Travel rant

[andygates]

Getting up to Scotland: a non-trivial operation from down in sunny Devon (well worth it though; bally fine company and Buckie-zombie hunting).  How to get up there for the Highland Games triathlon?  Drive?  Fly?  Train?  The journey is in a fortnight, an ordinary, human degree of advance planning.

Driving takes three tanks of diesel return, and 10-12 hours depending on traffic, fatigue, etc.  It is tiring, but not as tiring as you'd think.  All travel is tiring, after all.  £150 plus snacks, door to door.

Flying, at the moment, will cost me £190 including the bike, plus extra for parking.  It was cheaper this morning.  It was even cheaper two weeks ago.

The train will set me back a paltry £148 as long as I stick to departure times.  If I have the temerity to want any flexibility, that gets first huge, then silly, in short order. 

Of course by the time I've checked these against each other, I'll bet that one or the other will have changed.  Upwards.  Just clicking away from the page gets me cross because I can't be sure that the price I see will stick for long enough to make an informed choice.  The volatility stinks of pressure sales, and pressure salesmen get only one response from me. 

So I think I'll drive again.  Get some chipfat to boost the gas mileage, try to do the impossible and eat cleanly on the road (why is that so hard?).  Public transport has no cost advantage even for a single passenger against a slow, thirsty old brick like the camper.  That's frankly pathetic.  And air travel has a cunning way of sneaking fifty quid surcharges in when you're not looking.  Taxes, sir?  Bike, sir?  Parking, sir?  Guilt for raping Gaia while on a jolly, sir?

All of the 'cheap' ticket prices, every last one of them - unless you are psychic and book a generation in advance - are fraudulent lies.

This is why the car wins.  It's not because the car is good and great and Clarksonderful.  It's because everything else is shit.

Comments

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

Are you looking online for the train?

Dude, like srsly. Don't.

Go To The Train Station.

The online service (and the phone service, BTW) is not obliged tofind you the cheapest tickets. The folk at train stations are, and they're better at it because they can do weird shit like change various options on the connections etc to get an overall package that's cheaper.

At this stage it might be too late to get something really cheap, but you might be able to find something cheapER. What dates were you intending to travel?

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Up on the 13th (Friday), back on the 15th (Sunday). Unless the train people can magic an after-work Thursday exit - assuming that's OK with youse guys.

Ta for the advice. I foolishly assumed that the Train People were train people, not that one set were evil scrotes and the others were human beans. That such a situation exists only underscores my rant... but I'll pop down to the station and see.

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

I think it's more that the train station staff have access to the system behind the system we use on hinterwebbage, whereas the phone people only have access to the system we use.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

After popping into the station, I have tickets (all singles, via London) for £90. Yay for the bloke behind the counter, who was entertained enough to keep digging long enough to find the cheap ones.

I asked: he has the same system, he just has better knowledge of the route options. And since he saved me fifty-three quid, I reckon that's a keeper. Ta for the tip!

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

It might be worth asking about sleepers.

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

I've managed to find £143 saver ticket (some time restrictions but I don't think you're locked in as long as you still make a reservation for the bike, which you can do on more than one train, I'm told by Virgin staff). Up on Friday and back on Sunday.

But that's a helluva expensive race, dude. Maybe you'd be better off forfeiting your 15 quid entrance fee? It's going to be only a couple of weeks since you spent that much coming here the first time.

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

That only is as far as Edinburgh - I never bother with the Kirkcaldy end in advance, unless it's going to involve Virgin.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Ah but it's not just a race, it's a Games and a chance to w-reak my rewengy on Frood for beating me at Buzz too...

...and I may have ordered a kilt. For T2. ;)

[thudthwacker.livejournal.com]

Ah but it's not just a race, it's a Games...

Which is also a chance to pick up some heavy events implements. Though I don't figure you're going to be able to stow a caber in the train luggage racks.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

I hadn't even considered *shopping*!

[ehutch.livejournal.com]

A Kilt for T2... Cool. Beats lycra! Have fun.