Huge numbers of Brits fly to and from Malaga every summer for their sun holidays, but not many get there by train. One tourist, who is on a mission to reduce her carbon footprint by cutting the number of flights she takes per year, went on the 27-hour journey from the Spanish holiday hotspot to London and revealed that she would definitely do it again for one reason. Claire Martin, who shares videos on TikTok under the username Claire’s Footsteps, explained to the Express why she decided to swap a flight for a train.
“As I fly long-haul a lot, I am conscious of my carbon footprint,” she told The Daily Express. “I believe in doing what is feasible – I can’t cut flying completely, but I can for trips like this.” Claire had been in Malaga with her husband and his grandmother, who both took a two-hour flight back to the UK. However, Claire’s travels were barely getting started by the time her family made it back to England. Although it was longer than flying, she pointed out why she loved getting a train rather than a plane.
She said she would “definitely” choose this option again because it helped her to see places she would not have otherwise. “I also love the journey element of travelling,” she said. “Looking out the window, taking in landscapes, seeing them change, talking to people on the train – you don’t get this sense of adventure with flying.”
To get back to the UK, she first had to get a train from Malaga to Barcelona, a journey she says offered “stunning” views over the more than five hours it takes. From Barcelona, she took a seven-hour train to Paris, where she stayed overnight, only getting six hours of sleep before she boarded her Eurostar train to London at 7am the next morning.
In total, the journey cost her £203.86, which includes all transport plus a night’s hostel accommodation on a Saturday night in Paris.
She said: “This trip was a bit rushed as I needed to get home, but on previous overland trips travelling this way has enabled me to explore places like Stockholm, Lubeck and Brasov that I may not have gone to otherwise. It’s a shame it’s much more expensive than flying, but I believe the more we travel this way, the more demand there will be and hopefully prices will become more affordable.”
When asked what she would do differently next time, she explained: “I bought an Interrail ticket which may have saved me money overall, but I didn’t use it as much as I thought on my trip so I’d maybe not use that and just book separately.
“I’d also book a later Eurostar leaving Paris so I had time to sleep – and maybe grab a Parisian breakfast! If I had more time, I could have stopped somewhere like Girona for example, which is just north of Barcelona on the Barcelona to Paris train.”
Claire decided to go flight-free while travelling around Europe this summer, something she documents on her TikTok account. She says that she has heard of more people ditching flights and opting for trains in recent years, something she says is totally worth it.
She said the best part of the journey was “the train from the French border to Montpelier” which she says was “wonderful”. She revealed: “I saw gorgeous Mediterranean scenes, flamingos, a lagoon with flamingos, and the sun setting over flower-covered fields.”
People took to the comments section of the video Claire shared in which she documents the journey. One person said they would “definitely” do this as they love long train journeys, while another revealed that they once took a train from Milan to Dublin, something they would “definitely” do again.
However, not everyone is convinced. One commenter wrote: “Here’s the issue. If it were the same price, then yes, I’d think about it, but it’s about twice as expensive and twice as long. It’s the wrong way around.”