/* eslint-disable */ // ─── Hero ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundHero = () => (
); // ─── Card component ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundCard = ({ card }) => (
{card.num} {card.zoe && By Zoe}
{card.tag} {card.topic}

{card.title}{card.titleEm && {card.titleEm}}

{card.desc}

{card.meta}
); // ─── Cards grid ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundCards = () => { const railCards = GROUND_CARDS.filter(c => ["high-speed-rail-europe","shinkansen-jr-pass","eurail-interrail","sleeper-trains"].includes(c.id)); const carCards = GROUND_CARDS.filter(c => ["rental-car-international"].includes(c.id)); const transferCards = GROUND_CARDS.filter(c => ["airport-transfers","taxis-rideshare-abroad"].includes(c.id)); const busCards = GROUND_CARDS.filter(c => ["long-distance-bus"].includes(c.id)); const scenicCards = GROUND_CARDS.filter(c => ["scenic-railways"].includes(c.id)); const zoeCards = GROUND_CARDS.filter(c => c.zoe); return ( <> {/* RAIL */}
I

Rail & Trains — book early, ride cheaper.

High-speed rail in Europe and Japan rewards advance planning. The same seat on a TGV costs 8x more on the day than it does three months out. Here's every rail category, priced honestly.

{railCards.map(c => )}
{/* RENTAL CARS */}
II

Rental Cars — when the train doesn't go.

Rural Italy, Iceland, the American West, New Zealand, Ireland — the car wins these. International Driving Permits, credit card CDW gaps, and fuel policy traps explained before you sign anything.

{carCards.map(c => )}
{/* TRANSFERS */}
III

Transfers & Rideshare — airport to front door.

Pre-book for cities where the taxi rank charges over $40. Know which rideshare apps actually work in your destination — Uber is absent in more places than it's present.

{transferCards.map(c => )}
{/* BUS */}
IV

Long-Distance Buses — the underrated €8 move.

FlixBus across Central Europe is one of travel's genuine bargains. The bus earns its seat for hops under four hours between cities with good overnight options at each end.

{busCards.map(c => )}
{/* SCENIC */}
V

Scenic Railways — the view is the point.

Glacier Express. Flåm Railway. Rocky Mountaineer. These are not connecting transport — they are the reason the trip exists. How to book each, what to expect, and which class is worth the premium.

{scenicCards.map(c => )}
{/* ZOE FIELD REPORT */}
Z

Field Report — by Zoe.

A first-person account from the road. Contributor essays are amber-badged, written in character from on-the-ground experience — not from the booking desk.

{zoeCards.map(c => )}
); }; // ─── Essay interlude ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundEssay = () => (
VI

The rule that holds across every mode.

From the booking desk, after watching the same mistakes repeat across a thousand itineraries.

"The cheapest way to ruin a great flight is to land and immediately overpay for the last 30 minutes."

The Booking Desk
HowTo: Travel Edition

Ground transport is where good trips go sideways. Not because the options are bad — they're usually excellent — but because people stop paying attention the moment the flight confirmation lands. The flight is booked; the hard part's done. Then they take a €90 taxi from CDG when the RER B costs €11.80 and runs every 10 minutes.

The first rule of ground transport is that rail is almost always the right answer in Europe and Japan. Not because buses are bad or cars are bad, but because the train system in those regions was built by governments who needed people to move efficiently, and that infrastructure remains one of the world's great travel gifts. A TGV seat at €25 from Paris to Marseille is a three-hour meal with a view. A Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto is 140 miles in 73 minutes with a view of Fuji if you sit on the right side.

The second rule is that advance booking is leverage. The same seat that costs €25 in February costs €180 in April. The Eurostar from London to Paris that was £59 three months ago is £229 today. The Nightjet private cabin that would have cost €89 is sold out. Ground transport is the cheapest discipline to master and the most expensive to ignore.

The third rule: rideshare is not a backup plan. In 40% of popular international destinations, the app you rely on at home doesn't work. Know your Bolt from your Grab before you land. The taxi rank exists, but it's never the price you imagined.

{GROUND_STATS.map((s, i) => (
{s.n}
{s.l.split("\n").map((line, j) => {line})}
))}
); // ─── Timing guide ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundTiming = () => (
VII

The booking sequence — mode by mode.

When to book each type of ground transport, and in what order. The sequence matters: lock the train when the flight lands, not the week before departure.

{[ { when: "T-3 months", mode: "High-Speed Rail", rule: "Eurostar, TGV, Shinkansen, Frecciarossa. This is when the cheapest advance inventory opens and before it sells. At 2 months, the €25 fares are gone — you're buying whatever's left.", }, { when: "T-10 weeks", mode: "Scenic Railways", rule: "Glacier Express, Rocky Mountaineer, Flåm. These have limited capacity and global demand. Book the moment your travel dates are locked. There is no 'last minute' option on the Glacier Express in summer.", }, { when: "T-6 weeks", mode: "Rental Cars", rule: "Early booking gets the class you want. Rates often don't change much — but availability does. If you need a specific vehicle (automatic in Europe, larger trunk for airport, electric in Iceland), lock it now.", }, { when: "T-4 weeks", mode: "Airport Transfers", rule: "Pre-book Welcome Pickups, Blacklane, or your hotel's car for airports where the taxi rank is unreliable or expensive. This is also when shuttle bus companies release seats for popular routes.", }, { when: "T-2 weeks", mode: "Long-Distance Bus", rule: "FlixBus, ALSA, Greyhound. Book 2–3 weeks out for the cheapest fares. The bus doesn't have an advance-fare cliff like rail, but middle-of-the-week buses fill up for popular routes.", }, { when: "On arrival", mode: "Rideshare & City Taxi", rule: "Download the local app before you land (Bolt, Grab, DiDi, Ola). Have the address of your accommodation typed in, not just the hotel name. In airports with a designated rideshare zone, add 10 minutes for the walk.", }, ].map((t, i) => (
{t.when}
{t.mode}
{t.rule}
))}
); // ─── Reading list ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundReading = () => (
VIII

From the desk — six things to read before you move.

Essays from the travel desk on the decisions that separate a smooth transfer from a €90 mistake.

{GROUND_READING.map((r, i) => (
{String(i + 1).padStart(2, "0")}
{r.title}
{r.tag}
{r.duration}
 ))}
); // ─── FAQ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundFAQ = () => { const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(0); return (
FREQUENTLY · ACTUALLY · ASKED

What travelersget wrong.

Ground transport questions from the inbox. Passes, permits, rideshare, buses — the decisions where the wrong choice costs €50–€200 and three hours.

{GROUND_FAQS.map((f, i) => (
setOpen(open === i ? -1 : i)} >
{f.q} {open === i ? "−" : "+"}
{f.a}
))}
); }; // ─── CTA ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundCTA = () => (
BOOK DESK · GROUND TRANSPORT

Pick your mode.Book before the fare moves.

Ten guides. Every surface-level transport option covered. Start with whichever guide answers the question that's already open in a tab.

Back to Book Open RoundTrips →
); // ─── Root app ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const GroundApp = () => ( <>