News Archives - Travel

Transport poverty: Cars are making us poor

Running a car is the single largest household expense (excluding mortgage repayments) for rural families, and the second largest for urban ones. As a result, transport costs have pushed over 5 million people into poverty according to research by the Social Market Foundation. The average British household spends £5,740 on driving, but only £87 on bus travel. Poorer regions are…

Protest, paint and pop-up zebra crossings: How people power can make roads safer

20mph limits only work if they’re stuck to. A vocal minority of drivers have unusual ideas about why lower speeds in the areas people live, work and go to school are a bad idea, but what can be done to help those who are supportive of traffic calming measures? After all, everyone benefits from safer roads – however they travel.…

Bikepacking bidon: Purified water on the go

Whether you’re safeguarding against dehydration on a long bike ride off the beaten track or prepping for the apocalypse, a small portable water purification system is a useful bit of kit. A Camelbak/LifeStraw collaboration has given birth to a clever 1-litre bottle designed to harvest and purify water from lakes and rivers by filtering out bacteria, parasites, and microplastics, as…

Driving to France? Don’t forget the Crit’Air emissions sticker for your car

All cars travelling in 11 low emission French cities, including Paris, Lyon and Grenobles, are required to display anti-pollution ‘crit air’ stickers which indicate the age and environmental classification of the vehicle. The system has been in place for 6 years but has become stricter with the most polluting vehicles now restricted in some areas. The round stickers are ranked…

Our guide to driving in France 2023

If you’re one of the five million British motorists heading to France this year, the ETA Guide to Driving in France is a free e-book packed with useful information. However many times you’ve embarked on a Gallic driving holiday, recent changes to French law means it pays for even the most experienced driver to brush up on the rules. For…