If I could have a superpower I'd be Teleportation! I love visiting places but not the travelling experience. I don't live in the UK, but every time I go for work the train London-Manchester becomes a nightmare: cancellations, delays, everyone trying to fit in the same train. So, I feel your pain...
Interested how few comments there are about trains as alternative to budget airlines for European travel. A niece who lives in Switzerland recommended Ffestiniog Travel when I was planning a 3-legged journey in July to visit her and attend a conference in Caux (Montreux). Ffestiniog equipped me with an Interrail pass - that took me back to my 20s! - and it was a great and relaxing trip via Paris. Reading about the horrors on trains in the South West i must also say that since COVID Greater Anglia to our home on the Suffolk coast has become relatively comfortable and reliable - the exception being when someone chooses to end their life in front of a train to the permanent detriment of the poor driver.
Good point, Mark. It’s not the first thing I think of usually because I’m humping too much luggage but I’ve had memorable train journeys in the past to Venice and Rome
Second class travel Newcastle - Kings Cross. We never travel on football match days, usually Saturday. Carriage full of shouty men, swearing all the time and blocking aisles.. Toilets no go area. Once bitten etc.
Fiona, thank you. Why do we travel is a deep question. Because I am tackling the same topic in my articles, I read yours with interest, curious of your thoughts. But in the end, you did not attack the title question that in itself is the most interesting: "why on Earth do we travel". Why?
That of course is a much bigger philosophical question which I suggest readers should head for your Substack to pursue. The only thing I'd say is that it's very much a question of character and temperament. Not all people are interested in travelling but those of us who love it can't resist the lure of new worlds and experiences. Despite the irritations involved in getting there.
There's a will so there must be a way....or how will we talk amongst ourselves in the world we live in? Last week I travelled to the Kew Botanic Gardens (short ride on the tube from where i Iive in Action) to listen to biologist Merlin Sheldrake talking about mushrooms and the wood-wide web ('Entangled Life' - all about the interconnected fungi forest beneath our feet): asked at the end what his studies meant, he gave a very short answer: "Talk to each other."
I find it impossible to determine which part is me being older and less tolerant, and which part is the travel itself being rubbish, but I'm so careful about not setting out on a journey that already looks painful these days - and trying to travel at sane times etc.
I feel your pain. I used to travel extensively all over the world when I was working in 'big corporate', but nowadays my travel is mostly holidays or family visits back to the UK. Since moving to Italy almost 10 years ago, I have travelled on ferries far more than I ever did before.... We have great connections around Europe and so far, have found the ferries less crowded and more restful experiences than either flying or driving. They do require additional time of course. The thought of never being able to see through my plans to visit destinations for which flying is an absolute necessity makes me sad.....but every time I have to fly anywhere now, the airport experience is worse than the time before.....like you, I wonder if it's my growing lack of tolerance.....or actually that the whole concept of customer service has disappeared in the transportation industry.
I definitely think there's a contempt for the customer. I've been in queues waiting to board budget flights in insufferably hot temperatures along with other old people and couples with small kids. It's no way to treat your customers
Nice comment peice there, I think travel in general is getting more stressful across the board from a work perspective I think more and more people are looking for work from home/ office hybrid arrangement if they can to maximise there productivity and cut out wasted travel time. Looking at from a leisure perspective I think people do a lot more pre planning for outings to try to avoid the stress and losing valuable time when they looking to make the most of their leisure time.
Having a very early flight out of Bristol recently I drove up the afternoon before, spent a ludicrously expensive night in an airport hotel and then battled my way through the crowds (yes crowds) at the airport at 5am on a Sunday morning. Malpensa was blessedly quiet when we got there 3 hours later.
I’ll be allowing myself a lot longer to get there next time just in case.
When I was younger I didn’t mind. Now after cancer, traveling is awful for me by air has become awful and mostly not worth it- the stress always makes me sick when I get to my destination. I love exploring new places- but these days if I cannot drive there - so anywhere outside Canada and America, I have to have at least 3-4 weeks to account for getting sick from the travel stress. Ugh so high maintenance!
"Is it worse than it used to be I wonder or am I just getting less tolerant?"
I think air is worse because it's cheaper. Costs (which mean staff) have been cut. But at the same time, flying to Europe can be almost comically cheap. And I prefer being slightly late over spending a lot more, generally.
Roads feel better than some years ago. Remote work has taken a lot of traffic off the M4 and in the towns of the Thames Valley.
I find trains intolerable and the excuses that go with it. "There's not enough government money". National Express gets no government money, the ticket costs £15 instead of £50 and it has never once been late or cancelled getting me to London. It is slower, but I'll take that trade off.
