My no-fly trip to Corsica: a drive across France is part of the adventure

Travelling by road and ferry allowed me to see France and the dramatic Mediterranean island at my own pace

It takes a while to register the bullet holes that decorate each signpost along the high road out of Ajaccio, Corsica’s capital. Maybe it’s the distracting octogenarian tailgating wildly in his battered Renault van, or a lack of sleep courtesy of the overnight ferry from Toulon, but as we climb high into the country’s soaring central mountain range, it becomes impossible to ignore the omnipresent, disfigured signposts. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised, given Corsica’s surprisingly violent (surprisingly recent) past.

This year my wife, Tess, and I decide to avoid airports, pack the car and hit the road for our holiday. No-fly vacations are seeing a boom in popularity. Increasing awareness of the Earth’s fragility combined with the pandemic’s influence on global travel has seen holidaymakers switch to the road and rail networks, and since 2020 the Global Sustainable Tourism Council has noted a marked move “towards ‘slow’ travel by car and train”.