We can’t say much right now about what we’ve got in store, but rest assured that it is incredibly exciting, and involves major updates to how the journey-planner works. Previously we stated that we would be releasing updates every few weeks but we realised that it would be better to work on everything behind the scenes and release the new stuff with a bang.

Following a few teething problems we had communicating the functionality of the tool when we first released it, we’ve decided to be good agile web developers and do proper user-testing before releasing the next set of features.  If you want to help us test the tool before it goes fully public then please sign up as a member and we’ll contact you when it’s ready to go.

In the meantime please wish us luck as we continue to buzz around transferring the pollen of ideas to the hive of web development activity (I’ve used a picture of a bee as the thumbnail for this post, so I had to get a lame metaphor in there somewhere. Please forgive me).

Estimating my weight in tropical fruit was the only the beginning – I’d also stumbled across the highly useful statistic that my ship could carry the weight equivalent of 100,000 passengers. However, due to limited space and issues of efficiency the passengers would probably have to forgo the “in-flight” meal and may or may not have to be vacuum packed.

Low carbon travellers of the world can breathe a collective sigh of relief. In 2010, rather than concerning myself with how to fit 100,000 60 kg humans onto a boat I am now engaged by rather more humane ways of doing my bit.

The first thing which got my brain ticking over this week was the interesting and rather surprising news that flushing the toilet aboard an aeroplane uses an estimated 1 litre of fuel. The Casio came out again: that means that if everyone on a Boeing 747 goes to the loo three times in a ten hour flight we’re talking about 1400 litres of fuel. This amounts to almost half the annual fuel consumption of a  typical UK driver! I’m not quite as mad as to suggest that people don’t use the toilet – after all, long haul flights are punishment enough as far as I’m concerned – but it does raise some issues about efficiency. An electric toilet valve? honestly!

The same article furnished me with the news that some airlines are adopting interesting measures to increase the efficiency of their aeroplanes; such as using only lightweight plastic cutlery, omitting olives from their menus (food miles I assume) and banning fat passengers. OK so they haven’t actually banned fat people but it’s good to see efficiency is on the agenda. Perhaps a tax for heavier passengers (and their “excess luggage”) isn’t as far off as it seems. Granted these initiatives are  currently motivated by saving a few pounds (and lbs) but as fuel becomes more expensive these things will only become more important.

Another solution, or at least a step in the right direction, might be lurking in your kitchen. Although it’s far from an exact science, becoming a vegetarian is another way to ease your carbon for 10:10. The generally accepted figure is that following a locto-ovo vegetarian diet, i.e. one that includes eggs and dairy but omits meat, can save as much as 1 ton of CO2 a year. So next time you’re planning your holidays consider this: a short haul flight in carbon terms would cost you two years of vegetarianism. Food for thought eh?!

Burning off a few extra calories to improve efficiency

Photo: Ian Ransley

It’s not often I get the opportunity to quote Toy Story but it seemed apt as today I come bearing good news. I’ve got some slightly old good news in the form of the Con-Demnation of plans to further expand UK airports, and I’ve got some brand spanking new technologies that might just change the face of travel as we know it.

So may I begin by tipping my hat to our new government. It’s belated I know, but for some reason I had a hard time actually typing the words: couldn’t…quite….congratulate…Tories. Phew, glad that’s over! But honestly, fair play. First came the end of plans to expand Heathrow, followed by the announcement in the Government’s new environmental policy that Gatwick and  Standsted would suffer a similar fate. Commentators got all over excited when they realised that mixing blue and yellow makes…wait for it…green; but the battle is not yet won.

Other naughty airports are still carrying the bastion of expansion – Manchester’s got all sorts of tricks up its sleeve – but it does seem that common sense is finally rearing it’s head. And what with a 7.3% drop in passengers last year (that’s 17 million fewer passengers – any mathematicians care to calculate that carbon saving?), and all the excitement that was the ash cloud, more and more people are finally looking for alternative ways of taking a holiday. Can I get a whammy?!

