This Blog is inspired by the August 28th British Ferry crossing of the English Channel.

We’ve travelled in a few forms so far and I am getting picky about how we do it. We’ve done planes, trains, underground rail, buses, DoUbLe-Decker Buses, Black Cabs, Taxis, car, and now ferry. I like cheap transport, and I like my transportation fast. I want to save money and I want to spend more time exploring areas than sitting in a seat. Unfortunately those two things kind of run opposite to each other in travel. Fast is rarely cheap. 

The Calgary flight to London Gatwick was quick and expensive! The timing of it worked out well enough that we were able to get caught up to the time difference easily.

Did we sleep well on the plane? No, we didn’t.

Could flying be avoided? No.

Did I get complimentary tomato juice? YES! 

The London Underground was quick and expensive. With our Oyster cards there was a maximum price per day that they could charge us but it was still expensive for five of us to travel. The underground is quick, I wouldn’t call it fast. Leaving a child behind at a station really slows you down (You have to go back for them).

In London we took a Black Cab with “Steve the Cabbie”. It was fast and more expensive than the walking I had initially planned (Free). The upside is that Steve was a true delight. We had a great chat with him about his family’s recovery from COVID and our adventures. I wish I had actually written down his contact info so I could use his travel business. “Steve the Cabbie” if you read this PLEASE contact me. I need info on Nile Cruises in December for 5 People!

In Cerne Abbas we were able to borrow a 5 seater car to explore Dorset. For the cost of gas we covered a lot of South Eastern U.K.. It was very cheap! It was also fast, flexible, and of course stressful on the tight-lefthand-side English roads. I jest. The car was a blessing and we are very happy that we were able to drive it.

Train has been my favourite mode travel. Being able to get up and walk around is a nice treat that airplanes don’t offer. Trains also have a better view than planes. The trains don’t all have wifi but most have plug-ins. I do like that trains in Europe (UK as well) combine fast and cheap.

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A couple of days ago we used Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Caen (Ouisterham). By ferry (Sunday, August 28th) we were supposed to save money with this because it took the place of a hotel or hostel stay. It wasn’t fast like a train or airplane but it took place while we were sleeping so that sort of counts as fast. The downside to the overnight ferry is we were all up very late and then up very early. Boarding started at 22:15 and I don’t think heads hit pillows until 23:00. At 04:30 music started playing to wake us up so we would be ready to disembark. We had terrible sleeps and struggled through the next day. 

The kids were troopers and pushed themselves hard to keep up with the program. Relationships are strained on days like these though. When a sibling bumps your backpack your tired and your grumpy reaction is to bump them back. When you can’t reason because of lack of sleep then you think everyone is against you. When we only have each other for this year trip situations like these take a heavy toll. That emotional damage is difficult to recover from in a family situation. So for us overnight ferries are NOT on the docket anymore unless they supply ample sleep.

We also had to take a taxi on the 29th of August to get to the Juno Beach Center. That was slow and expensive! I would recommend an Uber for that one. I think it would have saved us at least €15 each way! Today in Paris we took a Taxi that was cheaper than the Uber quote in the app. I’m not sure if they are much different.

With my preference for cheap and fast transport I would love to tale it to the next level. If you know a FREE and fast form of transportation please email me DIRECTLY. If you don’t know of one then you can still drop a comment below about your favourite travel story. Or better yet, your worst travel story.