To think taking a coach from Paris to London is a horrific idea

[PeachyParisian]

DH and I are planning on moving back to the UK mid September and are exploring our options for getting there. Eurostar was only about £40 each and I looked again and it had more than doubled tried to see if train to Calais and then Eurostar would be cheaper but no such luck.

Not too keen to book it now because our travel date isn't 100% certain (DH needs a visa and application processing times are unpredictable) and we can't afford to lose the money if we can't travel as we need it all for first months rent/deposit until we find our feet in the UK.

We have 4 large suitcases at the moment but may need additional bags if all our stuff doesn't fit. Flying doesn't seem wise because of the baggage fees.

No car, so that's not an option which leaves a Megabus. We would need to leave late afternoon so that leaves the night Megabus which takes an eternity to get to the UK. I really hate coaches and get coach sick- although I suspect this is psychological based on hatred of previous school journeys on coaches-

Does anyone have experience of the coach? Is there another way to get home with all the luggage? Will the prices go up if we book much nearer the time? Dreading it now and weeping in self pity that I didn't just book the bargain eurostar tickets.

We did Yorkshire to Paris once. It wasn't horrific but all return visits have been by air!

I have done eurolines London to Paris and back many times. I'm not going to lie, it's grim but maybe I am a bit pathetic. Paris to London is always better though because you take the ferry whereas on the journey to Paris you take the tunnel which I hate!

Thanks everyone!
I tried deleting my cookies and even tried masking my IP so eurostar thought I was booking from the UK (usually cheaper)
Our intended travel date is the 13th, I did think about travelling on the Sunday but then the cost of a hotel for a night negates any savings. This could still change at short notice though. Sigh.

Megabus is out if they are stingy with luggage. May start buttering DF up with the promise of macarons & kouign amans! I don't know why I didn't think of meeting him in Dover! How easy it is to get to the ferry port from the train in Calais?
Has anyone booked the eurostar at really short notice? Do their prices ever go down the day of travel I love going by train, it's so quick and gare du Nord is fairly easy to get to. Easier than the coach station/airport at any rate.

elizabethlemon why don't they take the tunnel both ways? Weird! I know it's a stupidly long journey but at least we'd be able to get out and stretch our legs on the ferry.

Train to Calais then ferry?

I don't know if you have discounted the coach so this may not be relevant. I have done London to Paris return on the coach traveling overnight in both directions. Both times we arrived hours before the advertised arrival time. On both legs we were left in the coach station before 4am though we were meant to arrive at 6.30 or 7am.

In my experience Eurostar prices tend to go up as you get nearer to day of travel. They release a certain amount of tickets at discounted prices and when they are gone they are gone.

There is a courtesy bus that runs between Calais port and the train station. (Although I haven't done this for a long time so maybe check)

It seems like the courtesy bus is still going here

You can get of the coach in the tunnel to stretch your legs. The coach is on a transporter in the tunnel. Try Wowcher or Groupon etc for Eurostar deals. But honestly - its the 21st century, coach journeys are not a nightmare!

in many ways it is much easier than flying as you just put your luggage into the coach at the start of the journey and there it stays.
also Paris to London is not really far so it will be fine.
i may be biased as we have regularly travelled from London to Poland on the bus and back

For extra bags consider this company
Which several friends have used in the Uk to bring extra bags back from University. About £30 per bag.

Where does your DF live and where are you heading in the UK? Remember that Dover- Calais is not the only channel crossing, and there will be trains from Paris to all the channel ports.

I just looked at ferry crossings, 2 foot passengers one way is £69 but a car return is £30
DPs live about 25 miles north of London, East Herts.

Paris CDG to Luton one way ticket x 2 on Sat 13th with 4 bags in the hold+ carry on is 185 at the moment.

Is Luton closest to your parents or Stansted? Or do you plan to stay in London when you arrive ?

Oooh which airline was that? Stansted is the closest but Luton works too

And we will be staying with my parents for a week until we move up north!

If you do have to get the coach it's not going to be the best day you've had in your life but 24 hours later it will all be in the past.

Easyjet. I didn't check Stansted. There's the ferry to Harwich too but I think that leaves from Holland or Belgium

When I lived in Germany (10 years ago) I sent a big box of stuff back via Deutsche Post. I seem to remember they had a great deal where you could send quite a large amount (20 kilos?) for about 20 euros. Worth going to a large post office and seeing if you could do something similar from France?

any update OP?

I regularly send stuff to another EU country via a courier company that does weekly trip and it works out to about a pound per kilo. Even shipped furniture over. This company looks to have a similar service. Cheaper to go with hand luggage on plane and ship all your things.

Easyjet prices for extra bags don't include any extra weight allowance so it would be hundreds. We are aiming to get back to the Uk for less than £150 for both of us including suitcases which makes courier/shipping too expensive (even though it isn't, generally).

Going to have another look at tickets tonight and see how much they've gone up, but it looks like a train to Calais and then the ferry(by car) is looking to be the cheapest option.

all!

How about covoiturage? Look at a site like blablacar.

I looked for myself and DS to go to and from Paris on the EuroStar - £100

When I came to book £220!

The rule in future is not to look at prices unless I can afford to book there and then. It's just disheartening.