Travel tips?

[lg423]

Does anyone know the best way to get to St Andrews from continental Europe [i]without[i] flying? I've got two big suitcases and not so much money. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

[wild_quinine]

Does anyone know the best way to get to St Andrews from continental Europe [i]without[i] flying? I've got two big suitcases and not so much money. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

If you're not willing to lose a suitcase and fly, why not fly and get the suitcases shipped?

I have a friend who is afraid of flying who takes a 42 hour bus to get back to Eastern Europe at vacations. It turns a week's holiday into a flying visit and four days of hell, of course. I'd guess it would be cheap, though... I've never asked, but I don't see how they'd do business if it weren't.

I don't know how much you're being quoted for getting those suitcases onto a plane, but I have a hard time seeing how it would top the cost of taking a bunch of trains and a ferry/tunnel.

And if you are talking hundreds, and hundreds, of pounds - why not buy a second hand car, and drive them over?

[Freaker (going undercover)]

Ryanair was thinking of allowing people to take a second suitcase with them for an extra fee, bringing the total allowance to 30kg - with the 10kg hand luggage, that should really be all you need, and with low fares it may still be the cheapest bet.

Why not pack one suitcase into a box and have it shipped? Depending on the country you are in, you can get some very cheap rates for sending packages to the UK. From Germany, I think I sent 20kg of stuff for about 30 Euros once with DHL, delivered to my door in St Andrews. Doesn't get much cheaper than that!

Or, if you insist on carrying your stuff yourself, look at Eurolines buses to London or Edinburgh. Then from London, book a Megabus to Dundee in advance for a good rate, or check the special offers on the National Express site.

[orudge]

Does anyone know the best way to get to St Andrews from continental Europe [i]without[i] flying? I've got two big suitcases and not so much money. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

Whereabouts in Europe are you coming from? You could go by train, connect with the EuroStar, and then take NXEC up from London to Leuchars. Or you might find it easier to take a ferry from, say, the Netherlands up to Newcastle (or the various other places the ferries run to), and then get a train from there. Both are likely to take a while and possibly not be all that cheap, though. Seat61 should be able to help.

The advice about getting some of your luggage shipped and then flying is probably best, though.

[donpablo]

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coacheurope.aspx.

I don't know if it has a suitable route for you but it's certainly cheap.

I would have suggested the Rosyth / Zeebrugge ferry which gets you pretty close to St Andrews but the prices are not cheap. There might be other ferries going via Newcastle or somewhere else that are cheaper if you don't want to be sat on a coach for a long time.

Shipping the other suitcase seems the most sensible option assuming it's not a fear of flying you have.

[Frank]

Deck passage or airline seating on the Rosyth-Zebrugge ferry isn't that much, I'm sure. If you can get a couple of sleeper trains across/up to Belgium then you'rein for a not-too-bad journey. Ferries and trains are pleasant enough ways to travel. Orudge's link to Seat61 could be invaluable.

[Benjamin]

The problem with Zeebrugge-Rosyth is that they don't accept foot passengers anymore.

I went to France and back from St Andrews this summer without flying, and it's really not that difficult. I got a EuroLines bus from Lille to London -- my particular one was the overnight bus so it went on the ferry, but some of them go through the tunnel. There are also regular direct busses to London from Paris, Brussels and Berlin, and less regular ones from other places. I then got the train from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley, and then to Leuchars -- not necessarily too expensive if you book it in advance. Alternatively, you can get the overnight Megabus from London Victoria Bus Station to either Edinburgh or Dundee.

I certainly recommend overland travel to mainland Europe over flying.

[lg423]

Wow, thanks so much, everyone! I had no idea there were so many options. See you in Scotland

[Garnet]

If you've not got much money i really wouldn't recommend going by train, I've found it to be more expensive than by bus and plane. I also looked into the ferries to Zeebrugge-Rosyth and it was quite expensive. I don't like to fly so I've been lots of times to Europe and back on buses and trains. I'd agree with the last person on the recommendations of eurolines, for a cheap option although make sure to leave plenty of time between connections as they can be delayed.

[MelissaL]

Don't forget the difficulty of lugging 2 big suitcases on and off buses and trains.

[lg423]

Yes, that's the thing. I'm terrified of flying, but being in a tube under the water doesn't sound so fun, either. Decisions, decisions.

[donpablo]

Well statistically flying is still the safest way to travel if being quickest and reasonably cheap wasn't incentive enough.

I never used to be a great flyer either. Don't think I quite had a fear of flying, maybe just a fear of things going wrong but when you consider how well planes are maintained and checked, they have numerous backup systems and the pilots are all incredibly skilled and largely ex forces pilots who wouldn't take any risk with passenger safety let alone their own, you're in good hands. If it wasn't safe you certainly would have a lot of nervous stewardesses / stewards.

Flying gets easier the more you do it but if it's that bad, maybe a doctor can prescribe something for the anxiety?

[Benjamin]

Short-haul flights are one of the biggest and most easily avoidable contributors to greenhouse gas emissions anyway, so should be discouraged in my view. Overland travel within Europe is far less damaging to the environment, and it doesn't take all that long really. It can also be quite enjoyable -- I really like watching scenery and seeing where it is I'm actually going.

[Spike]

I'm guessing from your post that you're vegetarian.

[Fawksie]

As an experiment I calculated the time and cost involved in a train journey from Leuchars to Vienna on the 1st of December this year (about as far in the future as I could get fares for). It's almost the cheapest available set of connections, the only concession I made was upgrading from a seat to a couchette on the Orient Express, for an extra £9.

I was pleasantly surprised at the price, but by Christ it's a long journey. Cheapest plane ticket is £62 from Easyjet via Gatwick, leaving Edinburgh at 10:25 and arriving in Vienna at 20:00. Connections from St Andrews to Edinburgh Airport and Vienna Airport to Vienna are left as an exercise to the reader

Depart Leuchars 0617 (First Scotrail, including London leg, £38)
Arrive Edinburgh Waverley 0738
Depart Edinburgh Waverley 0800 (National Express East Coast)
Arrive London King's Cross 1242
Depart London St Pancras 1404 (Eurostar, £35)
Arrive Paris Gare du Nord 1726
Depart Paris Gare de l'Est 1754 (TGV Est)
Arrive Strasbourg 2011
Depart Strasbourg 2137 (Orient Express, couchette, £59)
Arrive Vienna 0640

[orudge]

Hmm, £132 for the train, versus £62 with EasyJet (or £100 with British Airways - EasyJet would no doubt charge you extra for all that baggage you want to check in, and the BA flights take only 5 and a half hours). While train travel is something I generally enjoy, and at some point I'd like to travel all over Europe by train, I think my preference would definitely be to take the plane in this case. Quicker and cheaper.

[lg423]

Oh my gosh, wish me luck, I've just booked a ticket with RyanAir for this Sunday! Woe is the person with the seat next to mine. Thank you everyone for all of your help

[wild_quinine]

Oh my gosh, wish me luck, I've just booked a ticket with RyanAir for this Sunday! Woe is the person with the seat next to mine. Thank you everyone for all of your help

Don't worry about it, you will be just absolutely fine. Did you manage to make arrangements for all your luggage?

[lg423]

It's thirty extra euros total for two checked bags, plus one small carry-on. Not too bad if they're not over the weight limit. Now it's online aerophobia exercises until the flight....

[Benjamin]

I'm guessing from your post that you're vegetarian.

Was that directed at me? If so, then yes, more or less.