And so in the interest of giving the people what they want may I introduce some cutting edge technology. First the Yuneec e430 – the World’s first commercially manufactured electronic airplane. Charged off the mains, low noise, zero fuel and with very low emissions this might be the start of something beautiful. Granted right now it’s little more than a glorified glider (seating only two people and with only three hours flying time per charge) but it’s food for thought. Like I said, that’s not flying, it’s falling with style!

And now can I draw your attention to this “neutrally buoyant vacuum tunnel submerged 150 to 300 feet beneath the Atlantic’s surface and anchored to the seafloor, through which zips a magnetically levitated train at up to 4,000 mph”, or something like that. Nothing major, just a massive tunnel under the Earth’s second largest Ocean through which we shoot a train: The Trans-Atlantic Maglev.

It’s a steal at a little under $175 billion, (in fact I might get two) but since a head scientist from MIT sees “no serious stumbling blocks” from an engineering point of view, I am allowed to be at least a little bit excited. Before I get too carried away though I do have to wonder just what the environmental cost might be. However, I was delighted to read that at least the vacuum would  “save the tunnel from the destructive effects of a sonic boom” (obviously sonic boom was my first concern) good news indeed!

Photos: Yuneec & Popular Science

If you fancy getting down and dirty with a load of naked Scandinavians (quite frankly who wouldn’t?!) then it’s Roskilde Festival for you. If I were a festival I would want Roskilde to be my husband. It’s got everything I ever dreamed of, and probably a little bit more. It’s bursting at the seams with musical delights, is environmentally aware, raises money for charity, promotes a vegetarian and organic diet, uses green energy sources and rides a bicycle. Swoon! Read more about my future husband here. It’s only a mere 30 days away and tickets are on sale now.

For those who fancy some good old fashioned chaos why not take yourself to Eastern Europe. Belgrade once again brings us sun burn and dance parties in an abandoned fortress at Exit Fest. There are some excellent options for reaching Novi Sad by train, and we’ve featured a number of journeys with stopovers in Venice or Budapest.

If you’re feeling a bit more piratical, (yaaaarrgggh!) then let me recommend the Garden Festival in Zadar.  Funnily enough it’s got little to do with gardens, but will have you sailing the seven seas (*actually just one sea), while you dance in the glorious sunshine on the HMS Goodtimes. Tickety Boo. And here’s a cheeky journey plan.

Croatia is also host to Soundwave Festival in July; another treat on the Adriatic offering beaches, beats and bikinis! They’re going Loco too and offering the Sunshine Bus for a mere £125 return, from Manchester or London. Check out this mighty clever journey plan for further details and how to book.

Closer to home we’re spoiled for choice, with Spain offering its usual cache of fun and frolicks; July sees the 16th annual Benicassim Fesitival. So in the words of Dizzee Rascal (who’ll be appearing at this years gig), “get your passport, and your bikini, you need a holiday…come see me!” Ah, wise words Mister Rascal, and see you I will if I can get my hands on a ticket. For this one Loco2’s teamed up with some clever folks who are offering an all inclusive bus tour to and from the festival to make your festival experience as hassle free as possible.

Come August and it’ll be time to don your over-sized baggy hat and Jamaican themed string vest and take yourself to Rototom Sunsplash. Not only is saying “rototom” in a thick Welsh accent highly amusing, but it’s a tip top reggae festival too, with sunshine and bass and booming beats in the Spanish sunshine…

Right, that’s all for now, but certainly something to get you thinking.

Located at Petrcane, near Zadar, Soundwave Festival is another great offering from Croatia’s Adriatic coast. Easy to get to, big names on the music scene (last year boasted DJ Yoda and Bonobo among others), big enough to have a good vibe but small enough not to overwhelm.

