Travel Tools

Cleanse your carbon conscience, travel with miles less hassle and give Ryanair the boot you’ve always wanted to! As the ancient Chinese proverb says “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single click” (or it would do these days…).

To learn about our travel projects and upcoming events, see our Travel page.

General travel websites – for inspiration and ideas

Green traveller A very comprehensive website: green package tours, your green places to stay and your green ways of getting there.
LoC02 Travel Holidays, festivals and adventures, follow in the footsteps of fellow green voyagers.
Flightless travel A fantastic forum for sharing travel ideas and stories.
Grounded travel An overland travel directory that helps you plan your journey by road, rail or seat.

Where to go?

Scotland
Visit Scotland For everything exciting that is happening in our own beautiful back garden.
Wilderness and Adventure holidays For adrenaline junkies and outdoor enthusiasts alike!
Scotland For Wildlife Holidays Features a good list of wildlife watching tours and wildlife reserves to visit.
Walking in Scotland A guide to walking the West Highland Way.
Seafari Adventures Boat tours and whale and dolphin watching in Oban and Isle of Skye. See the amazing gannet colony on Bass Rock just an hour from Edinburgh.
 

UK
Green Tourism Business Scheme A directory of certified green places to stay and places to visit in the UK.
Eco Escape Has a great search facility for ethical holidays in the UK and Ireland by location or activity.
Eco Friendly Tourist Ideas for eco friendly places to stay in the UK, how to get there, as well as extras like special offers and competitions.
Oranic Places to Stay Organic Holidays, Eco-friendly accommodation – from where to put your tent up to boutique hotels with organic restaurants – in Scotland, UK and beyond.
Car Free Walks Enter a location and it’ll give you a list of walking routes accessible by public transport.
The Outdoor Swimming Society Features a map of outdoor swimming locations in the UK and a tips on making sure they’re clean and safe.
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers A guide to conservation holidays in the UK.
Urban Walking Route Planner Find the best route around any city you visit.  

Gastronomic Travel
The Trip on a budget. How to do a gastronomic tour of the north of England on a budget.
A regional food tour of the UK Ten of the best regional foods in the UK that are all worth travelling for.  

 

Worldwide
Travel Quest A directory of all types of green accommodation around the world, from the luxury to the budget.
WWOOF Work on an organic farm in the UK or anywhere in the world in exchange for food and board.
Couchsurfing Cut the cost and carbon of your holiday by staying with a local.

Skiing

Snowcarbon For ski bunnies who love the slopes and want to be able to enjoy them for years to come! Low carbon travel, places to stay and booking options.
Skiing in Scotland Scotland is cold. It has mountains. What’s to stop you? Everything you need to know

How to get there?

By Train
National Rail The most comprehensive journey planner for train travel
Sleeper trains to/from Edinburgh
International train travel
Seat 61 All the information you need on UK, European and worldwide train travel.
InterRail Europe The original place to get a one-ticket pass around Europe. Includes a route planner and tips on destinations.
Eurostar Get the train from London to Paris, Brussels, Avignon, Lyon and Lille. Some cheap fares available.  
16-25 Railcard If you’re a student or aged 16 to 25 you can buy a railcard for £26, which gives you 1/3 off all train fares for a year.  
 

By Boat
Ferry Booker An excellent map of all Europe’s ferry routes.
Ferry.co.uk Browse the ferry routes from the UK to Europe.
Calmac Go Scottish island-hopping and see wonderful western nature and culture, and a lot of distilleries
Rosyth-Zeebrugge Wake up in Belgium
Rail and Sail to Ireland Get to Belfast by train and ferry for only £50 return. 
 

 

By Bike
Sustrans route planner
C2C Just one popular route from west coast to east coast, or back
Skedaddle Package cycle holidays
Storybikes Travel through beautiful landscapes with a storyteller and guide!
Bringing your bike on the train Information from all the different train companies about how to bring our bike on the train.  
Cycling in Edinburgh The university’s guide to cycling in Edinburgh: where to buy a bike and cycling organisations.  
Discounts on bikes A list of local bike shops that do discounts for university staff and students.  

By Car
Tripshare The university’s journey sharing website. Find someone going the same way as you and share the cost.
Go Car Share Another great journey sharing website.
Car Share Forum Car sharing to UK and European destinations.  
Eco driving tips Tips on finding an energy efficient car, how to reduce your footprint when you drive and a eco-driving quiz.
City Car Club Self service car hire service. A cost effective alternative to owning a car.  
Car sharing in Europe Car sharing to European destinations.
Drive 2 Day More car sharing in Europe.

By Bus
National Express
Megabus
Bus Journey Planner The university’s bus journey planner.
National Express Coach Card If you’re a student or aged 16 to 25 you can buy a Coach Card for £10 which gives you 30% off National Express coach fares for a year.
Eurolines National Express’ European bus service, travels to 43 cities around Europe. You can get a discount card or a Eurolines Pass for unlimited travel for a period of 15 or 30 days.
 Berlin Linien Bus Germany bus company that travels to 350 destinations around Europe.
Busabout A hop-on hop-off bus service in Europe with several different routes.