Well as the authors object was to save money and the time taken to travel seems not to be relevant, the ulimate answer has to be WALK (oooh! and be
Green too

).
There's a great headline for the Daily Hate
"Walking Home For Xmas Is Greener and Cheaper*"
*
Ryanair style asterisk Journey may take 4-7 days with stopovers
Who thinks of this stuff
Signed
Bad Attitude