Cheap tracks

As air travel becomes increasingly tiresome and pressure to go green increases, a key concern is the perceived cost of switching from short-haul flights to rail. Can you really travel to Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Spain or Amsterdam as cheaply by train or ferry as by budget airline? The answer is that yes, you pretty much can, if you know where to look.

First of course, it pays to be realistic about the cost of flying. The advertised prices look tempting, but the actual fare is often higher. Add airport tax and Air Passenger Duty (APD), and remember that Heathrow, Stansted and Luton can cost around 26 return from London by train. The airport at the other end of the flight may be 5-10 return by bus or train from the city it serves. Have you a baby or small child? Infants go free on trains and ferries, but may attract both a fare and APD by air. Have you any large bags? These now cost around 7 each way per bag on some budget airlines, but there's no such problem with trains or ships.

Within the UK, saver fares for the train are often no more expensive than flying once you consider these added costs. London to Edinburgh or Glasgow costs 98 by train, city centre to city centre. That's not a limited-availability special offer, that's the regular saver return price. The saver has unlimited availability, so no need to book in advance, you can turn up and buy it on the day of travel. It's refundable if you choose not to use it, and flexible as you can hop on any train outside the Monday-Friday business peaks. Compare this with a non-refundable, fixed-itinerary airfare that might be billed as 25 each way, but once you add 20 APD, a 26 return train ticket from London to the airport, 5 for the bus at the other end and 7 each way for you bag, you're talking over 100. In fact, if you book in advance and choose your moment you can pick up a London-Edinburgh advance train ticket for as little as 15, or put another way, 2 more than the train ride to Heathrow. The best place to check British train fares is at nationalrail.co.uk or call 08457 48 49 50.

Ireland

Amsterdam

France

If you're travelling to France, head for eurostar.com. Here you can buy through tickets to major French cities by Eurostar and French high-speed TGV, for example London to Bordeaux from 99 return, and London to Marseille, Perpignan or Nice from 109 return. From November 14, Eurostar plans to offer some cheap through tickets to Paris from places such as Manchester, York, Leeds and Leicester, with one simple change at the new St Pancras International station.

The rest of Europe

For Switzerland, Italy or Spain, check out raileurope.co.uk (or call 0870 8 371 371). Here you can book both your Eurostar ticket from London to Paris and many cheap deals offered by the European railways. Buy a London-Paris ticket from 59 return, then nab a ticket from Paris to Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel or Zurich from as little as 15 each way. You can even treat yourself to first class, from 38 each way.

If travelling to Italy, a couchette on the overnight train from Paris to Florence, Venice or Rome can be yours for as little as 26 each way. If you're bound for Spain, a bed for the night on the excellent trainhotels from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona costs just 52 each way if you book in advance. And frankly, an afternoon Eurostar to Paris then an overnight sleeper to the Mediterranean won't take much more time out of your schedule than a late afternoon flight plus a room for the night - and isn't that a hotel bill saved, too?

There are similar deals from the UK to Germany, Austria and even Poland, see seat61.com or call German Railway's UK office on 0871 8 80 80 66.

You'll not only find train travel affordable, you might just find it adds a new, more relaxing dimension to your trips away, free from airport queues and flights.

You'll find information on all these fares at seat61.com .