| According to UK rail holiday specialist company, Great | | | | departures on the busy routes and fast train services |
| Rail Journeys (GRJ), 40,000 Britons take package rail | | | | such as the German ICE, French TGV or the Eurostar |
| holidays every year. Whether the change in attitudes | | | | connecting France with London, it can often be |
| is due fear of flying, or simply a move to slow down | | | | faster to travel by train rather than flying. One of |
| away from the hectic pace of normal life, avoiding | | | | the main drawbacks experienced by many rail |
| the inevitable rush to meet tight deadlines imposed | | | | travelers within Europe is the difficulty that can |
| by connecting flights, and crowed airports - many | | | | sometimes be experienced finding accurate |
| travelers today have chosen that they simply don't | | | | information and booking linking tickets. Rail providers |
| want to travel to their destination by plane. | | | | rarely have details of other rail providers' services, |
| Back in the 1950's rail holidays were all the rage, | | | | and most UK travel agents can provide very little rail |
| despite commercial aviation just starting to take hold | | | | information once the traveler gets beyond Paris or |
| following relief from the austerity of the war and an | | | | Brussels. A few websites such as have sprung up to |
| excess of ex-military aircraft. As the 1960's and 70's | | | | help fill this gap and, despite being an amateur site |
| progressed however, technological advances meant | | | | rather than a commercial venture, can prove to be a |
| that flying became more affordable and traveling | | | | good resource for planning rail trips abroad. |
| abroad by air took hold. For many years rail still had | | | | UK domestic breaks have also seen a recent |
| the advantage of cost over air travel for internal | | | | resurgence, with UK short weekend breaks becoming |
| journeys, however the growth of the low cost | | | | extremely popular for shopping trips, quick family |
| airlines, and poor investment in the infrastructure of | | | | getaways or for visits to London to take in a West |
| many of the UK train lines, has left a sad legacy for | | | | End show. Recently a few short break travel |
| the UK rail network. | | | | companies and rail networks like GNER have teamed |
| The change in the trends over recent years back | | | | up to provide a wide variety of rail package deals to |
| towards rail travel, especially by younger travelers, | | | | UK cities in an effort to bring more travelers back to |
| may in part be due to the ease with which the | | | | rail travel by making journeys cheaper and quick |
| Channel Tunnel affords access to Europe. It is | | | | holidays easier to arrange. |
| common these days for young travelers to go on | | | | While the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, "The |
| extended travels across Europe by purchasing a | | | | speed is so easy, and the train disturbs so little the |
| Eurailpass. These sorts of trips are most often | | | | scenes through which it takes us, that our heart |
| associated with backpacker holidays, but they | | | | becomes full of the placidity and stillness of the |
| represent an extremely convenient ways to easily | | | | country", may not seem to fit in with the current |
| see a large amount of Europe as the Eurailpass ticket | | | | popular image of the UK rail network, many Brits |
| offers unlimited train travel throughout 18 different | | | | appear to be turning away from the airlines in favour |
| European countries. | | | | of the railways for trans European travel and short |
| With good networks of European lines, frequent | | | | break getaways. |