The fire broke out last Thursday afternoon, the third since opening in 1994, and both Eurostar and Eurotunnel shuttle services were initially suspended whilst rescue operations fought to clear around 27 burnt our HGV vehicles from the tunnel. No one was seriously hurt in the fire although several passengers spent the night in a French hospital where they were briefly admitted for ‘observation’.

Since the fire, the short-sea ferry companies have enjoyed a mini-boom in bookings as displaced customers sought alternative means to cross the Channel and Eurotunnel will no doubt be keen to resume commercial operations as quickly as possible to mitigate losses.

Once again, Eurotunnel’s emergency procedures seem to have worked satisfactorily and the evacuation of the tunnel was handled well, however, the ensuing chaos on the M20 caused by ‘Operation Stack’ has met some criticism.

We can only speculate as to the cause of the fire whilst investigations continue but the bad publicity can only serve to damage consumer confidence in Eurotunnel’s product.

Mini-post by Alan Potts

The romance of the open road. The freedom to do your own thing. The chance to give Terminal Five, customs chaos and lost luggage the long goodbye. Should we be surprised that the self drive holiday is on the rise in 2008?

The trend – we might soon be calling it a boom! – has many causes. Firstly we are becoming more environmentally aware. True, we might be constantly told that cars are bad for us but not even the greenest environmentalist could argue that car and ferry adds up to a whole lot less damage than car to airport then cheap flight to wherever.

Secondly, as you may have read or heard, the economy is not as robust as it was this time last year. But, hard working as we are, we still need our holidays. Self drive is the cheaper option. Consider the case of Chelsea and Manchester United fans: a gas guzzling flight to Moscow will be upwards of £1000. Cleaner, greener and cheaper, to drive there will be infinitely more fun. That might be an extreme example but it holds true: the self drive holiday will be a lot cheaper. If you put your mind to it then it can really be as cheap as you like.

For a few years now we (or some of us) have looked down our noses at self drive holidays on the continent. Snootiness is all well and good. But ask yourself where you would rather be: stuck on a budget flight, packed so close together that you immediately become more intimate with the stranger sitting next to you than you’d ever want to be. Or strolling around a cross channel ferry, eating what you want, happy in the knowledge that as quickly as the British coast disappears so new horizons, opportunities and adventures will present themselves on the other side.

Life these days is regimented. We work too long, we don’t relax enough. What fun then, in the package holiday? Do any of us ever again feel the need to sit at a poolside and hear the rep announce that the water polo will begin in five minutes? Thought not, far better the freedom to do your own thing.

With Europe now open as never before the self drive holiday gives you the chance to explore. Plan your route, book your cheap ferry tickets and set off. Adventure holidays are popular – but surely the real adventure is to plan it yourself. The need for sedate adventure can be seen in the rise of camping holidays, camping is the new hotelling, and where better to camp than on the continent. The true taste of freedom!

We Brits may not be fully convinced by the European experiment on a political level. But one thing we can agree on is that the Euro and the relaxation of borders has made Europe a much smaller place. The self drive holiday recognises this in a way that the package tour can’t. Pack up in the morning and be in another country by the afternoon. The gap year you never had distilled into a fortnight’s holiday and shared with the family. Perfect.

No wonder then that the self drive holiday is on the rise. Relaxed or adventurous as you want it to be. Greener than flying. Cheaper than a package tour. A sense of freedom, a sense of romance. Your own pace, your own rules. Nothing beats the self drive holiday. And if you still aren’t convinced then let’s be practical: the price of petrol in mainland Europe will be a welcome break for your wallet.

Guest Article by: Tom Hall