It has an outside Amphitheatre for live acts, a Beach Side Terrace for day & night time dancing and a 600 capacity nightclub for the beats to go on right through the night. Throw in some sunshine and a ticket that only costs £75 and quite frankly I’d say that you’re laughing all the way to..well Croatia.

Tickets are available right here, right now!

By Train

Getting to Soundwave by train is easy peasy lemon sqeezy. And it’s goes a bit like this: London to Zadar by Train/Bus There’s some Eurostar action, a cheeky German interchange and a night train to the Croatian capital. If you fancy making this part of a longer holiday bear in mind that you’re a stones throw away from beautiful Bratislava, a hop skip and a jump from Venice, or you could even go and poke your head into Hungary. Consider purchasing a rail pass and seeing where the wind blows…

The Sunshine Bus

If you don’t fancy a train based adventure then we’re also delighted to feature “The Sunshine Bus” taadaa!!! It’s a coach load of revellers driving across Europe on a nice comfy overnight coach, direct from London or Manchester to the festival. £125 return, make some friends on the way, get the party started…lovely jubbly. This is also the lowest carbon option folks! Horray!

Photos: Tarale & Vacation2 Video: Noah Ball

My teachers at school were a delightful collection of beige-wearing, side-parting types who wore sensible shoes and favoured red pens. Granted there was one who secretly smoked in the staff room, and another whose obsession with Landrovers bordered on insanity, but I certainly never had one who cycled around the World!

So let me join the long line of people to tip my proverbial hat to Mr Morgan, a man who’s showing us that adventures aren’t just for gap year students, low carbon isn’t just for hippies and education is for everyone. “Not pursuing the things that you’re passionate about is a sin of the highest order”, says Andrew. And I for one couldn’t agree more.

A Teacher on Two Wheels is well worth a visit. Here you’ll find a great testament to the power of travel for connecting people, and an even greater advertisement for doing it at ground level. So, if you’re sitting at a desk now wondering if you have a greater purpose in life, can I offer you a healthy portion of inspiration? He’s already cycled the length of the Americas – from New Jersey to Argentina, and since 2009 he’s been working ago for an NGO in Africa called Invisible Children …impressed yet? Well you should be.

Read the blog, enjoy some lovely photos, but most of all sit back and bask in another person’s well-deserved glory. Going Loco2 doesn’t always mean gallivanting off around the world, but it’s always nice to know there are good people out there having an adventure, and teachers in the World who don’t necessarily wear beige but are still doing it for the kids!

This summer, if you listen carefully, you might just be lucky enough to hear the chatter of Otesha cycling through the UK. To the untrained eye this motley crew of “nomadic cyclists” might appear to be nothing more than…well, a motley crew of nomadic cyclists, but look a little closer and you will find that they are theatrical wizards and reckless horticulturalists. Friendship request accepted.

In July 2010 Otesha UK are making their way to Land’s End to embark on an epic journey. Not content with spreading the good word in their localities they’re off to John O’Groats by bicycle, stopping off along the way to spread a little love for our planet, pedaling news of sustainable living to anyone who’ll listen (pedalling…b’boom), and what’s more, they want you to be a part of it. More information available in our very own holiday ideas section. This is a truly alternative summer holiday.

Otesha are also championing causes other than their own, so to give you an idea of what makes them tick have a look at Airplot – a rather sneaky plan to buy up land on the site of the proposed third runway at Heathrow, or check out Bill Nighy’s compelling argument “against” the Robin Hood Tax. All good stuff.

Photos: Roger Butterfield, Kicior99, Auz

In July 2010 Otesha UK are making their way to Lands End to embark on an epic journey. Not content with spreading the good word in their localities they’re off to John O’Groats by bicycle, stopping off along the way to spread a little love for our planet, pedaling news of sustainable living to anyone who’ll listen (pedalling…b’boom). Think camping in Cornwall, wheeling through Wales, and hurtling through the highlands; this promises to be a corker. And as if the adventure wasn’t enough, you’ll be learning about sustainability, sharing knowledge at festivals, schools and communities and generally having a good old fashioned hoot.

