deal calmer – which is one of the key reasons why it is



popular with the elderly market







However, this trend is certainly changing slowly – with more



younger travellers choosing rail over flying. One popular type



of rail holiday is EuRail trips across Europe. Often associated



with backpackers, the Eurailpass is one of the most convenient



ways to see Europe as the ticket offers unlimited train travel



throughout 18 countries on their network – including the whole



of Scandinavia. With frequent departures on busy routes, it is



often the case that the train is a faster option than flying



when you consider the commuting time it takes to reach most



European airports on the edge of busy cities. This is especially



the case when using fast train services such as the German ICE,



French TGV or indeed the Eurostar which connects France with



London.







Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks to rail travel (at least



outside the UK) is that it can be remarkably difficult to find



information and actually book tickets. The large majority of



travel agents no longer sell rail package deals and companies



such as EuroStar have little information available once they get



you as far as Paris or Brussels. In fact until very recently



there were very few websites where anyone could gleam



information about train journeys, times and bookings. Luckily



there are a number of sites available now with a plethora of



information such as Seat 61



which - despite being run as a hobby rather than a business – is



a tremendous resource for anyone wanting to plan a foreign



railway journey.







Domestically in the UK short weekend breaks on the train are



becoming extremely popular. Be it a shopping trip to Glasgow or



taking in a west end show in London, package deals which include



two nights accommodation and rail tickets are becoming more



available. Recently travel and rail companies Superbreak and GNER have teamed up to provide



short break package deals to five UK cities – London, Leeds,



York, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Prices are competitive and they



provide a real alternative to driving to these destinations on



crowded motorways.







Certainly this renaissance of rail travel is surprising to an



extent. With the advent of budget airlines making air travel



more accessible and price competitive many felt that this would



be one competitor too many for the rail industry to remain an



active part of the holiday market. However, it would appear that



rail holidays have certainly found their niche and are likely to



remain an active part of the UK travel market for years to come.







Released by Bigmouthmedia



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