Sunday, 20 January 2013
It's not easy being Green
It's hard to travel 'green'. I'm proud that I haven't flown for more than three years. But that's largely because I haven't been anywhere more exotic than the Cote d'Azur or Cornwall in that time - and have a half decent car that I can use and fill with food (beers from Belgium for my British friends and Cheddar from the UK to impress my Belgian friends) and camping stuff - and because my favourite airline (BMI) to London went bust eighteen months ago.
But here I am - trying to plan a trip to Southern Germany to go to an organic trade fair in three weeks time. That should be early enough to get the discount tickets. My arse! Belgium's international train web site advertises that tickets are available from 54E and the journey time is around 5 and half hours. But when I try to book, the cheapest tickets on offer are actually 88E (+9 E reservation fee) and those tickets involve three changes and take 7.5 hours. Driving costs are 65E each way - about the same travel time (allowing for meal and coffee stops). And hey guess what I don't get penalised if I leave my hotel ten minutes later than planned.
I like trains but they don't seem to like customers.
Doubtless - in the logic of modern capitalism - there's a flight for 30E
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