Christmas is finally here...while most of us are staying put for the big weekend, for a great many the festive fun does not start until the end of a long journey, which unfortunately means travelling.

The recent bout of snow has caused considerable delays and cancellations to much of the London transport network particularly airlines, Southeastern trains and the Eurostar. The main roads are mostly clear now and almost all modes of transport seem to be back to almost normal service, with a few exceptions.

There is currently a revised service on the following  First Capital Connect trains between:

Bedford and London St Pancras

Bedford and Sutton

Bedford and City Thameslink

Cambridge and Kings Cross

Kings Lynn and Kings Cross

There are currently no disruptions reported on the London Overground, Southeastern or Southern Trains.€

International commuters flying out of the UK have been worst hit this Christmas with Heathrow Airport most severely crippled by cancellations and overcrowding, and it could remain chaotic beyond Christmas. BAA have said

'Two-thirds of flights into and out of Heathrow would be cancelled until at least Wednesday morning because it only has the resources to keep one of its two runways open.'

This is not very reassuring particularly as only a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine had to spend the night in a hotel after her flight was diverted from Gatwick to Stanstead leaving her stranded for 24 hours, it was provided complimentary although she did have to pay for the cab back into London! With the cost of travel in London the highest in Europe, you would think that airports, councils and transport services would be better equipped for situations such as these. Maybe it is time we invested in airport hotel 'pods' like they provide in Japan, with cheap and compact sleeping facilities provided for emergencies.

Those on returning flights back to London after Christmas, could have their travel plans further disrupted after London Underground failed to stop the planned Boxing Day tube strike from going ahead. In theory this means there will be no tubes running from midnight Christmas Day, which will make commuting back home a little more challenging, but thankfully the main route buses all appear to be running fine. The London Underground Managing Director Mike Brown, told BBC News

"We will be running as many Tube services as possible on Boxing Day, as well as London's 700 bus routes and some river services."

If you're driving home for Christmas make sure to start your journey early, so as to avoid possible further delays on the motorway. Although there are no reported disruptions on the M25 or the M1, things can change so make sure you should keep up-to-date on travel and weather news and check routes online before travelling.

Whatever your travel experiences let us know how you coped over the festive period.

Photo: timo_w2