This two-wheeled revolution is all about sharing good ideas – from cycling to free-cycling; from free-range to fair trade, it’s another fine example of how people can make living sustainably something that is personal and meaningful. And they’re looking for volunteers now.

As a registered charity Otesha needs your help to bring social and environmental change, so they’re inviting you to get involved. This ain’t no ordinary holiday, oh no, it’s an eight week sustainable fun-fest powered with your own legs, you can’t get more Loco than that! Applications for the Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle tour are now open so if you’ve got a penchant for all things summer time, want to learn how to grow an African horned cucumber, or simply fancy cycling the UK’s most epic route then look no more.

More information about Otesha is available here, including a list of the towns they’ll be stopping off at and answers to important questions like “how do you fix a puncture” and “will my legs fall off if I cycle that far?”

Photos: Roger Butterfield, Kicior99, Auz

Video: Otesha

Our debate circled around the publication of this time lapse video showing Europe’s emergence from the “medieval” darkness caused by Volcano Eyjafjallajoekull. Wasn’t it awful? People had to travel by train, woe is me!! Take a look for yourself, but if you’re at all concerned about climate change, or under the illusion that your recent holiday was a guilt free, low-fat, no added sugar affair, then you might want to take a seat .

Frankly, I found this video terrifying. And proceeded – as the human condition dictates – to react to my fear with anger, directed at all of mankind. I was happy there was less choice of air-freighted fruit in the supermarket, joyous that business meetings had to take place via video phone, and over the moon that Whitney Housten had taken a ferry to Ireland. Maybe this was the wake up call that the World needed. Mother nature always has the last laugh.

Seeing the video brought me crashing back down to reality and I was feeling very environmentally ‘un’friendly. However, being angry at everyone isn’t the most sustainable of reactions so I was delighted today when I stumbled across this – Yahoo People’s Policies, a forum for clever folks with good ideas to put them to the general (and traditionally unwise) population for their vote. And it seems, much to my relief, that perhaps our planet isn’t as doomed as I thought.

This has gone someway towards restoring my faith in humanity, as not only are people engaged by issues (and solutions) which might have a direct impact on climate change, and the general health of society, but they’re voting wisely. Turn shop lights off at night? I think so. Cheaper trains? Yes Please. Change the clocks to utilise more natural light? I’m listening…

And so you may be relieved to know that for now mankind is spared the brunt of my wrath, and I will continue to quietly persuade you that slow travel is fun, and exciting, and better for the environment rather than hatching a plan to trigger more volcanic eruptions.

Though I probably shouldn’t watch that video again.

Photos: flightrader

The Guardian have chosen to make their content available to anyone building a web application so that they can (in their words) allow Guardian content to be “woven into the fabric of the internet”. This is in stark contrast to the decision by Rupert Murdoch to try and tackle the decline of revenues from newspaper sales by introducing a pay-wall for the Times Online.

Here at Loco2 we are fascinated by these developments, but with a particular interest in travel content (obviously!). The interesting thing about travel and transport content is its geographical relevance. We hope that the way we are using it at Loco2 will help people and places feel more connected, as travellers discover things to do along their journey as well as at the destination they are heading to.

As we release new features and functionality, we aim to continue in the spirit of transparency by explaining how we are building the software that we hope will soon make booking European rail far easier. To stay up-to-date with the features as they are released, make sure you sign up!

Thumbnail image credit Roo Reynolds

It included a chat with a great couple - Geoffrey and Elizabeth Woodward – who have dedicated many years to slow-travel and have been on cargo-ships all over the World. Listening to them regale listeners with their tales of adventure filled me with joy. I highly recommend listening again to the programme and checking out these new slow travel celebrities.

