Edinburgh to Athens and back, flight free
Elizabeth’s two children at the Colosseum in Rome (photo: E. Cripps)
Three weeks, five countries, 19 trains, 11 buses, 14 metro rides, seven taxis, five
private cars, seven boats. That was my flight free Easter break with my daughters,
aged 9 and 11 – and their first trip outside the UK. It was also my first holiday with
them as a single parent, so I wanted it to be special. Luckily, it was.
Here’s what I learned along the way.
Plan ahead
Backpacking in my twenties, I could be spontaneous: turn up at a hostel, make new
friends and go with them from Prague to Munich to Salzburg. Not so today,
especially with two kids in tow. Family rooms and AirBnBs need pre-booking, and
some big-name tourist destinations sell out well in advance. Many trains keep only
limited seats for Interrail pass holders, charge a supplement, and require a
reservation.
There are two options: pay someone to do the heavy organisational lifting (I’ve heard
Byway mentioned a few times) or grit your teeth and get acquainted with several
different websites. I did it myself, months in advance, using a combination of Rail
Europe, Interrail, and individual train companies’ sites, plus AirBnB and Booking.com
for accommodation. Just to add to the fun, some train options showed up on one site
but not others – and I had to break one journey into two to get seats at all! The
ferries were the biggest hassle, since I wanted to upgrade to a cabin in advance.
(Cue multiple phone calls, and several emails to customer services, before I
eventually succeeded.)
The journey really is the destination
Train travel isn’t just the ethical alternative to planes: it’s a whole, wonderful
experience of its own. Giggling over Monopoly Deal between Paris and Milan.
Spinning in giddy circles at sunset on the deck of ferry from Bari to Patras. Poring
over Suguru puzzles between Patras and Venice. Sitting upstairs on the TGV.
Picnics at stations; croissants on the Eurostar. Drawing and colouring, watching
movies, reading and listening to audiobooks, while Europe slid past the windows.
(And yes, I’ll admit it, some iPad time too…)
It wasn’t all smooth. The first few days were a bit too travel-packed; the rucksacks
were heavy, and we endured plenty of waiting at stations and ports – though only
two significant hiccups. The Anek Lines port at Venice turned out to be a pricy taxi
and commuter ferry ride away from Cannaregio. What should have been a direct trip
from Venice to Munich was stymied by those terrible words, ‘Rail Replacement Bus.’
But every delay was a chance to make friends with fellow passengers – and we
always got there in the end.
It’s not cheap
Here’s the problem. Family rooms and holiday lets have a hefty price tag in Paris,
Milan, Rome, and Athens – and don’t get me started on Venice! The rail pass and
train supplements and ferry cabins add up. A lot. The pizzas and ice creams, cafes
and restaurants, and entries to antiquities add up. Taxis are sometimes the only way
from A to B.
I got the Interrail passes in December, at 25% off; we often had a snacky or picnic
lunch; the six nights in self-catering accommodation cut down on meals out – as did
those we spent with lovely family in Germany and outside London. But we’re still
talking several thousand quid for a holiday. For me, that puts it in the once-in-many-
years category (and I know we were privileged to afford it at all).
I could go on about how frustrating it is to be trapped in an economic system which
incentivises trashing the planet, but I’d be preaching to the converted here. Just
another reason for groups like PFF to campaign for climate justice, including
subsidised sustainable travel.
(A word to the wise, BTW: Interrail passes can be worth the money, especially as
they’re free for under-12s – and can include travel to London from wherever you start
in the UK. But with the price of supplements, they won’t always be. Do the sums
before you buy.)
You’ll make memories where you least expect it
My girls enjoyed the Colosseum, but they loved the free-to-visit cat sanctuary tucked
among ruins in the epicentre of busy Rome. The Parthenon is amazing, but with all
the scaffolding and crowds it came a poor second, for us, to the Temple of Artemis in
Brauron – wonderfully quiet, beautifully preserved, and surrounded by wildflowers.
(Even worth the exhausting metro + bus + taxi combo to get there from Athens!).
Yes, the Venetian gondola ride (a present from my lovely Mum) and the Eiffel Tower
were even more amazing than we expected, but the girls also loved rolling down the
grass slopes below Sacre Coeur. And the fairytale few minutes that none of us will
forget? Walking the pale, narrow streets of historical Bari at 10.30pm, following the
hooded figure of our B&B proprietress, to a heavy wooden door in a stone wall – and
our utterly enchanting room for the night.
It’s a bonding experience like no other
OK, I was sometimes so exhausted I could drop. (Perhaps most of all when the 9-
year-old puked up her spaghetti al pesto all over the AirBnB bed in Rome…) By the
time we caught up with an old friend in Athens, my cousin in Germany, or pals in
Paris, I was craving adult company. But almost everyone we met was kind, friendly,
and loved what we were doing. Mostly importantly, by the time we got back to the
UK, my girls and I were truly a team. We’d laughed, cried, quarrelled, made up,
developed private jokes and travel routines, shared once-in-a-lifetime experiences –
and found a new way of being a family.
Elizabeth Cripps is the author of Parenting on Earth: A Philosopher’s Guide to Doing