Wi-Fi on the London to Paris Bus!!

 

There are a load of different options for travelling between London and Paris these days, all of which have their pros and cons. But increased fuel and taxes makes travelling by car or flying too expensive for lots of people. I wouldn’t even think about flying it to be honest!! Travelling by ferry is an option of course and you may have read that I used to work on those ferries, but there is a considerable journey between London and Dover, Newhaven, Southampton etc. to make, which can be expensive if you take the train or drive, and then the distance from Calais, Dieppe or Cherbourg to Paris is over 150 miles, which takes at least a few hours. Throw traffic issues into the mx and you’re talking a long day of travel…

A cheaper option is to go by bus or coach. Bus fares are far cheaper than train or plane fares and you can now travel from London to Paris with iDBUS for far less than you would ever spend on the crossing, petrol and road tolls or airport taxes. Plus there’s Wi-Fi. I know I alwas go on about enjoying the views etc. but there’s also something cool about new technology and the fact you can use Wi-Fi on the London to Paris bus is great! Remember, I travel with my laptop and keep my blog updated on the move.

However bus fares can be tricky to negotiate, especially as most companies have variable fares that depend on the date you book – I used to be quite loyal to Megabus in my eary backpacking days. If you are very organised and book several months in advance then you can get some very good prices. But the closer you get to your departure date the more money you will usually pay for your tickets, I say usually, not always the case of course. So if you decide at the last minute to travel, or are self-employed and find that you have a quiet period in your work and want to take a break without losing much business, you can end up paying through the nose for your journey. However, iDBUS does offer set prices for their journeys that do not change which is kind of cool– they are set according to when you want to travel, not when you want to book (you also get a seat free for every three that you book which is a bonus if you’re heading with a few mates!).

Also unlike flying (or getting a ferry) you don’t have to wait in long lines for check-in, and if you include the amount of time you would spend waiting at the airport/ferry terminal to check in and then to collect your luggage you’ll soon realise that a two-hour flight takes more like five hours in the airports and air. The coach will take around eight hours from London to Paris and you will normally only need to arrive about half an hour before departure (they won’t make you stay in the coach station if you check in a bit late…).

Coach travel with a company like iDBUS (who do this London – Paris route I’m talking about) will give you comfort, free Wi-Fi and a few rest stops, plus direct travel from one city centre to another which all amounts to great value for such low fares.  And check it out – these are low bus fares which suit student backpackers, people travelling on business, families and elderly people, all of whom have found coach travel to be economical and a comfortable way to travel. None of this chopping and changing and being stuck on a flight. The nice part about travelling by coach is that you can always find people to talk to if you want to, or you can shut yourself away by putting on your headphones or switching on your laptop. Yes – with WiFi of course. Now get me a beer, my laptop and WiFi on a bus and that’s just what I need! Safe travels one and all!

Footnote – Apologies for the lack of photos on this post and a few recently – I’m cursing Apple as they are SHIT company and have stopped me being able to access my photos and they are allegedly repairing my MacBook Pro. I can feel a rant on Apple coming on!!