“Do it slow, and you will find yourself” says the captain of a Swedish container ship featured on the show; a sentiment which we wholeheartedly condone. Tales of pirates in Samoa, stowaways in Cape Town, and an enviable “element of unpredictability and excitement” make this a compelling case for cargo ship travel and slow travel in a wider context.

Of course our very own Kate Andrews has been on her own epic adventure across the Atlantic by cargo-ship, and you can watch her video diaries here and here, or read her blog. We’ve also got a more general introduction to cargo-ship travel as well, and over the next few months we’ll be adding more detailed information about how to book such adventures yourself.

Loco2 – the low carbon travel company – today announces the launch of an exciting journey-planning tool at http://loco2travel.com/journeyplanner. With thousands stranded due to the grounding of flights, it’s time to take a look at the alternatives.

The carbon-savings from grounded flights due to the ash cloud is estimated to be well over 200,000 tonnes of CO2, and European rail and ferry websites have reported a massive increase in traffic as customers switch rapidly to overland travel.

Loco2 is the first initiative related to flying’s impact on the environment to focus on the positive of travelling overland rather than the negatives of flying. The new journey planning tool lets visitors to Loco2 discover a whole world of train-based fun, with trips ranging from gentle breaks in France right through to epic adventures around Eastern Europe.

The tool displays typical journey itineraries through an intuitive interface, and lets users browse content specific to each location they’ll be visiting on the way. This example journey to Romania shows how users can visit the wonderful cities of Berlin and Budapest instead of bypassing them by plane.

Loco2 have also written a handy guide to buying InterRail passes, which can often be a cheaper (and easier to book) alternative to normal return tickets when booking European rail.

The launch of phase one of the journey-planning tool is just the start for Loco2. The next stage includes integrating live timetable and price info with the tool, making it much easier to find and book cost-effective alternatives to flights. So next time a huge volcanic eruption disrupts the transport infrastructure of an entire continent, travellers will be able to look on the bright side and make the journey part of the adventure.

About Loco2:

Loco2 was founded by Kate Andrews when she was a student in Brighton in 2006. She then took off on an epic low carbon travel adventure around the world by boat and train, which you can read all about in her blogs.

In the meantime, her brother Jamie has been building up Loco2 in his spare time. Both Jamie and Kate are now based in London, working with other members of the Loco2 team to start solving the challenges of low carbon travel for the large numbers of people seeking an alternative to flying.

NOTES:

Statistic about carbon-savings from the ash cloud taken from http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/planes-or-volcano

To arrange an interview with either Jamie or Kate please call Jamie on +44(0)7976 660619 or email jamie@loco2travel.com

Read Loco2’s blog about the ash cloud and contact us if you’d like to republish it

As this graphic from information is beautiful demonstrates, the carbon saving from all the grounded planes is huge. Obviously the hassle for all the stranded thousands cannot be fun, but it also gives us the perspective to consider what an alternative to our current carbon-hungry travel infrastructure might look like.

For journeys within Europe, the development over the past few years of a sophisticated high-speed rail network means that alternatives to short-haul flights are becoming increasingly convenient (although admittedly they aren’t anywhere near as cheap as they need to be).

But as soon as we want to go beyond Europe, suddenly the alternatives to flying become a challenge at best. As pioneering low carbon traveller and founder of Loco2, Kate, has shown, it is possible to cross the Atlantic on a cargo-ship. But with only a few cabins in each ship, and the carbon-savings difficult to quantify, this doesn’t seem like the long-term alternative that the world really needs.

Earlier this month saw the launch of the world’s first solar-powered boat. Whilst the Türanor (its epic name inspired by the Lord of the Rings) will not be ferrying thousands of people around the world any time soon, it’s a definite moment in the development of low carbon travel. Alongside a new solar-powered plane taking its first flight this month, and numerous concepts for zero-emission airships, there are lots of things to get excited about as we imagine a low emission travel future.

The challenge we now face is turning these visions into a reality. At Loco2 we’re beginning by focusing on making overland train trips in Europe easier to plan and book. This is what we’ll be keeping in mind as we further develop our journey planning tool over the coming months.