I have been delayed on National Express but agree it's fantastic value for money. If you hit a traffic jam though there's not much they can do about it. And have to disagree with you about so called budget flights which are frequently as expensive as the national airlines these days. Unless you travel with one tiny bag
Oh my goodness, it's terrible. It took us four hours to get from Truro to Taunton services, then another four hours to the Tewkesbury turnoff - gridlocked from Newquay all the way to Gloucester. (Had packed lunch and flask of coffee at Taunton Deane at 4pm - at least we planned ahead - and some hot cross buns leftover from Easter)., Booked myself a first class seat to go up to London a couple of weeks ago (hoping to goodness that that might guarantee me a seat) - the train terminated at Exeter, then it was every man for himself. Eventually limped hysterically in to my friend's arms just in time for a not-even-early gin instead of a late lunch, and a link from Trainline to claim my refund. This week we are flying to Turkey, which involves train to Gatwick, then early flight on BA the following morning. What could possibly go wrong? It would be less stressful to stay at home, but then we'd get even more grumpy and grouchy.
I'm so inured to chaos on public transport that I pretty much just shrug at any delay of less than an hour 😕 It's not just the delays themselves that are the problem, it's the companies who seem totally unable to help their customers deal with them, despite, you would think, having had lots of practice! The UK's rail and road infrastructure is creaking and I can't honestly see things improving any time soon. In the meantime, at least I've had compensation for the 55% of my rail journeys this year that have arrived late...
Agreed: it seems to be worse and worse. There are too many cars on the road in the UK and the train isn't reliable enough to get some of those cars off the road. I also agree that a good book and Airpods are the solution to all kinds of travelling stress...
Is it something unique to the UK or a universal problem I wonder? I can't but feel Brexit hasn't helped especially with baggage handlers. Fortunately we don't have as many strikes as the French or Italians. Extreme weather conditions of course don't help either.
Brexit caused the U.K. to become a third country.We lost the rights to freely work,travel,study,reside and travel to 27 EU countries.Passport checks in Europe, now lead to huge queues for U.K. citizens..Eurostar runs at two thirds capacity because of passport checks. Very difficult to think of any benefits of Brexit.
If I could have a superpower I'd be Teleportation! I love visiting places but not the travelling experience. I don't live in the UK, but every time I go for work the train London-Manchester becomes a nightmare: cancellations, delays, everyone trying to fit in the same train. So, I feel your pain...
Lucky you not living in the UK then!
Interested how few comments there are about trains as alternative to budget airlines for European travel. A niece who lives in Switzerland recommended Ffestiniog Travel when I was planning a 3-legged journey in July to visit her and attend a conference in Caux (Montreux). Ffestiniog equipped me with an Interrail pass - that took me back to my 20s! - and it was a great and relaxing trip via Paris. Reading about the horrors on trains in the South West i must also say that since COVID Greater Anglia to our home on the Suffolk coast has become relatively comfortable and reliable - the exception being when someone chooses to end their life in front of a train to the permanent detriment of the poor driver.
Good point, Mark. It’s not the first thing I think of usually because I’m humping too much luggage but I’ve had memorable train journeys in the past to Venice and Rome
Would love to know what take away you were aiming for in Faversham?
We picked some awesome apples at Brogdale the other weekend.
And encountered a giant dragonfly on the marshes that I thought was a small mechanical drone at first till discovering it was living.
It was from a vendor called Senorita Margarita https://www.senoritamargarita.co.uk/. Haven't tried it before but had it recommended!
Second class travel Newcastle - Kings Cross. We never travel on football match days, usually Saturday. Carriage full of shouty men, swearing all the time and blocking aisles.. Toilets no go area. Once bitten etc.
Gawd. As you say, never again!
Fiona, thank you. Why do we travel is a deep question. Because I am tackling the same topic in my articles, I read yours with interest, curious of your thoughts. But in the end, you did not attack the title question that in itself is the most interesting: "why on Earth do we travel". Why?
That of course is a much bigger philosophical question which I suggest readers should head for your Substack to pursue. The only thing I'd say is that it's very much a question of character and temperament. Not all people are interested in travelling but those of us who love it can't resist the lure of new worlds and experiences. Despite the irritations involved in getting there.
There's a will so there must be a way....or how will we talk amongst ourselves in the world we live in? Last week I travelled to the Kew Botanic Gardens (short ride on the tube from where i Iive in Action) to listen to biologist Merlin Sheldrake talking about mushrooms and the wood-wide web ('Entangled Life' - all about the interconnected fungi forest beneath our feet): asked at the end what his studies meant, he gave a very short answer: "Talk to each other."
I find it impossible to determine which part is me being older and less tolerant, and which part is the travel itself being rubbish, but I'm so careful about not setting out on a journey that already looks painful these days - and trying to travel at sane times etc.
Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Common sense!
I feel your pain. I used to travel extensively all over the world when I was working in 'big corporate', but nowadays my travel is mostly holidays or family visits back to the UK. Since moving to Italy almost 10 years ago, I have travelled on ferries far more than I ever did before.... We have great connections around Europe and so far, have found the ferries less crowded and more restful experiences than either flying or driving. They do require additional time of course. The thought of never being able to see through my plans to visit destinations for which flying is an absolute necessity makes me sad.....but every time I have to fly anywhere now, the airport experience is worse than the time before.....like you, I wonder if it's my growing lack of tolerance.....or actually that the whole concept of customer service has disappeared in the transportation industry.
