Tiptoe Traveller in: Malissard, south east of France

Train journeys from London to the south of France: convenient, relaxing and greener  

La Drome

France is the country where I was born and brought up. Even though I now live in the UK, I will always have that special feeling of excitement when I set foot in France. A friend of mine asked me whether I feel more English now that I have spent many years in the UK. My answer was 'England is my home but I will always be French in my heart'. This post is about a quick trip by train to the south east of France, to a village called Malissard, close to Valence in the Drome region.

I travelled by Eurostar from London to Paris and then by TGV from Paris to Valence. My journey was very pleasant and took five and half hours. The check-in processing for the Eurostar only took a few minutes. Once you have shown your ticket, you go through security. Inside the terminal, it is worth noting that there is not much entertainment available but you are only there for 20 minutes or so. In the train, the journey is so quick that you probably just have time to read a newspaper and have a good nap.

Once in Paris, I took the RER to Gare de Lyon. If you can, it is worth buying your ticket in advance in the Eurostar. You will avoid the long queues at the ticket machines in Gare du Nord. The journey takes about 20 minutes. You will need to validate your TGV ticket (this is called 'compostage') at the yellow machines on the platform before boarding the train. Do make sure you have booked a seat on the TGV. The trains get very full (especially at the week-end and during school holidays) and there is little space to sit and stand once all seats have been taken. It is also quite tricky to travel with large suitcases as luggage space is limited. Some TGV trains have two floors and some luggage space is available upstairs. You should try to keep your luggage as close to you as possible as it has been know for bags to be stolen. Not nice I know, but it is better to be safe than sorry!

Chabeuil town hall - photo by Jean Drescher

I went to Malissard to visit some friends. Amongst other things, we went strawberry and cherry picking. The weather has been so warm that fruit are ripening earlier than usual this year. What a pleasure to be able to pick your own fruit. A few kilometres away, you will find Chabeuil, another pretty village worth a visit.


La Pangée: an edible piece of history

On Sunday, we went to a patisserie to buy a speciality from the region called la Pangée. Apparently, 240 million years ago, the village of Beaume Cornillane  (close to Malissard), would have been the centre of the earth when there was only one continent. The cake looks like it has a piece missing to replicate the shape of the continent at that time. It is made from local ingredients including apricots, honey and almonds. Delicious!

After a weekend packed full of activities, eating and chatting, it was time to head home. The trip back to the UK was pretty easy. I travelled from Valence to Lille by TGV and from Lille to London by Eurostar. The journey took six and half hours.

My thoughts on train travel

I would definitely recommend Eurostar and TGV travels. The return ticket was more expensive than a flight but the environmental benefits and the convenience make it really worthwhile. Overall, I find travelling by train far more relaxing than flying.

Do you enjoy travelling by train? Whereabouts have you been recently? What is your favourite journey?

Carbon offsetting - is it really worth it?

As keen travellers, we are encouraged to find solutions to reduce our impact on the planet and to travel responsibly. That is very well  but if you can't give up flying because there are no alternative transport to a particular destination, then what do you do? Do you choose airlines that offer offsetting schemes? Do you know where the money goes? Do you buy a flight and then find a scheme where you can select a carbon offsetting project? Do these schemes really work?

Elisabeth at Go Green Travel Green wrote a great post about this topic: 12 Things You Need to Know About Carbon Offsets.

Another good source of information is DirectGov website.

Personally, I am confused. We are told that flying is bad for the environment but airlines come up with such cheap flights that you can't refuse these offers to discover the world. Shouldn't airlines be the ones responsible for offsetting in the first place? Shouldn't the price of the ticket include offsetting?

I would be interested to hear your views on this topic. Do you care? If so, what do you do to offset your carbon consumption?

Through the lens - Tiptoe Traveller in Cuba

Parque Natural Topes de Collantes

5 reasons to go green on holiday



Photo from ohsingapore.com

 1. Recharge your batteries (no electricity involved here, promise!)

Most people go on holiday to relax, breathe some fresh air, forget about work and catch up with the family. Spending a few days in the countryside will give you a chance to clear your mind and enjoy the small things in life.

2. Connect with nature (without computers)

People are leading such busy lives that they forget what it's like to go for a walk in the park. For some, spending time in the countryside might seem a little bit alien and perhaps even a touch scary. Choose a destination which has a few things to do to start with. As you get used to enjoying nature, you will want to come back again and again.

