Wondering Nina

The first thing people should be looking at when starting to plan a trip is how they will get where they want to go, at least that’s usually my method of traveling. I’ll look up a flight/train/bus and once I’ve booked that, I’ll plan the rest (which, sometimes means just accommodation – but that’s a conversation for another time). 

And because I like to keep things interesting and keep my partner on her toes, I like changing up my methods of transportation. And honestly? I was through and through a fly only girly, nowadays? I’ll look up every available option and go from there. I do still open my flight apps as a first option, but I do shop around before making any decision. We recently spent a month and a half in Australia and visited many cities, we did not take a single domestic flight while doing so. 

There are three main things I consider when deciding which method of transportation is going to get me to point A to point B. 

1. Cost. If taking a train is half the price of flying, I will be seriously considering the train over the flight. 
2. How much of my time the choice will be eating up, when traveling internationally, more often than not a flight is the best option as it is usually the fastest but I have learnt the hard way that sometimes a train or a car can overall save you time. 
3. And the third one is the easiness of the choice. I often ask myself how long it will take me to get to the airport? How hidden and hard to find is the bus stop? How complicated is the process? 

And believe me when I say these three things are deeply intertwined with one another. For example, getting on a coach more often than not you just show up at the stop, drop your luggage with the driver, scan your ticket and settle in for the journey. I have often found that bus stops can be fairly hard to find, and sometimes the hassle of it isn’t even worth it. On the other hand, the ease of finding a train station can be ruined by stations that are hard to navigate due to poor signage. All of this to say that any choice will have pros and cons. 

Airplanes 

Flying sometimes is the only feasible option due to how far you’re going, back in the day, it would take up to six months to go from England to Australia, nowadays there are flights from London to Perth that are just under 17hrs. And even in modern day, if one were to make the same journey by any other method it would take weeks. 

Getting on a plane decades ago was a luxury experience, honestly, until not too long ago it was still a very fun experience. You get to sit on a flying metal monster while looking down at the clouds, have some soda and eat some peanuts. Today, with most airlines you have to pay for every possible thing, the only thing you get with the fare is the right to be in the plane (and in some countries even that isn’t guaranteed). And if I ever get hungry, I have to pay the price of a left kidney for some chips and a coke.  Companies are stuffing people in the metal monster as if we were sardines on a can, and personally? As long as I get a seat and make it safe to my destination, I couldn’t care less. 

For ease of traveling and moving around, I only travel with carry ons and some airlines still have it included. The budget ones, however, don’t. I love opening google flights and seeing a $10 flight to Dublin, but I am fully aware that I will only be bringing a small backpack or I’ll be paying another $50 for a carry on. 

Another cost that I was guilty of forgetting a lot of times when buying a very cheap flight and justifying a weekend away as “it’s cheaper than a meal out to get there” is the cost of getting to the airport. Because airports are usually out of town, an uber/taxi/train is necessary to reach them and sometimes that one fare or ticket can be more expensive than your flight itself. Which is really a bummer when traveling on a budget. 

One thing I adore about flying is airports, people watching there is one of my favorite activity. It does include long security lines, small liquid amounts, and possibly the most expensive pint of the whole trip, but it is an experience like no other. And it does leave that “huh, I’m going on holiday” taste on your mouth. 

Although not all flights I take are international, I do treat them all as if they were. I am the definition of an Airport Dad. Catch me at the airport before the three hour window even starts, which in some southeast asian airports meant waiting around to be able to check in. So time wise when flying, I consider the flight time itself + commute in and out of the airport (which could be hours depending how far you’re coming from) + 3hrs at the airport before taking off, which honestly? Makes flying a very long ordeal, which is when I started taking trains. 

Trains 

Trains stations can be absolutely chaotic and hard to navigate, but I love the train itself. Seats more often than not are large and comfortable, it is so easy to get up, walk around and stretch your legs. Snacks are very mid and expensive, but nothing that a pit stop at a corner stop before getting to the station can’t fix. 

When it comes to prices, it depends a lot, based on the country and when you booked it. I can book a flight a week in advance depending where I’m going and not break the bank, booking something like the Eurostar a week before departure makes anyone’s wallet weep. 

A huge plus when it comes to trains is luggage, more often than not you can bring a personal item, a carry on and a “checked” bag (or two), included on the fare. The onus of it is that all of them will be with you for the journey, you will be carrying them on and off the train. 

Trains are, obviously, slower than flights but in certain situations it is the quicker option, or even the same length. Taking the Eurostar from London to Paris is a two hour journey + one hour ahead at St. Pancras Station and you drop straight at Gare du Nord, with easy access to many metro and RER lines. Flying would imply three hours early, plus the 1hr20 on the air, and then the one hour journey on the RER into town. 

On the other hand, London to Glasgow (I did this journey just last month). It is a six hour train ride from Euston Station in Central London to Glasgow Central. I’m based in Essex so if I ever need to get to London it is at least an hour, the train took just under six, and it was a ten minute walk to the station. It is 1hr15 flight from Stansted Airport (which is the closest to me) to Glasgow, it would take me two hours from my house to the airport, another three hours at the airport, the flight itself, and the roughly half an hour journey to Central Glasgow on the Airport Express (assuming you’re there within the schedule). Train journey took around 7 hours, flying would’ve taken about the same. The real kicker is that I could just chill for six of those hours, read a book, and not worry about making it to my gate and being cramped in a seat hundreds of miles in the sky. It was also cheaper to take the train but in all honesty, it was the easiness of it that make the final choice. 

Coaches 

A very neglected form of travel is buses, because in all honesty, is probably the most uncomfortable option. That being said, it is more often than not the cheapest. Which does make it attractive. The length of traveling tends to be longer than a train, but it does change depending on the country. A Greyhound from Montreal to New York takes about eight hours when the train takes twelve, it is one of the most comfortable and spacious trains I’ve ever been on, but also the slowest. I’ve taken the bus many more times than I did the train. 

Coaches have a bad rep, but honestly? They are a good option, my suggestion is to stick with reliable companies and all should be well. Greyhound and Megabus are the two I used in North America. National Express has done me well in England. Greyhound is also reliable in Australia. 

I have yet to take a sleeping bus in Asia, and it is very much so on my bucket list. 

Road Trip 

It goes without saying that this is a more domestic traveling option, but it doesn’t have to be. Renting a car gives you unprecedented freedom to go wherever with no foreplanning, it allows for spontaneity. 

A campervan does it to a beautiful extreme, you don’t even have to find a place to sleep as you’re taking your bed with you wherever you go. I did ten days on a campervan down the Australian East Coast (Brisbane to Sydney) and that chunk of the trip made it to my top five favorite trip experiences. I can’t recommend it enough, and that comes from someone who hates driving. 

So all I can say, do not overlook the power of a good road trip. 

Boats

Unlike the previous options, taking a boat more often than not IS the trip, aka a cruise. But it doesn’t have to be, it can be your way of getting from one point to another. Transatlantic Cruises are fairly untouched and not talked about enough. The one big con of it is the length, the cruise itself pushes three weeks which is not feasible for a lot of people. 

But in an ideal world, one could cruise from Florida to England for 18 days and then vacation in the United Kingdom before taking a flight back to America. Sometimes, it is about the journey. 

In all honesty, they all have their merit, you just need to make the choice that fits your needs better. And don’t forget that sometimes it is the journey, not the destination.