Flight free vacation tips
Not just A to B
“View the journey itself as part of your vacation, not simply a way to get from A to B. Going overland is a fantastic way to meet people and see some wonderful scenery you’d miss on a plane.”
Our Flight free Vacations
Scotland guided rail tour, Skye & Glencoe
Visit Scottish castles and beautiful gardens by train
Scotland island hopping vacation, car free
Explore three contrasting Scottish islands car-free
West Highlands guided rail tour in Scotland
Discover Scotland's Highlands & distinctive islands by train
London to Cairo over land & sea tour
Travel flight free to Africa! Adventure from London to Cairo
Family cruise vacation in Scotland
Short Break, Family Cruise Exploring the West of Scotland
Coasteering weekend in Wales
Traverse and explore the spectacular Pembrokeshire Coast
Hebridean island hopping cruise in Scotland
Epic Scottish Island Hopping Cruise, through Western Isles
Kayaking wildlife safari in the Swedish Archipelago
Seal and bird watching expedition by kayak
Photography and kayaking vacation in Sweden
Photo workshops by kayak in stunning Swedish archipelago
Scottish Highlands activity vacation
Cook, kayak, cycle and walk in the highlands of Scotland
Self-guided walking vacation in Alentejo, Portugal
Self-guided walking in the South West Alentejo, Portugal
Picos de Europa National Park & Northern Way walking vacation
From the Sea to the Mountains in Northern Spain
Provence short break cycling vacation in France
Discover the beauty of Provence's hilltop villages
Dorset Coast Path walking vacation in England
Walk from Lyme Regis to West Lulworth
South Downs Way self guided walking vacation
The complete South Downs Way, stretching for a hundred miles
Great Glen Wayhiking vacation in Scotland
Self guided walking tour of Scotland's Great Glen
Family adventure vacation to France
Life enhancing family adventure & yoga in the French Alps
Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia vacation
Escape the crowds and explore hidden Europe
Isle of Man coastal path walking vacation
Walk Raad ny Foillan, Way of the Gull
Wildlife vacation in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
London to Uzbekistan by rail vacation
An epic overland adventure from London to Uzbekistan
Southern Hebrides and Sea Lochs of Argyll cruise
A Scottish cruise to the Islands of the inner Hebrides
Sea kayaking short break in Pembrokeshire, Wales
Discover the beauty of the Pembrokeshire coast by sea kayak
Self guided walking vacation Portugal, Sintra region
Car free vacations in Sintra Portugal
Luxury Dubrovnik cruise, Croatia
Cruise from Dubrovnik to see the best of Southern Croatia
The Cumbrian Way walking vacation in England
Discover the charms of English Lakeland on foot
Dubrovnik to Venice luxury cruise
Cruise the Croatian Islands before a bus journey to Venice
Carmarthenshire self catering cottage in Wales
A delightful cosy cottage on secluded organic farm
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania small group tour
Explore the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Easy sea kayaking
Helena Hjort, from our Sweden sea kayaking partner Do the North:“The Saint Anna Archipelago is great for people who are new to sea kayaking and we’ll happily help you get here by train. The water is very calm because waves are broken up by the many islands, there are no tides to worry about, and we use very stable kayaks. If you’re a first-timer you’ll have no problems.”
All aboard the night train?
“If you’re new to Interrailing then my best piece of advice would be to try a night train. Sometimes people are a bit wary of them, but they really cut the travel time which is useful for shorter trips. Also, don’t try to fit in too many cities at the expense of getting to know them. Better to see a few places and have plenty of time in each.”
“There are endless possibilities for rail travel, with so many routes and stopovers available. My own family once did Disneyland Paris, then on to Morocco. I recommend making a few hotel stopovers and not taking on too much in one go. For example, you can get from London to Istanbul in just three days but you’d be shattered. But not everyone gets on with night trains – you may not always get a good sleep, and of course you also miss a lot of the scenery.”
Our top Flight free Vacation
Scotland island hopping vacation, car free
Explore three contrasting Scottish islands car-free
This trip can be tailor made only from April to end September.
Ripple effect
Bronagh Carroll, from our Camino walking partners Magic Hills:“We encourage people to eat at local cafés on the way as much as possible. As opposed to all-inclusive package vacations in Southern Spain, our trips spread income across 6-7 small communities along the way. There is a clear ripple effect – in some villages Camino income can make up 20 percent of their GDP, and that money then gets spent by residents on their local butchers and bakers, etc.”
Listen to the Man
Jim Louth, from our long-distance rail vacation partner Undiscovered Destinations:“Some travelers, and indeed people working in travel, are naturally wary of the complexities that are sometimes involved with booking a flight free vacations. Unfortunately, there’s not one website which gives you all the options, or one uniform booking period – it can vary from 45 days to nine months, which isn’t ideal. But it is doable, and I recommend breaking trips up into separate leg, which is what Mark Smith at The Man at Seat 61 does so well. An incredibly useful resource that I wish I’d had the idea for first!”
Making it easy
Lauren Hammond, from our European rail vacations partner Euroventure:“Our trip planners create a logical and realistic route, incorporating the train as well as the bus and ferry if necessary. We put it together entirely tailor made, wherever you want to go. Especially if you want to go for a longer multi-destination trip, which can be intimidating, it’s massively convenient to have someone come in and arrange everything for you.”