THE GREEN ROUTE: LONDON TO DUBLIN

Apart from the obvious and important green credentials associated with 'sailing and railing', how does a land and sea based journey from London to Dublin compare with travelling by air?

Once again The Man in Seat 61 delivered. A sail-rail ticket from any UK train station to Dublin port (10 minutes from Dublin city centre) is available for £52 return up until the day of travel - an extremely competitive offering for the last minute traveller - and considering the savings available on airport transfers at both ends, sail-rail can be a real financial alternative to Ryan Air.

I left London Euston Station aboard the 0900 service direct to Holyhead, North Wales. It was a few minutes late leaving due to late arrival of the incoming train, but that gave me plenty of time to grab some breakfast. Seats can be reserved and as a result I immediately began to wallow in the stress free beginning to my journey. As with any ticket for a long train journey you also buy time for yourself. It isn't often that we take time to sit without any distractions. Contemplating the distance ahead gave a real sense of value for money - so often train travel in the UK is such an expense.

First stop en route was Rugby, followed by a short delay in Crewe waiting for a diesel engine to take us on to Holyhead - A break welcomed by smokers given that Crewe is the last stop before the non-smoking platforms of North Wales. From Crewe we passed through Rhyl and Colwyn Bay enjoying sea views and the beginnings of the undulating North Wales countryside. Llandudo Junction marks the start of the North Wales craggy landscape that becomes characteristic of Snowdonia National Park further inland. After stopping in Bangor we were on the last stretch into Holyhead, arriving at 13:20 with just under an hour until the ferry departed. Transfering from train to ferry terminal involves little more than a walk of a few hundred metres. I checked-in straight away and stepped onto a bus that carried us right onto the ferry before offloading at the base of stairs to the upper decks.

Being onboard the ferry isn't too disimilar from an airport departure lounge. However, comfy seats, the option of getting some fresh air out on deck and a lack of tannoy annoucements make it all the more appealing. Holidays for many of us are all about spending time away from the trappings of home in a new space, and this means of travel seems to enhance the opportunities for that whilst imparting a great deal of charm. For the solo traveller it also provides quiet time or the chance to meet and talk with others making the same journey as you.

The Ferry left Holyhead at 1410 and pulled into Dublin at 1730. The Bureau de Change at the port was closed and I had no Euros, but with the assistance of the cash machine just outside and some friendly staff at the Irish Ferries desk I was able to acquire enough change to pay the 2.50 Euro fare for the bus into town. I was checked-in to my Hostel and sitting drinking a Guiness by 1830 - 9.5 hours after leaving London.

Some bad weather on the return journey made for a rocky crossing, a slightly delayed arrival into Holyhead and a missed train. Despite this and dealing with the added problem of having lost my train ticket to the fierce winds on the ferry deck I still managed to make it back to London without too much trouble.

YOUR SAFE PLANET vs TRAVEL AGENTS

Planning a trip away in conjunction with a travel agent or tour operator will always add a commission to your final spend to pay for the time and assistance they give you. What if instead of being a high street shop front or an internet portal this agent was an independent person, locally based in the destination you’re travelling to? If we can be in direct contact with a local person in the places that we are planning to visit, not only are the financial benefits of tourism far less diluted for the local population, but there is the added opportunity for interaction and communication of independent information on all that a country has to offer - perhaps the biggest asset to this level of service.

Information will go out of date, new places will open, old places will close, new scams are conjured up to target tourist dollars, customs and etiquette can be hard to understand; all these aspects of travel can mean that it takes a long time to ‘get in touch’ with a place. If we could talk to a trusted and independent local source before we go and during our time away, the opportunities to channel our spending into worthy causes and to save time trying to strip back the layers that shroud a city and people from tourists are all of a sudden made available to us. We are fast-tracked to the experience we came for and travelling responsibly without thinking too much about it.

It is true that tour agencies and operators can offer a sustained flow of visitors to certain places and perhaps a guaranteed income for a select few businesses, but with such diversity and availability of places to go and stay, competition and consumer choice is an important tool in the successful development of a tourist industry. There is a desperate need to raise our awareness of community based tourism projects, small ventures and responsible travel practices but trying to tie that in with a profit making venture seems to be incompatible and contradictory. Make Travel Fair has been setup to work in conjunction with Your Safe Planet as non-profit making body to promote these types of projects by giving them web space and supporting their work through fundraising schemes. Areas that are often not considered by tourists can be rich with community based initiatives of interest to the traveller and a population desperate to interact.

Independent travel is the only way to truly engage with a local community and maximise the benefits you can bring to them. Your Safe Planet has a global network of trusted local contacts just waiting to connect you with their land and people, like only they know how.

Fund the lives of local people and the development of this service.

THE RISE IN ETHICAL HOLIDAYS

Ethical awareness amongst consumers in the UK has been increasing rapidly over the last few years. Fairtrade sales increased by 52% in 2005, the online travel agency responsibletravel.com saw sales grow by 50%, and as an industry sector responsible travel is predicted to expand its market share by some 25% every year. Whilst many people continue to place cost, weather, and facilities at the top of their checklist when planning a holiday, demand for ethical products and services has never been higher.

With ethical concerns finally beginning to permeate all areas of the marketplace, growing demand is being matched with an increasing availability of ethical products and services. People are beginning to build ethical into their lifestyle as a whole; not just in certain areas but as a much more permanent and important basis to their decision making process as a consumer. This market trend is by no means a new indicator for demonstrating the shift in consumer attitudes - between 1999 and 2000 some areas of ethical purchasing grew six times faster than their overall market sector – it’s just that this ‘niche’ is now beginning to acquire a much more noticeable proportion of the market, and is exposing ethical concerns to a more mainstream audience.

Holidays and trips away are being seen more and more as an opportunity to explore personal interests, to participate in an ‘experience’, or for personal development. The theme of a trip is becoming a primary concern, and in some cases more so than the destination itself. Holiday and travel choices are being made on the basis of which destination can offer the best experience of its kind, rather than on what a specific destination can offer. A holiday can involve learning how to cook authentic Italian food in Tuscany, Trekking through the Himalayas in Nepal, taking part in coral reef conservation in Madagascar, helping on a farm in the British Lake District. The possibilities are endless. This approach to travel and holidays naturally lends itself towards promoting a greater awareness, education and understanding amongst consumers on their social, environmental and economical impact.

“When you stand in someone else’s shoes you can’t help but gain apathy for their situation.” – Sally Broom, Your Safe Planet.

Until recently the travel industry has been held to relatively little account for its impact on destinations. Tour operators and travel agencies are beginning to realize that having a responsible tourism policy in place can give them the much valued edge when it comes to attracting customers, in what is an extremely competitive industry. This has led to a proliferation of attempts by agents and operators to classify themselves as ‘responsible’. Whether these companies in fact practice what they preach is another matter, and is an area under investigation and development by the organization Tourism Concern. If you want to take a truly ethical holiday perhaps you shouldn’t be booking through a travel agency at all but using local people as your knowledge base.

As debate on the best way to travel responsibly rages, many people are looking closer to home in an effort to reduce their ‘carbon footprint’ and to appreciate all that the UK has to offer. Ethical holidays have one particular advantage over many other ethical products and services currently on the market - the consumer can experience the difference. Ethical holidays ensure maximum social and economic benefits for the local community whilst minimizing environmental damage. This format and attitude provides a far superior experience complete with the life-enriching element that consumers in this growing sector of the travel industry crave. Ethical holidays provide a ‘feel-good factor’ for the conscious consumer, yet are also a by-product of a new breed of travel and ethical awareness.