By Any Means.
Whether you are driving, flying or taking the ferry, here are some ideas on how to make your journey stress-free.
We have limited options of getting “off the Rocque” – only by Sea or by Air. So in addition to giving you relevant information about these methods, we will explore further options for transport at your destination, such as road and rail. Whatever your means of transport we have also found the following website www.arewethere.co.uk which has all sorts of games and activities to keep all the family busy on your journey.
By Sea
Condor Ferries operate a year round passenger and car ferry service from Guernsey with its fleet of conventional and fast ferries, and is one of the most reliable forms of transport off the island.
From Guernsey you can travel to the UK in as little as 2 and a half hours. The company operates to Poole, Weymouth and Portsmouth, as well as Jersey and St.Malo in France
Condor Ferries operates Condor Vittesse, Condor Express, and Condor 10 fast cat ferries car ferries. A new, catamaran Condor Rapide has recently been added to the fleet to replace Condor 10. With a range of onboard facilities including children’s play areas, bars and cafeteria it is family friendly, relaxing and convenient way to start your trip away.
The Commodore Clipper is a really comfortable way of travelling overnight to Portsmouth. With cosy cabins and a range of onboard facilities, it is a great way to arrive in the UK, refreshed and ready to be first on the road at 6am.
By Air
Most of you will know that we are only served by two airlines in Guernsey. Currently we are limited with direct route destinations, with Gatwick, Southampton, Stanstead, Birmingham and Manchester being the most frequent and regular direct routes into the UK, with Jersey and Alderney on the inter-Island routes. There is availability indirectly to all other UK airports but via one of the above connections. In the opposite direction we are able to get to Dinan and Cherbourg and occasionally, Geneva, or infrequent charter to Spain or Madeira.
On arrival:
Car, your own and Hire - If you are planning to take your own car off-Island, the most important aspect to consider is safety. You should ensure that the vehicle has a complete service shortly before you go and that your Insurances are up to date and inclusive of your travel requirements – such as drivers, mileage destination. It is wise to have an emergency First Aid kit in the car with safety equipment in case of a break down, or minor accident
The AA gives excellent advice for travelling on the continent and there is a country by country guide that familiarises you with the different driving regulations in Europe. This includes types of fuel available, the required equipment to be carried in your car, speed & alcohol limits etc.
The site also gives importantly information about child safety in the vehicle
Visit the site via this link: www.theaa.com/motoring-advice/index.jsp
When you travel in your car it can be a mini home from home and you are able to kit it out with toys, activities and creature comforts to make it more familiar and the journey more bearable – for adults and kids.
Make sure that you sufficient liquid and food for the journey: water/fruit juice/milk and non messy snacks such as small apples/bananas, dried fruit, snack bars etc are advisable take when driving for over half an hour. Driving long distances is thirsty work as the car heats up and can become stuffy even with aircon. There may not be services along your route or you may not the time or the money to spend in one.
With younger children, you can plan your journeys around their sleep times, so that much of the travel time they are asleep and not getting bored. Stage 3 Car seats for 3 years upwards can be uncomfortable to sleep in and you may want to take along a travel pillow, certainly a cover if you are travelling during winter, despite most car heating systems being quite good, they make your car run less efficiently and a familiar blanket is more likely to induce sleep.
Always carry a stash of wet wipes for the car. No matter what age your kids are they are invaluable for refreshing the car after a long journey or cleaning up after an upset tummy!
Hire Car - Hire Car companies have a very wide coverage internationally these days – though in many areas of the world it’s probably just as well and equivalent in price to hire a driver with their own car.
In countries closer to home in culture and proximity, Hire Cars are accessible and give a degree of freedom that public transport cannot deliver.
In Guernsey we are very lucky with our standard of living to be able to afford quite high spec and safety rated cars. To hire an equivalent is can be very expensive and it may be advisable in order to keep costs affordable to chose a lower spec car than your own, as combined with fuel costs and child seats your hire car can suddenly blow your holiday budget.
Remember:
• Unfortunately fuel prices fluctuate and are generally higher abroad than we pay locally and so get some tips on how to make the most of the fuel that is in the car, by driving efficiently and remember to fill it up before you return it to the Hire Car Company.
• Check the vehicle for dinks and irregularities BEFORE you drive it away from the collection point. Make sure you report anything you spot and anything of substance is noted on the paperwork, otherwise you may be liable for damage that you didn’t cause.
• Children’s car seats are pretty much compulsory in most European and Westernised countries. This is an area where the Hire Car companies have us parents over a barrel. We need them and the Hire Car Companies know this and as a result the hire of stage 1, 2, & 3 car seats for a week can cost as much as buying them new. If you can take them as extra luggage, on the flight or boat it is seriously worth considering especially if they only have to be carriage for that sector of the journey, the rest of the time they will be in use in the car. It may be worth paying the extra luggage fee for the seat than the hire of one!
By Train
Rail travel is one of the most exciting forms of travel available – thrilling for children and their parents alike. At ground level with the opportunity to observe not only fantastic scenery and landscape but also the daily life and hustle of the towns and cities through which the railways run. There is always something to look at and for us Islanders train travel really is a novelty – there aren’t many after all who’ll remember the last railway on Guernsey, which was built by the Germans during their extended stay some years ago.
UK – since the privatisation of the railways some years ago in UK there are a whole host of different companies that operate the various lines and routes around England, Scotland, Wales & N Ireland. Whilst researching this topic we found a couple of websites that managed to gather all the relevant information in one place to make sense of the myriad of routes, scheduling and costs of train travel on the UK mainland. Fares apply for children from the age of 5years.
www.raileasy.co.uk
www.nationalrail.co.uk
France – The French national railway is SNCF. It has a comprehensive coverage across France and our nearest link is from St Malo, an easy 5 minute taxi ride from the Port. The TGV runs from St Malo and has links. You can take bicycles on the train and this can make for an interesting holiday if you want to explore alternative modes of transport to make your holiday a real experience and lasting memory for all the family. Fares apply from 4 years for children - Visit www.sncf.com
For other European and Worldwide train travel - www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/travel_worldwide.html or www.sncf.com has links to the rest of Europe.
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