I definitely think there's a contempt for the customer. I've been in queues waiting to board budget flights in insufferably hot temperatures along with other old people and couples with small kids. It's no way to treat your customers
Nice comment peice there, I think travel in general is getting more stressful across the board from a work perspective I think more and more people are looking for work from home/ office hybrid arrangement if they can to maximise there productivity and cut out wasted travel time. Looking at from a leisure perspective I think people do a lot more pre planning for outings to try to avoid the stress and losing valuable time when they looking to make the most of their leisure time.
A lot of it I think is to do with time of year and time of the week. Avoid school holidays and weekends if at all possible
Having a very early flight out of Bristol recently I drove up the afternoon before, spent a ludicrously expensive night in an airport hotel and then battled my way through the crowds (yes crowds) at the airport at 5am on a Sunday morning. Malpensa was blessedly quiet when we got there 3 hours later.
I’ll be allowing myself a lot longer to get there next time just in case.
Am staying in a hotel at Heathrow overnight when we go to Mexico. Makes for a much less frantic start!
This September I went to Edimburgh 5, days.
I came back to BCN. as a new person.
I was so grateful... I think I will never stop travelling. Love. Eli
I know. Me too despite all the frustrations.
Ranting gives such sweet pleasure. Travelling not so much.
Love a good rant. What blogging/Substack is for ...
When I was younger I didn’t mind. Now after cancer, traveling is awful for me by air has become awful and mostly not worth it- the stress always makes me sick when I get to my destination. I love exploring new places- but these days if I cannot drive there - so anywhere outside Canada and America, I have to have at least 3-4 weeks to account for getting sick from the travel stress. Ugh so high maintenance!
You at least have a genuine reason for not travelling rather than petulance (in my case)! In your circumstances I'd limit it too
I think we both have just as genuine reasons!
"Is it worse than it used to be I wonder or am I just getting less tolerant?"
I think air is worse because it's cheaper. Costs (which mean staff) have been cut. But at the same time, flying to Europe can be almost comically cheap. And I prefer being slightly late over spending a lot more, generally.
Roads feel better than some years ago. Remote work has taken a lot of traffic off the M4 and in the towns of the Thames Valley.
I find trains intolerable and the excuses that go with it. "There's not enough government money". National Express gets no government money, the ticket costs £15 instead of £50 and it has never once been late or cancelled getting me to London. It is slower, but I'll take that trade off.
I have been delayed on National Express but agree it's fantastic value for money. If you hit a traffic jam though there's not much they can do about it. And have to disagree with you about so called budget flights which are frequently as expensive as the national airlines these days. Unless you travel with one tiny bag
Oh my goodness, it's terrible. It took us four hours to get from Truro to Taunton services, then another four hours to the Tewkesbury turnoff - gridlocked from Newquay all the way to Gloucester. (Had packed lunch and flask of coffee at Taunton Deane at 4pm - at least we planned ahead - and some hot cross buns leftover from Easter)., Booked myself a first class seat to go up to London a couple of weeks ago (hoping to goodness that that might guarantee me a seat) - the train terminated at Exeter, then it was every man for himself. Eventually limped hysterically in to my friend's arms just in time for a not-even-early gin instead of a late lunch, and a link from Trainline to claim my refund. This week we are flying to Turkey, which involves train to Gatwick, then early flight on BA the following morning. What could possibly go wrong? It would be less stressful to stay at home, but then we'd get even more grumpy and grouchy.
Well good luck. And thank goodness for gin 😉
Thank you! I am wondering whether I should just get the vet to sedate me for the whole journey.
😂 Or carry a hip flask ...
I'm so inured to chaos on public transport that I pretty much just shrug at any delay of less than an hour 😕 It's not just the delays themselves that are the problem, it's the companies who seem totally unable to help their customers deal with them, despite, you would think, having had lots of practice! The UK's rail and road infrastructure is creaking and I can't honestly see things improving any time soon. In the meantime, at least I've had compensation for the 55% of my rail journeys this year that have arrived late...
I honestly don't know how they make any money given the level of compensation they have to shell out. Maybe that's why fares are so ludicrously high
Agreed: it seems to be worse and worse. There are too many cars on the road in the UK and the train isn't reliable enough to get some of those cars off the road. I also agree that a good book and Airpods are the solution to all kinds of travelling stress...
Is it something unique to the UK or a universal problem I wonder? I can't but feel Brexit hasn't helped especially with baggage handlers. Fortunately we don't have as many strikes as the French or Italians. Extreme weather conditions of course don't help either.
Brexit caused the U.K. to become a third country.We lost the rights to freely work,travel,study,reside and travel to 27 EU countries.Passport checks in Europe, now lead to huge queues for U.K. citizens..Eurostar runs at two thirds capacity because of passport checks. Very difficult to think of any benefits of Brexit.
Very.