Thanks to the ash cloud, lots of people will be travelling by low carbon means when otherwise they’d be confined to a plane. This time round it’s unlikely to be the most enjoyable of experiences as the stress of disruption takes its hold. But as nature takes its course and reminds us how little control we really have over our environment, it’s good to take a moment and think about how different the world could be.

Thumbnail photo credit: PSD

If you’ve signed up to the 10:10 campaign you’re probably looking for an easy and fun way to cut 10% from your carbon footprint.

Well look no further! At Loco2 we’re here to help you do just that.

Your footprint

Calculating your carbon footprint can be a tricky business, and it’s very difficult to get a fully accurate picture. But broadly speaking flights add a hefty sum to your total footprint, and swapping the journeys for the train can save up to 90%.

The average UK footprint is around twelve tonnes of CO2 when you include all the ‘indirect’ emissions from food, shopping and your contribution to national services like the NHS and Government.

Data from the UK Act on CO2 carbon calculator puts average emissions from flights at around two tonnes of CO2 per year (reflecting the fact that lots of people, especially those on lower incomes, fly less than once a year).

A return flight from London to Sydney produces almost six tonnes of CO2. So straight away you can see how much of an effect flights have on your footprint. If you took a long-haul flight last year and you are able to cut it out this year then you are likely to be smashing through the 10% barrier.

But I like holidays!

So do we. Thankfully, going on holiday by train can be more fun than flying because you get to visit places on the way to your destination, see the landscape change before your eyes and avoid hectic airports.

We’ve developed a journey-planning tool featuring more than one hundred journeys in Europe so you can see just what’s possible for a low carbon holiday, and we’re adding new journeys every day.

One of the easiest ways to plan and book a trip is by purchasing an InterRail pass for your journey. This can often be cheaper and less hassle than working out the options for a normal return ticket. We’ve created a handy guide to InterRail passes to help you work out the right options for you.

We’re working hard to make Loco2 more useful and have lots of exciting plans in store, so please sign up for updates. By the end of 2010 it should be easier than ever for everybody to save 10% and beyond!

Buying an InterRail pass can be a cost-effective alternative to normal ‘point-to-point’ tickets for European rail journeys.

All InterRail passes are cheaper for people under the age of 26 but even if you’re no longer in the youth bracket they can still save you money.

As well as often being cheaper, InterRail passes can be much easier to book than conventional tickets because prices are fixed (apart from seat reservations which are sometimes compulsory, but we’ll come on to that later).

There are two main types of pass: global passes and one country passes. The one country passes are good for rambling train tours of a single country, but it’s the global passes that we’re going to focus on as they offer the best potential for saving money on international journeys.

Let’s get started…

Types of global pass

There are five types of global pass, and each one is slightly different. The key to understanding which type is suitable for your journey is in the difference between ‘continuous’ passes and ‘flexi’ passes.

Continuous passes let you travel for every single day during the period. The month-long continuous pass is the classic InterRail pass that has been used by thousands of travellers since it was introduced in the 70s. It enables a whole month exploring Europe with minimal restrictions. Alongside the month-long pass, there is now the 15 day continuous pass and the 22 day continuous pass.

‘Flexi’ passes let you travel for a set number of days in a period. The five in ten day pass allows you to travel for any five days within a ten day period, and the ten in twenty-two day pass allow you to travel for any ten days within a twenty-two day period. These passes are more suitable for journeys where you plan to stay in a destination for some time.

Prices

Duration	2nd Class Youth	2nd Class Adult	1st Class Adult	1st Class senior	2nd Class senior
15 days continuous	€279	€399	€599	€539	€359
22 days continuous	€309	€469	€704	€633	€422
1 month continuous	€399	€599	€899	€809	€539
5 days within 10 days	€159	€249	€374	€336	€224
10 days within 22 days	€239	€359	€539	€485	€323

The Local Travel Movement was initiated by a core coalition of people from companies that believe Local Travel is greater than the sum of its parts. The Local Travel Movement is now already a rallying point through which, by working together, Local Travel companies can help give locals a real voice, engage travellers and develop a stronger ethical dialogue within the travel industry.

