If you're desperate to travel post-lockdown but the prospect of flying fills you with dread, we're here to offer an alternative: the Eurotunnel. Board this fantastic futuristic train (big enough to hold a full-sized lorry as well as a full fleet of family-filled cars) and you can whizz under the channel to Calais in just 35 minutes; and all without ever haivng to leave your car. Read on for an insight into the ins and outs of travelling on the Eurotunnel.
Roll up for a Retro Road Trip
As we emerge from lockdown, itching for a holiday but unsure where to go or how to get there, there has never been a better time for a retro road trip holiday to Europe. Bundle into the car, crank up the tunes, and shoot across to Folkestone for your Eurotunnel holiday. Book yourself Flexiplus tickets - which let you choose which train to take - and you can make your way, hassle-free to your boarding lane for the next departure... it's as simple as that!
A Futuristic Forray
With excellent sign posting, finding your lane is the easy part; boarding the train is where things start to get interesting. There's an air of excitement as you wait for your row of cars to be waved forwards, all of them packed to the rafters with all the summer essentials (no luggage limits here). Then, before you know it, you're inching your way towards the train which looks like something out of a sci-fi movie with enough space for double-decker car carriages. Trundle up the ramp, drive into the belly of the train and keep going (for what seems like miles, sometimes) before you're told to stop.
All Aboard
Handbrake on and windows down, your car wheels are strapped into place by high-vis-jacket-wearing staff as you listen to the safety announcements (the time when frequent flyers will feel right at home as they anticipate the familiar instruction to locate the nearest fire exit). As you wait for the train to move, there're a good chance you'll get a spot of entertainment as dads hop out to check in the boot one last time everything is packed (although there's clearly no going back now) and dogs poke their heads out of car windows (with a pet passport you can finally bring a four-legged friend along for the ride).
Blink and You'll Miss it
As the train starts to pick up speed there's a burst of real excitement as your Eurotunnel holiday is fully underway. Warning: this is the time when the questions from your kiddos are likely to start. 'Are we moving yet? Are we really under the sea? Will I get to see any fish?' Thankfully you'll only have to endure it for 35 minutes and then you'll arrive in Calais so speedily your children won't have the time to ask the question all parents dread... ""Are we nearly there yet?""
Welcome to Calais!
As the train pulls into the Calais terminal there's a flurry of activity as doors are opened and cars begin to inch their way off the train again and suddenly you emerge in France to sunny skies (hopefully) and a warm breeze. Gradually the GB plates disperse as travellers set off in all directions, for a tour of France or maybe beyond to sunny Spain or the surf breaks of Portugal. As you pick up speed and join the autoroute (French motorway) you'll have to pinch yourself that your European road trip holiday really has begun so seamlessly.