Byway is the first-of-its-kind route planner for slow travel vacations. Each multi-stop trip is fully personalized for the traveler and optimized for quality of experience instead of speed.
The company was founded in 2020 by Cat Jones, who’s never owned a car and whose annual family vacation is by train and bike. Since launching, Byway has booked 10,000+ travelers on unforgettable vacations by land and sea, with 95% five-star reviews.
Trips are currently available across the UK, Europe, and North Africa. All bookings include customized overland transportation, hand-picked accommodations and experiences, on-demand expert advice, and a low carbon footprint.
Byway is a certified B Corp committed to making flight-free travel mainstream.
as of November 2024
Trustpilot - November 2025
A travel company started during the pandemic!
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The carbon impact of rail travel is 14g of CO2 per passenger mile, compared to 285g for air: you could take the train from London to Edinburgh and back five times and your carbon footprint would still be lower than if you flew there. Giving up meat for a year saves 2.7 tons of carbon, but giving up one round-trip flight from London to Bangkok saves 3.3 tons.
Overtourism happens when the quality of life of locals and the environment is negatively impacted by visitors. Many factors cause this, including the rise of low-cost airlines, large cruise ships visiting small ports, and social media attention. Slow travel takes people away from overtouristed destinations and draws them to areas looking for tourism income.
Overland travel is not just about more carbon- and location-friendly ways to travel, but the wider benefits of slowing down and taking the scenic route. It’s about taking the time to get to know a place—its food, its landscapes, its people, its histories—and enjoying the freedom and unexpectedness of traveling overland that A-to-B tourism misses out on.
"Byway started when I was on my annual vacation with my family. Each year, we go on a multi-stop trip and make it as sustainable as possible, traveling by train, boat, and bus. The trips are always wonderful - we slow down to appreciate lesser-known locations, bypass touristy hotspots, and feel like we're discovering the world on our terms. But wow, were they a pain to organize and book!
As we've become more aware of the impact of air travel on the climate, the environmental need for simpler flight-free travel has become urgent, and as the pandemic hit, I knew the time had come for this type of travel to take center stage. So I founded Byway to make traveling by land and sea easy, and to help more people discover the joys of flight-free travel.”
— Cat Jones, CEO and Founder
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