travel by train or plane?

With the existence of budget airline travel, is it better to take a train or plane for a short trip? This will be an issue if you are backpacking around Europe or Japan due to the fast trains that operate.

Whether you take a train or plane depends upon:

• distance between destinations
• time
• cost

Generally, the shorter the distance between destinations, the more worthwhile it will be to travel by train. This is because of the time savings and the fact that a train leaves and departs relatively close to the city centre compared to most airports that budget air travel operators use. The cost difference isn’t as much when you consider the costs of commuting to and from an airport outside the city centre.

If you are looking at a longer trip, take the plane. It will get you there far quicker than travelling by train and would possibly save you money.

London to Paris comparison

Here is a quick comparison between train travel and budget airline travel between London and Paris.

Budget airline travel

• Travel to Luton (1 hour - £10)
• check in 2 hours before the flight
• Easyjet flight from Luton to Charles de Gaulle (1 hour 15 minutes - £22)
• Wait for baggage (20 minutes)
• RER train to Paris (40 minutes- £10).

Total time: 5 hours 15 minutes.
Total cost: £42

Train travel

• check in (30 minutes)
• Eurostar second class ticket (2 hours 15 minutes - £59)

Total time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Total cost: £59

The difference in cost isn't as much but the time saving is significant. So you need to weigh up whether the time savings of train travel is worth the extra cost.

Other benefits of train travel

If you are concerned about the environment and carbon emissions, train travel leaves far less an environmental footprint than airline travel. So if you're likely to purchase the carbon offset credits for your flight, you might as well travel by train - it will save you a fair bit of time.

When you travel by train, there is no need to check in luggage. You can bring 2 large bags and there are far less luggage restrictions. Budget airlines are beginning to charge for almost everything.