Why I’m taking the Flight Free Challenge in 2024
Since I founded Ski Flight Free four years ago, I have substantially cut down on my flights, but I haven’t managed to stop flying completely. Admittedly one flight was rolled over from lockdown and another was to visit my elderly mum in Australia, but in 2024 I am committing to the ‘Flight Free Challenge’ –...
Midnight Trains drop plans for Edinburgh-Paris service
Disappointing news was released this week from the start-up Midnight Trains, who have confirmed that their plans no longer include a sleeper train from Edinburgh to Paris. The company plans to offer travellers a new ‘hotel on rails’ service around Europe, serving a dozen destinations to and from Paris. No Edinburgh-Paris service The company has...
NightJet services to Austria by train via Amsterdam still an option for winter 2023/24
Eurostar has confirmed that the no Eurostar trains will be able to depart from the Netherlands between June 2024 and January 2025 – a shorter interruption than anticipated. Renovation work in Amsterdam This is because of renovation work at the Amsterdam Central station, which will mean that the Eurostar departure and customs area will be...
Train Travel panels at the National Snow Shows
At Ski Flight Free we have been promoting train travel to the Alps over flying for years, so it was hugely encouraging to see a genuine increased level of interest at the shows at Birmingham and London during National Snow Week. Iain Martin, founder of Ski Flight Free, was invited to lead a panel at...
Compagnie des Alpes invites bids from rail companies to offer more train-only packages
Compagnie des Alpes are taking the next step to reduce carbon costs associated with their ski resorts and ski holidays by inviting bids to offer train services under the Travelski Express brand across Europe. Bids open to offer train travel to French resorts Yesterday it announced it is welcoming bids for suppliers to offer its...
NightJet service to run from Amsterdam via Cologne to Austria
Austrian rail operator ÖBB has confirmed that their NightJet service from Amsterdam to the Austrian Alps will continue to operate this winter. Departures from Amsterdam are every evening at 19.30, stopping at Cologne and connecting to Vienna, and via Munich to to Innsbruck. British travellers could choose to take the Eurostar to Amsterdam or...
New couchette ‘sleeping pods’ for Austrian Nightjet trains
Austria’s state railway ÖBB has confirmed they will be introducing a new fleet of night trains from December 2023. Thirty-three of the new trains will take to the rails in December 2023 and will be a significant upgrade on the previous models. The new trains put a focus on solo travelers, including pod-like single cabins,...
SNCF ‘Carte Advantage’: Save money on French train bookings
For anyone travelling to the Alps this winter, here’s a useful money-saving tip if you are booking connecting trains from Paris with SNCF. Each winter, I buy an SNCF ‘Carte Avantage‘. You can probably translate that yourself, but just in case, it’s the SNCF ‘Advantage Card’. And indeed, there can be a big advantage in buying...
Eurostar to face competition from Evolyn on London-Paris route
It’s an axiom of business that competition leads to lower prices, so the news that Eurostar will soon face competition on the London-Paris high speed train route is very welcome. Monopolies are rarely good for the consumer, and it seems that Eurostar’s 30-year reign as the only company offering cross-channel rail travel may be over....
Inghams Ski to offer ski holidays by train
Huge kudos to Inghams Ski, who are launching their own ski packages by train. They will offer train travel to France (via Lille) and Austria, Switzerland and Italy (via Paris). Full details will be released next month and shared here and on www.skilflightfree.org Although nothing has been confirmed yet, possible timings have been mooted as...
Eurostar CEO confirms new ski train ‘via’ Brussels
Details of the new ski train to replace the previous direct service to France are still thin on the ground, but it does seem that a new service will definitely be coming in. In an recent interview with The Guardian, Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave confirmed that: “British skiers will be able to book...
Travelski Express will not run direct from London to Alps in 2023/24
Sadly, one of the worst kept secrets in skiing has now been confirmed: the ‘Travelski Express‘ will not run this winter direct from London to the Alps. Travelski have been unable to persuade Eurostar to continue their rental of one of their trains to travel direct from London St Pancras to Bourg St Maurice each...