The start of another week and the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland appears still to be hampering travel efforts.
Part of me feels awful for those people hoping to get away for a much-needed break and having their plans kiboshed  by an unstoppable force of nature
But that part also interests me, it almost gives me a glimmer of excitement because in the face of challenge and adversity, we often become creative. If the ash cloud opens up one opportunity for us, it’s to think a little bit outside the box when it comes to our next trip.
Tom Hall has written his Top Ten Ash Free Trips for the GMTV website, which  are really worth a read to get the ball rolling. I think we’ll see a lot more of this in the coming weeks, where innovative websites like Green Traveller and Zoombu become our online saviours, not only offering inspiration but practical A to B advice
All weekend I have been asking people whether they think the resurrection of the ash crisis will affect them. To my surprise, most seem unperturbed, almost relishing the idea of instead visiting summer festivals in the UK or taking the ferry to France for a wine tour by bike (at which point I practically throw them in the direction of our wonderful Tripbod Wink)
So all is not apparently doom and gloom. People are getting creative and travelling with more thought – which can’t be a bad thing, can it?
Seems rather well timed that Mother Nature has decided to pull rank, right at the time the Local Travel Movement is gaining momentum.
Ash + inspirational local travel ideas = the best trip you can hope to experience. So, it’s not all doom and gloom, quite the opposite in fact.
It’s great to see a positive spin on the ashcloud, something that we could very easily let spoil our summer holidays.
They say that necessity is the mother of all invention and it will be interesting to see how we rise to the challenge!
Thanks for the comment Tom – good point on the mother of all invention!
I read a quote recently that went:
“The genesis for change is awareness… by becoming aware we begin the process of change”
So perhaps that is part of it too, becoming aware of what options are available, as well as how to utilise them.
Necessity + awareness of other options = new era of travel?
Tom I think you just became a travel philosopher