Flight Vs Self-Drive: Why Driving To The Alps Might Win

Overview

Without giving it too much thought, flying to the Alps for your ski holiday could be the easiest and most natural option when planning your winter ski trip. Flights between most UK airports to France for example, only take a few hours and a transfer from the airport could get you to the Alps in a seemingly timely fashion. However, in a fast-changing, post-covid world, driving to the Alps for your ski holidays may start to represent a growing trend and perhaps become the preferred, cheaper, eco-friendly, option for ski holiday makers. Of course, there have always been ski tourists driving to the Alps on their ski holidays for decades, but in an ever-changing fast-paced world, for the first time, we could see a massive increase in the number of holidaymakers opting for a self-drive ski holiday as opposed to flying. In light of this, we have weighed up the benefits of a self-drive ski holiday and how it could represent a much better and more attractive option for ski tourists.

Time is A Myth

The biggest argument for flying to the Alps as opposed to driving is that flights take a significantly shorter time to get there with most flights from the UK only taking between an hour and a half to 2 hours from airports in London, Manchester and Birmingham for example; while driving could potentially take 8 or 9 hours in total. However, when you consider the airport travel ( especially if you reside in a city/town that doesn't have an international airport ), the boarding and check-in times, arrival and border control, luggage retrieval and transfer to the resort from the airport, you will find this takes 6 or 7 hours in total. Having flown to the Alps from Manchester airport a few times myself, I’ve found I have had to leave home in Yorkshire at least 3 hours before my flight and found the entire trip taking an average of 6 and half hours. With only a few hours difference, it immediately does not seem as daunting as it sounds does it?

Bring The House With You

One of the biggest advantages of choosing the self-drive option is that there isn't a limit to what you can take with you - if it fits in the car, it's good to go! This is absolute gold, especially if you are staying in self-catering accommodation. You can bring all the entertainment for the kids, your own ingredients for a special meal and you can even bring your pets for a complete family holiday with fantastic memories. The Eurotunnel Le Shuttle doesn't have any weight restrictions and as such, the only limit to the number of things you can pack for your ski holiday is the size of the car. There are also no additional charges o on roof boxes on cars by the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle so there are quite a few liberties to be had when driving yourself and your family. Stop over at a service centre for a coffee or diaper change or even check out a few family attractions on the way. Driving yourself also saves you the option of hiring ski equipment at the resort as you can bring your favourite skis and snowboards along with you. It also allows you to avoid paying large premiums for extra luggage on the flight when instead, you can always just bring it with you in the car. Simple.

The Cheaper, Eco-Friendly Option

Booking your flight to Switzerland or France at least three weeks in advance can potentially allow you to save a fair bit of money; even then, the flight ticket prices only make up part of the overall spend when you fly. When you consider taxi or train tickets to the airport ( or overnight parking if you are driving ), overpriced airport meals and transfer costs to the resort it all adds up. The costs incurred from driving include fuel and tolls gates (tire chains are a one-off purchase which does not have to be incurred on every trip) and little else. You can pack your own refreshments and if you are travelling with the kids, you can pack everyone's favourite snacks and meals ensuring an overall happy camp. Additional costs saved from flying can be used to cover other aspects of the trip like better accommodation or an extra day at the resort. Driving as a family or as a group of up to 4 people is an eco-friendly way of visiting the Alps and is great for the environment. Long-haul driving journeys to the Alps emit far less Co2 than flights and while you may occasionally question the impact of your individual effort, it is important to note that when viewed and analysed collectively, eco-friendly habits, no matter how little, do make a significant difference.