Planning How to Escape the UK on Holiday

Living in the UK makes holiday planning a challenge. As we are a small island, holiday planning nearly always involves travelling abroad. The first choice you have to make then is how to cross the stretch of water that divides the UK from mainland Europe or wherever your holiday destination may be. The choices are Plane, Train or Tunnel.
The channel tunnel is particularly useful if you’re travelling from the South East and have a destination somewhere near Paris. It’s less than ideal if you live in Cornwall for example and are planning on holiday in Brittany. The tunnel has the advantage, that as you are taking your car with you, it is easier to transport your belongings and you have no luggage allowance to content with.
Planes are often considered to be the best choice when heading farther afield than France or Scandinavia as ferries will usually involve a long drive both within the UK and when the ferry has docked at its destination. The big draw back with aeroplanes is trying to sort you luggage out so that it comes in within the luggage allowance. This can be particularly difficult if you’re heading out on an adventure holiday doing something like scuba diving. Trying to pack all of your diving kit along with enough clothes to last you a week can be an interesting challenge. Taking a young family abroad via aeroplane can also involve some particularly good planning as you’ll be trying to work out how to include a pushchair and travel cot into your luggage allowance.
Ferries are a particularly popular choice for families travelling from the south coast of the UK to the North coast of France. There are a number of UK ferry ports that service the UK including Dover, Folkstone, Portsmouth and Poole on the south coast and ideal for France, Felixstowe and Newcastle on the east coast are good for the Netherlands and Scandanavia, whilst places such as Fishguard, Swansea, Pembroke and Holyhead in Wales service the connection from Wales to Ireland. Ferry costs vary dramatically depending on which crossing you choose so it’s worth shopping around a bit and considering ports that are not the most convenient geographically but may be half the price of a more convenient port. There is of course a matter of straight forward personal preference to consider. Some people have a debilitating fear of planes whereas others suffer from sea sickness.
Whichever option you choose is likely to be a considerable cost, for example a return ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg with a car can cost around £500, so remember to factor in the cost of travel, when booking your holiday cottage!

For live ship tracking and marine traffic, try http://shipfinder.co/