Slow Travel is the Way To Go for UK Adventures
Business travel conditions us to choose the most direct route, but sometimes it’s better to lay off the gas and choose curiosity over convenience.
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This latest slow travel episode had me rolling into Glasgow close to 9 p.m. ready to eat my own arm off, but I regret nothing.
After years of working the digital marketing conference circuit and racing from place to place, trying to balance work and family, I’m enjoying the slower pace that my work-from-anywhere business affords. And so when an opportunity presented itself for me to head to Scotland for a brief work engagement, I decided to take the slow road there and back.
Canadian and American friends often ask me about cheap Europe flights, to which I say, just get yourself to a hub ($440 from Toronto to Heathrow, in this case). You can fly domestic, or take a train or bus for the more sustainable, affordable, and — dare I say, interesting — choice from there.
It’s so much easier and more affordable to get around Europe than North America. Landing at a major hub like London, Paris, Munich, or Amsterdam, you’re spoiled for choice.
So I took my own advice.
This time, I bought the front two seats on Flixbus London to Glasgow for the panoramic view.
(Flixbus allows you to buy the seat beside yours so you can be seated alone. It’s a big plus for solo travelers, especially women.)
$94 CDN. 10.5 hours.
Now, this did involve switching stations but again, everything is well-connected. Before exiting to baggage collection at Heathrow, you’ll see ticket kiosks for the express trains into London. One of these takes you straight to the Victoria Coach Station for 25 pounds. You can catch Megabus, Flixbus, and National Express from there.
The onboard experience was just fine. Coach seats are comfortable, the temperature was good, and my noise-cancelling headphones took care of the Very Important Person a few rows back who made phone calls and regaled us with tales of his business prowess for hours.
There’s no food service, of course, but a small washroom that was clean and functional.
Each seat had an outlet and table, and the onboard Wifi allowed me to get a bit of work done and chat with family back home. You won’t be leading Zoom calls, but it was just fine for writing a few articles and doing research.
Most challenging was finding a relatively ergonomically-friendly way to hold my laptop so it wasn’t sliding all over the place. The bus isn’t quite as smooth as a train ride.
Still, I enjoyed all the views through London, Birmingham, Manchester, the Lakes District, and Southern Scotland. If you want to see how people live, work, and play, a fly-over won’t cut it.
It was an awfully long time between my morning ham and cheese toastie at Pret a Manger in London and dinner close to 10pm in Glasgow. But like I said — I regret nothing.
(Thankfully I always have a few snacks packed to tide me over.)
I still made it in time for a stellar wood-fired pizza restaurant recommendation from the front desk. And that shower you have after a long day of bus travel is 👌 perfection.
From here, I’m taking a Scotrail train to meet a friend, then carrying in to Edinburgh for a week before meandering back to London.
This time, I’ll remember to pack a lunch and enjoy the ride.
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