many reasons why surface travel rocks

[bluedevi]

- Out the window you will not see clouds, which are pretty but get old fast. You will see rolling hills, spring buds, gambolling lambs, picturesque canals with colourful boats, interestingly decrepit old factories and rusting industry, daffodils, castles, primroses, ponies and rainbows

Comments

[natural20]

I just drove Dublin - Edinburgh (and back, obv) and while I agree with a lot of what you say (almost all of it), there is the point that it took roughly ten hours door to door on land, whereas it'd be about three hours by plane. It adds up, sadly.

On-island I just don't take the plane any more. I've done the maths, I know of the stress reduction, train or car ftw. But when I'm going off-island, plane is still my default.

[bluedevi]

It makes a big difference if you live near the airport, though. And I don't any more. When I lived in Dublin it seemed much easier because time to the airport wasn't a big factor. I even used to take cabs to the airport, which is inconceivable now.

[huskyteer]

Aeroplanes are cooler than boats or trains, times a billion.

[bluedevi]

Thing is, my younger self would have agreed with you 100%. I grew up flying a lot. The idea of flying is rooted deep in my dreams and my imagination. But modern commercial flying... no, all the adventure and romance has been beaten out of it, for me. It became more and more of a struggle to feel the wonder.

Flying across America on a clear day is still utterly amazing, though.

[huskyteer]

Boats and trains are probably more romantic, granted. I'm going purely for cool here.

YMMV

[jinty]

Really? I wouldn't say so - even when I was a transatlantic-travelling-teen (when they were stinky with ciggie smoke and hence much less cool right away). What does their coolness consist in, for you? I can't see how anything much is cooler than a TGV or a sleeper train from Venice to Vienna - and even though London to Manchester via Virgin is a far cry from that, the space-age toilets help to make up a bit of ground.

That's why we're going by land and sea to Greece

[tortipede]

a strange hybrid of potential terrorist and cash cow
Terror-cow says "Moooo!"
(Now I have to learn to cartoon, so that I can draw that.)

Re: That's why we're going by land and sea to Greece

[bluedevi]

hahaha, terror-cow. Please do.

[marnameow]

+ you can bring yr bike with you.

I <3 trains and boats for travel.

[bluedevi]

There is that, too. Mum couldn't fit my bike in her car, and my homehome village is too far from everything for it to really be useful, but if I was ever coming back to Dublin just to hang out with my friends...

[mooism]

I want to train round Europe with a camera and a laptop, geeking and sightseeing as I go.

[bluedevi]

oh, me too.