– T R A V E L –

From Frankfurt to Dublin without jumping on a plane

24th January 2020

So here it is. I jumped on the ,trying-to-fly-less-or-best-not-at-all‘-train. Oh wait, I literally jumped on a train as well. And a bus. And a ferry!

It‘s been bothering me for quite some time, probably years, that I am flying so often in order to be in Ireland with my partner. We are in a distant relationship for some years now, and while my permanent move over to the green island is in sight for some time this year (yeah!), I surely will not abandon my family in Germany – my home and all my childhood memories that make this place special and dear to me. So travelling back and forward will be part of the future as well.
What to do so – I asked myself. I don‘t want to keep flying back and forward like this. What to do.
Well quite obviously stop flying! Right?
I‘ve been trying to change my life towards a more sustainable lifestyle for a while (and men, there is so much we can do – like in every corner of our lives ! ). I believe I‘m succeeding in some parts, failing in others, and this flying thing had to change as well in order to improve on this matter.

I‘m not gonna lie, it was rather a hassle to figure out an alternative to the flight and I almost surrendered. It involved a lot of organizing, and information online weren‘t always satisfying either. But I had to try, right? So this is the best I was able to find:

T R A V E L R O U T E

FRANKFURT to DUBLIN
Frankfurt to London over night with Flixbus, arriving in the morning – luckily I am a person that can sleep on a bus quite well. But: earplugs guys and girls! Don‘t forget the earplugs!

Next: Spending a day around London city and staying in a Hostel for the night to break up the travels. (you can skip this step if the bus is in time)

The next morning: Train from London to Holyhead.

Ferry from Holyhead to Dublin.
Bus from the ferryport to Dublin centre.

As my partner and me are settled in the countryside in Tipperary, I had to jump on another bus in Dublin to arrive in my irish home the same evening.

DUBLIN to FRANKFURT:
Bus from Tipperary countryside to Dublin, staying in a Dublin Hostel for the night.
Bus from Dublin centre to the Ferryport in the morning in order to catch the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead.

Train from Holyhead to London.

A few hours in London.

Night bus from London to Frankfurt.

So that‘s it. Yep, it did work. Also I did it again! When things go smoothly I don‘t need to stay over night in London travelling to Ireland. How often it goes smoothly? I will have to collect some experience on this matter in the next few months. The good thing is, the Train-and-Ferry ticket (trainline) don‘t need to be booked in advance, so I can literally see if I make it in time or not.

D I S A D V A N T A G E S ?

It takes longer, yep. I jump on the bus one evening and can arrive the next evening if it all goes well. If not, I have an extra day in London. So this is for people embracing travelling itself. You can‘t be looking at the clock wanting to arrive quickly – that simply will drive you mad. Patience! Enjoy the moment. Just be. Catch some culture in London, find a nice Cafe to hang around with a book you have tried to read all year but were too busy to do so. Stroll through St. James‘s Park, catch some great art in the museums. It‘s not that bad you know.
Also you want to make sure to stay long enough in Ireland to make the travelling time worth it. I‘d not do shorter than 10 days in Ireland/Germany with this kinda travel.

Of course it‘s more expensive. Because that‘s the world we live in at the moment. I used to get flights around 70 – 160 Euro return. Travelling on land costs something from 180 – 220 Euro, depending if you have to stay overnight in a hostel or not.

A D V A N T A G E S ?

Well, the obvious is less Carbon footprint. How much is hard to tell, as there is all different kind of numbers around. But it makes a difference – for me personally indeed, as I am travelling back and forward loads of times in the year.
Also it can be booked quite spontaneously, because you only have to watch the Flixbus prices. That is a huge advantage compared to flying and I enjoy the new flexibility already.

Catching some culture in two major European cities isn‘t the worst either. Dublin and London have much to offer. So if I feel I want to enjoy some city life for a few days, I can just add some nights and break up the travel alltogether.

What else? It‘s just a different kind of travel. You actually feel the distance moving from A to B. You see the change in landscapes, you feel the land! I prefer travelling on land to flying in general. It‘s more real. More grounded – literally.

W H Y ?

Some people say what you do in your personal life won‘t save the planet. And sure it alone won‘t. But what can we do to start saving it, I ask you? We can wait until the system changes and then react to price changes and new rules. React. I rather act. Independently, out of free will, compassion and responsibility. Responsibility towards the world around us – people and nature, family, friends, strangers and planet earth with all its wonderful and crazy species, responsibility towards the future generations, and furthermore towards ourselves.

„I‘m just one person. Said seven billion people.“

Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar from Milkwood say „How you think about hope, and what you think constitutes taking action in the face of our climate crisis, defines how you live. When you decide to take small but significant actions at home, this decision will re-define how you live your life. How your family will live their lives.“
It‘s about empowering yourself in the actions you take consciously rather than waiting for the system to change (and safe our planet earth. Do we really believe the system is capable of doing so? I don‘t. So it‘s up to us all, every day and with every action we take). And by taking action you will start changing your mind and conscious about a lot of things. And you will touch and change other lives and empower other people around you, gently through thought provoking actions and new experiences. So yes, every little change is worth it, because at the end the sum of it all – all around the world – is what matters and what will create change within the communities around the world. We are all connected.

I know I don‘t save the planet jumping on trains, buses and ferries instead of planes. But nonetheless I believe it‘s important to do so.

be well, Ruth x