3. Try something new 

Have you ever tried rock climbing, caving, coasteering or zip lining? The BBC has just launched a new website called ThrillSeeker. All you need to do is visit the site, enter your postcode and you will find activities near you. Trying new activities is very rewarding. It can help you build confidence and it is so much fun!

4. Save some cash

Holidays close to home are usually cheaper than foreign holidays. You don't need to go very far to find a nice accommodation close to nature. Caravanning and camping are both great alternatives to hotels.

5. Feel good about yourself

Taking the time to think about what impact your holiday could have on the environment, is one step closer to being an ecotourist. So whether you are green for a day, a week or a lifetime, it all helps preserving our precious planet.

Personally, I grew up on a farm. I now live in London but I love going back to my home village to be surrounded by mountains. How about you? I would love to hear if you have recently discovered the pleasure nature has to offer or if you have loved nature since your childhood. Please share your stories, your favourite outdoor activities and your recommended nature spots.

Can you travel through books?

Going to new places, meeting interesting people, discovering new cultures is simply fascinating.

But, we don't always have the time or the budget to travel to all these places around the globe. And if you are slightly eco-conscious, you might not want to travel too far for your holidays.

Discovering a new country through books can be amazing.



The Telegraph has compiled a list of The 20 best travel books of all time.

What is your favourite travel book?

Choosing your next holiday destination: will it be green?

This is a quick survey to establish whether eco-friendly practices influence the choice of a holiday.

1. What is your key deciding factor when you pick a holiday?

A. Price
B. Location
C. Convenience
D. Impact on the environment

2. If the price was the same, would you favour a holiday destination with eco-friendly practices?

3. How much do you care about the environment right now?

My personal feeling is that currently, the majority of holiday places are not yet working towards preserving our planet. Unless you go to a specialist like Ecoescape, Ecofriendly tourist or Responsible Travel, it is difficult to find sustainable holiday options. The tourism industry needs to educate consumers about the impact of travel on the environment and it needs to help us make a difference. We all know how difficult a task this is, but we need to be shown how to do this. Do you agree?

Many thanks for answering those questions and feel free to add any comments. 

Ecotourism: Why are holidays at home more expensive than abroad?



Photo: Woodview holiday cottage

 Is eco tourism a luxury?

Package holidays are extremely popular for one main reason: the price

Indeed, it is probably the first criteria people consider when they choose a holiday. If you wish to spend 2 weeks abroad in the sun, the easiest option is to book the accommodation and travel through a travel agent. Prices are usually very good thanks to low cost airlines and the plethora of accommodations available.

Shouldn't we be encouraged to spend our holidays in our country to limit our carbon footprint? 

Yes, but there is one issue: the price.

Have you ever tried to spend 2 weeks holiday in the UK? Assuming that the weather is fairly pleasant, the main issue is finding accommodation at a reasonable price. Personally, I have always gone away for long week-ends in England (which I have thoroughly enjoyed) but never longer than 4 days because of the price of accommodations. The most attractive solution would be to hire a cottage but it is difficult to find anything cheaper than a 2-week holiday abroad by the sea side.

I would be interested to hear your views. Is this trend changing? Are there more options available now that the demand for local holidays is increasing? Is Eco tourism a luxury?

Here are a couple of places to start the research for Eco holidays  and Eco breaks in the UK, should you wish to start planning for next year.

Are you a tiptoe traveller?

Photo from Aredev Sulekha

 

A few questions to define if you really are a tiptoe traveller

1. Do you enjoy visiting new places and experiencing new cultures?
2. Do you love trying food you never had before?
3. Do you prefer booking your own accommodation and dislike all-inclusive-packages?
4. Do you feel amazing when you have exchanged a few words with someone who does not speak your native language?
5. Do you avoid crowded places whenever possible?
6. Do you feel proud when you have travelled in a foreign country using public transport?
7. Do you feel angry when you visit a touristic sites littered with rubbish?
8. Do you feel that you could benefit from more information about responsible travel?
9. Do you wish there were more green holiday options and ecotourism destinations available?

If your answer is yes to most of these questions, I would like to invite you on this journey of discovery to learn how to be responsible travellers and kind to our planet.