In terms of the themes that we cover here on TC Holidays, transportation plays a huge part, getting you from your home and to your final holiday destination.
Depending on whether you have to travel overseas on your going to stay at home, your transportation can vary widely from car, bus, train, car ferry, plane, even down to the simplest forms of transportation… your feet, a bicycle, a pony, elephant, etc.
So were going to take a look at three of these, the car, the car ferry, and the train as an introduction to the related articles on this site.
The Car
Ever since the first Ford model T rolled out of the factory in 1908, we have become more and more inseparable from our cars, and in the modern day the car can play a very important part in our relaxation and vacations.
Today, the car, and it’s companions (the motorbike, campervan, etc), are used in different ways … as taxis to get us to the airport, rental cars when we reach our destinations, or when we make use of our own cars to tour our own back yards.
The modern world is full of examples of holidays involving cars such as a trip to the Ascari Race Resort in Spain where you can enjoy driving a Lotus Elise or a BMW 325 around its 5.4 km track, or how about taking a classic car tour, renting a 1963 Jaguar E type series 1 convertible 3.8 or maybe a 1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
Of course, there are as many car rental companies as there are destinations, if not more, and unless you have experience with a particular company, you are much better off going to one of the larger car rental companies … the price might seem a little bit higher at the beginning, but once you take into account all of the small print fees, you’ll notice that there’s not much difference in the price, its better to have the peace of mind and professionalism that the larger car rental companies can offer in the case that anything goes wrong.
The Car Ferry
The first ships which were designed to carry passengers go back to ancient times, indeed they are part and parcel of ancient mythology with the ferryman transporting souls to the underworld.
The first roll on roll off the vessel was employed to carry railway vehicles on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
The largest ferry in the world in terms of vehicle capacity is the MS Ulysses which is operated between the Republic of Ireland and the UK… Dublin to Holyhead; she can carry 1342 cars, 240 trucks, and 2000 passengers and crew.
The world’s fastest ferry was built for the Sultan of Oman and can achieve speeds of 60 mph.
There are huge opportunities within the ferry industry for future development including better fuel efficiency, quieter engines, lighter material builds, and lowering emissions, making ferry travel much faster, more economical, and kinder to the environment.
The Train
Although the basic railway system has existed as far back as Roman or Greek times, arguably the first rail company was the Lake Lock Rail Road Co which was formed in 1796, running a mere 3 miles.
The first public railway was the Surrey Iron railway which was a horse-drawn system designed to haul goods on a turnpike or a toll basis. Here’s a link to a great article about the Surrey Iron Railroad.
The first trains were steam locomotives, although most modern trains are powered by electricity or diesel engines.
The top three longest railway journeys in the world are all held by the trans-Siberian Railway … the first going from Moscow to Vladivostok, the second going from Moscow to Beijing via Harbin, and the third longest going from Moscow to Beijing via Ulan Bator.
The top three fastest trains in the world at the time of writing are the China-based CRH380A which achieves speeds of 302.8 mph, second is the electric TR-09 based in Germany, achieving a top speed of 279.5 mph, and the third fastest is the Japanese Shinkasen which gets to a maximum speed of 275.2 mph. Here’s a link to Scientiaweb’s post on the CRH380A with plenty of specs for the nerdy parts of your brain.
One of the most luxurious and romantic train trips in the world is the legendary Orient express.
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