Go by rail, Gail

The least environmentally-damaging transport choice into Europe is also one of the most relaxing and stylish, certainly when it comes to stepping onto the Eurostar at London’s St Pancras. A wide variety of compelling city breaks are available within four to five hours by train (thetrainline.com) – and that’s no slower than travelling by plane once you’ve factored in check-in time and airport transfers.

Eurostar itself offers city break packages in its key destinations (eurostar.com), as do the likes of lastminute.com. You may have to pay more by train than by plane, but hey, you’re saving the planet!

If you want to go skiing by train, avoiding the horrific weekend scrum in airports like Geneva, consult Snowcarbon’s links to rail-based packages (snowcarbon.co.uk).