Given the diversity of partner companies, the Local Travel Movement is not overly descriptive. Rather than define ‘local travel,’ the Local Travel Movement simply places value on an approach to travel that is mindful of local people, the local environment, local culture and the local economy. It proposes four easy steps to becoming a local traveller:

•    connecting with local people before, during and after a trip

•    travelling in a manner that is sensitive to the local environment

•    respecting local heritage and culture

•    spending money locally.

While these actions may seem self-evident, the Local Travel Movement prioritises this conscious and conscientious shift in attention to the direct connection between visitor and local host. For travellers it’s a chance to get under a place’s skin (and let it under theirs), while also making the most of their travel time and saving money by spending locally. For host communities, it is vital for enforcing the beneficial qualities of tourism, maximising a general awareness of the local culture and minimising ‘leakage’ from the local economy.

The partners of the Local Travel Movement believe now is the time to embrace, develop, promote and establish Local Travel as the responsible way forward in tourism.

For more information and interviews, please contact: Ethan Gelber, WHL Group (www.whl-group.com),  ethan@whl.travel

Bart van Poll, Spotted by Locals (www.spottedbylocals.com),  bart@spottedbylocals.com

As lots of you will know, it is currently pretty difficult to successfully plan and book an overland journey, particularly train journeys within Europe. We hope that the journey-planner is a step in the right direction to making that easier. The tool includes location-specific content from Guardian Travel, Qype, and accommodation listings from Hostelbookers.

Whilst the journey-planner doesn’t currently include live timetable or price information, it does clearly outline typical routes for getting to popular destinations from London. You can see the journey on a map and view times of connections for the journeys we have added.

UPDATE 20th April – Based on user feedback we have decided that the ‘create your own journey’ feature is not quite yet ready for public release, so we’re going to keep improving it, and will update again when it’s ready.

We have been working hard developing and testing the tool for some months now. We’re pretty pleased with how far we’ve got, but we’re aware that lots more needs to be done to make it really useful. In software development jargon, we would say that the tool is ‘in beta’ (just like lots of Google web applications were for a long time) and is being developed following ‘release early, release often’ principles. That means that there are more exciting things to come, and that we want your feedback to make the tool better and more useful.

We have our own ideas on what needs to be done to improve the tool, and we’ll be releasing new features on a regular basis (probably every 2-3 weeks). We’re also planning to change the rest of the site substantially, and hope to soon announce some important partnerships. If you are a member of the press who would like to receive a press release about the launch of the journey-planner, or a company who wants to work with us, please get in touch.

Thanks to everyone who has helped the tool get this far, notably Chris Adams, Fred Fix, Jon Leighton and of course the rest of the Loco2 team.

For you web development geeks out there, the journey planner is built in Ruby on Rails on a PostgreSQL database. We plan to open-source code where/when it makes sense, and you can find Loco2 on Github.

I may have failed at the first hurdle, but what I lack in knowledge I make up for with enthusiasm, so don your lederhosen, affix some sort of novelty facial hair and come with me to Munich for beer drinking, bratwurst and other Bavarian stereotypes.

This year’s festival kicks off on September 18^th at noon when the first keg is tapped, and comes to a close on October 4^th – a full 16 days later! On that premise I’ve decided it’s probably not a good idea to stay for the whole time, but I’ll leave that up to you.

