The Man in Seat 61
Seat61.com is the go-to place for flight-free travel. Former British Rail employee Mark Smith, aka the Man in Seat 61, set up his encyclopaedic website in the early 2000s and has been the first port of call for travellers ever since.Â
The Seat61.com website includes information on flight-free travel to pretty much every country in the world, with tips for how to buy tickets, details on connections, and suggestions for itineraries and stopovers.Â
Spend many happy hours scrolling through the pages while dreaming and planning. Here are a few pages that might be particularly useful for the most popular holiday destinations for UK travellers:Â
Spain / France / Ireland / Portugal / Greece
See also: carbon savings of rail travel
Train travel is a more rewarding alternative to flying which reduces our contribution to climate change and brings us closer to the countries we visit.
~ Mark Smith, seat61.com
Byway
Take the stress out of planning your journey by letting Byway do it for you. Byway is a 100% flight-free travel platform, that will book your travel and accommodation and, as part of the package, provide a bespoke itinerary and on-trip WhatsApp support.
Byway was founded in 2020 by Cat Jones, a keen traveller who was constantly frustrated at how hard it is to travel without flying. She set up her own company to meet that need and help others discover the wonders of overland travel.Â
You can choose from pre-designed trips or create your own from scratch, and there are plenty of options to get you excited about your holiday on the Byway trip builder.Â
Flight Free UK supporters get £50 off a Byway holiday! Just add the code FLIGHTFREE2025 at the checkout. Byway will also donate 3% of the total amount you spend to Flight Free UK.
Byway made the experience so simple and provided great information beforehand. So helpful and accessible before and during the trip. We will definitely use them again!
~ Byway customer, Trustpilot
Rail booking platforms
There are a few different booking platforms that bring together information from various transport providers into one easy search.
We often use RailEurope and Trainline, both of which show your route, how many changes you need to make, and an indication of cost. Trainline will combine train and bus information to get you the best option for your journey.
Other booking websites include Rome2Rio (just de-select the ‘flight’ option) and Flixbus(for coach travel).
Most rail booking platforms only show the fastest option, so if you want to go a bit slower or a bit cheaper, it's always best to go direct to the transport operator's own website. Here are some of the main ones and the countries they operate in, or you can check at seat61.com
- UK: National Rail
- France: SNCF
- Spain: RENFE
- Italy: Trenitalia
- Germany: DeutscheBahn
- Netherlands: Nederlandse Spoorwegen
In addition, some transport providers are not listed on RailEurope or Trainline at all, so some searches draw a blank. If that's the case, again, go to the seat61 website.
The train accounts for just 0.6% of carbon emissions produced by the transport sector - while carrying 10% of its passengers.
~ RailEurope
Maps and planners
Sometimes, nothing beats a good old-fashioned map. The European Rail Timetable contains detailed schedule information, maps and useful travel information. £25 well spent!
For physical maps for every country in the world, head to Stanfordseither in Bristol or London, or order online.
Interrail
Interrail gives you the freedom to travel where you like, when you like. The website has extensive travel information which can give you all the ideas you need for your holiday.
