What’s the trend? Hybrid flight-light itineraries aren’t just more earth-friendly; they make getting from A to B, or B to A, part of the adventure. Just as we’re increasingly flexitarians and climatarians with what we eat, switching out animal proteins for plant alternatives, now we’re turning flexi-air-ian.

A more eco way of exploring Europe is swapping an outbound or inbound short-haul airline ticket for a train ride instead. We’re smitten with slow travel operator Byway for making flight-free forays especially appealing. They plot multi-destination journeys by train, bus and boat in a way that swerves planning and admin headaches, and gives us the most from our time in transit.

They also share our taste for small, locally-owned boutique hotels, and we love how they format all arrangements in one user-friendly PDF integrated with all train and travel tickets.

Credit: Conde Nast Traveller