We’ve just set off from Dover port, bound for Dunkurk on a two-hour crossing over the English Channel. The weather is appropriate for sea faring (overcast and foggy), but the journey is mercifully short so the only thing we have to worry about is seasickness and resisting the urge to buy anything from the duty free shop out of sheer boredom.

We’ve decided to do something a little different this year; instead of jetting off to some far-flung, culturally distinct corner of the world, riding elephants and getting up at the crack of dawn to scramble through dense rainforest, we’ve decided to partake of things closer to our own doorstep, paying homage to Top Gear’s “Best Driving Road” episode and road-tripping around Europe in our very own reasonably priced car.

Unfortunately, no matter how grandiose and possibly romantic a notion “driving in Europe” may be, there’s no getting away from the fact that cross-channel ferries suck. Historically, it’s always been less than fun (they aren’t cruise ships after all), but why do they think that we want to sit in what amounts to a fairly low-class bar / coffee shop? Personally, I’d rather have somewhere to sit comfortably, where I can read, listen to music or maybe doze off for a while than pretend I’m sitting in some plastic chain pub drinking beer (isn’t this a car ferry?).

Still, I’d take this over flying long-haul any day of the week.