Eye On Travel: Busman’s Holidays

A busy Friday night on the A3

Commuting to work by Car or Train probably has its moments. But think about how many weeks of the year you spend doing this?

So when it comes to your main holiday of the year, the chances are that the last thing you want to do is spend your leisure time driving a car or sitting in a train.

Or is it? That really depends on where you do it. This week, let’s look at converting a mundane daily activity into something a bit more interesting..!

Standing room only on the 07.43 to Victoria

Fed up of being stuck behind the wheel in heavy traffic? No? Well try a week driving around Delhi or Bangkok if you really want to see traffic jams!

On the other hand, if the open road is what you are looking for then head to the USA - home of the automobile.

The freedom of the open road with cheap fuel and (away from the cities), light traffic. Choose where to stay the night on the way (avoiding motels called ‘Bates’)

Golden Gate: more maroon really

Try the classic 500 mile Pacific coast highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles and experience the Big Sur, Carmel and Santa Barbara.

Add a 300 mile detour with a (summer only) trip to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park.

Yes Sur - it’s quite big

If you find you have brought too much money with you, head for Las Vegas via the Grand Canyon and/or the delightful sounding Death Valley.

HOW: Fly to San Francisco and back from Los Angeles or Las Vegas. Spend city time at the beginning and end with 7-10 days car hire - Convertible advisable.

Clickety Click: The famous route

If that’s not iconic enough, then how about hitting legendary Route 66. A 2,000 mile epic in two weeks from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Take in St Louis, Oklahoma, New Mexico (Area 51 country), Texas (you can stop in Amarillo if you can find out which way it is), the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas amongst many others.

What you spend in Vegas, stays in Vegas

What you drive is up to you but I would suggest an upgrade from the standard 2 door compact rental for this one!

HOW: Fly to Chicago and back from Las Vegas or Los Angeles with 14 days car hire plus city time at either end.

The Rocky Mountains - mountains with rocks

Banff: Get the Salmon before the bears

If you prefer letting somebody else do the driving, are bored of the scenery around Clapham Junction and like obvious naming conventions, then Canada does trains and scenery very well.

Cross the country in comfort on the Canadian from Toronto to Jasper in the Rocky Mountains via Winnipeg and Edmonton (not the one with IKEA riots)

Then take the scenic Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver. This is real wilderness country that includes bears (outside the train). Even these trains can’t run all through the winter so go in the summer and explore the spectacular landscape.

HOW: Fly to Toronto or Calgary and back from Vancouver. Allow 3 weeks for the full journey and bolt on a trip to Niagara Falls as well as allowing city time.

Swiss Alps: The Toblerone Range

For something closer to home and scenery to more than match, how about a trip through Switzerland using a Swiss Rail Pass.

With trains that run more accurately than many clocks, this is a great way to see the stunning alpine views and chocolate box villages (not actually made with chocolate) without driving off a cliff.

Swiss Trains: as reliable as their clocks

Travel at your own pace from Geneva to Interlaken, Lugano, Lucern and Zurich with discounts on cable cars and ferries across the lakes.

Go in the summer to see the Matterhorn and the Jungfrau region or go in the winter to ski Wengen, Zermatt and Verbier. And don’t forget to buy lots of chocolate.

HOW: Fly to Geneva and return from Zurich. Or the other way around. Long distance trains run to both airports.

Standard low cost packages are bookable through my multi destination EyeLine Travel website.

For tailor made packages, special requests or just some information, please Contact me and I will do the hard work for you. All holidays that I arrange are ABTA/ATOL protected.

For holidays to Thailand, please visit my website dedicated to boutique holidays in Thailand: http://boutiquethailand.co.uk and visit the Facebook page of the same name for current offers.