Flight-free travel company Byway has detailed its collaboration with relaunched Tui brand First Choice as taking the option into the mainstream.
The partnership with Byway makes First Choice the first major travel brand to offer dynamic train, boat and bus holidays online.
The initiative reflects a growing demand for environmentally-friendly travel, as new research reveals that 42% of UK holidaymakers are seeking alternatives to flying to reduce their carbon footprints.
For London-based holidaymakers that rises to 56% and 61% for Gen Z travellers.
A new poll of 2,000 holidaymakers revealed that 38% of those who travelled flight-free enjoyed seeing more of the places travelled through while 19% did so because it was more environmentally friendly.
The results also showed that 43% would rather take a train, ferry or bus than fly and 42% want flight-free alternatives specifically to reduce their carbon footprints.
The study also found that 27% of holidaymakers yet to try flight-free worry about hassle and 25% about disruption.
However, Byway books all travel and accommodation, and includes free disruption replanning.
Byway founder and chief executive Cat Jones said: “I founded Byway with the mission of making flight-free travel mainstream.
“For decades, choosing flight-free meant choosing masses of organisation. Byway exists to make booking train, boat and bus-based holidays just as easy as flight-based packages.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with First Choice because it accelerates progress towards our mission, giving more people overland options and making the joy of the journey much more visible.
“We hope First Choice’s bold move will inspire many more travel brands to follow its lead.”
First Choice managing director Bart Quinton-Smith added: “For First Choice, it’s about helping people pick the trip they really want, and sometimes that means introducing our customers to something they might not have considered before.
“Our partnership with Byway means that customers can now travel flight-free by train or bus or boat, experiencing new ways to journey as well as new destinations.”