It promises to be a fun-filled extravaganza, with beer galore, pretzels, all manner of sausages, traditional dress, trombones, dancing, a fun fair, and a whole lot more besides…

• Entrance to the festival is free, beer is not free, neither is the fun fair.
• The festival tents open at 10:00am on weekdays and close at 11:30pm. On the weekends, the tents open at 9:00am.
• Gaudi – a noun, is the Bavarian word for jollity, fun or spree
• Beer is served until 10:30pm.
• The only exceptions are “Kaefer’s Wiesnschaenke” and the “Wein Zelt”: These close at 1:00am.
• Fetzngaudi (n.) – increased form of “Gaudi”, huge fun.
• Gamsbart (n.) – traditional Bavarian hat adornment, every proper Oktoberfest visitor should posses one.

For more of these useful words, have a sneaky peek at the official Oktoberfest dictionary, or if you just want to look at pictures of really big jugs of beer and strapping men with froth on their beards then have a look at the official site.

This isn’t a camping-musical-mayhem sort of affair so you’ll need to book some accommodation in the fine city of Munich. Have a look at the information on the journey plan for some ideas of hostels and such, and remember to book ahead, as there are upwards of 6 million visitors annually.

Getting There

Getting to Munich by train shouldn’t cause you any problems and there are a of number options available with connections via Brussels and Frankfurt (Flughafen), or Paris and Stuttgart. Average journey time is around 9 hours, but tickets are not available to purchase until 92 days prior to travel. Pop back here in mid June for exact arrival and departure times, and you’ll be able to book the tickets around this time too.

An alternative to these is a diversion to Amsterdam en route via Brussels. I’ve featured a journey here that includes a two day stop off in the Dutch capital – time enough to take in a little culture, the Anne Frank Museum, some cycling, a little Van Gogh perhaps – before hopping on a direct night train from Amsterdam Centraal to Munich.

Tickets

We recommend booking ahead and shopping around for some cheap fares to the Continent. If you get your skates on you can secure a one-way ticket from London all the way to Amsterdam for as little €50, including the Eurostar! I kid you not my friends. Have a peek at this and book a month in advance to get your hands on a discounted fare. The same can be done for your return journey, though book them as separate legs as thanks to the common stupidity of European railways a return is €273…I am lost for words!

Photos: wikimedia, senator86

Well, in short, yes! And in fact the newly formed Local Travel Movement is showing that there are a whole host of like-minded travellers and organisations out there that not only recognise the importance of authentic local travel, but are prepared to put their name down in support of it.

In less than a week the Local Travel Movement has snowballed, and there are already over thirty partners in the tourism industry who are entering into long overdue dialogue about how responsible tourism affects us all. From Couchsurfing, whose ethos of cultural exchange, friendship and a place to rest your head has long been awarded our respect, to Ger to Ger, whose Mongolian expeditions showed me that authentic travel sometimes means eating an offal lot of goat, it is already clear that going local is becoming global.

Here at Loco2 we’re not just about conserving CO2, and while we’re prone to a little soap-boxery when it comes to opting for lower emission transport, we’re also keen to emphasize that overland travel makes the journey itself part of the adventure. There’s no better way to engage with a country than travelling through it: be that on foot, bus, bicycle or train. From my own experience of surface travel through three continents I can tell you that you’ll never get a clearer perspective on a people, their culture, humour and eating habits, than by being with them every step of the way, not just at the airport and hotel check-in.

Think sharing walnuts with a Mongolian poet on a train in the middle of the Gobi desert, getting a percussion lesson from a band of toothless Tahitian buskers while taking a break from hitchhiking, or sharing photos of your family with a Vietnamese cyclo rider, these are the experiences that travel should be made up of. Forget finding yourself at a Thai beach party. It might be fun, but once the glow paint wears thin you’re left with nothing but a hangover.

The Local Travel Movement means engaging with people and places in a more meaningful way. We believe that travelling overland is the best way to embrace this great concept: share food and drink on a train, hop on the bus, walk through markets, rent a bicycle and get stuck in a traffic jam. Forgo the in-flight meal, and air conditioned taxi; talk, sweat and laugh with the real people of your destination and you’ll not only be going Local, but you’ll be going Loco too.