Train Travel


As a relatively new traveler, I search the Internet endlessly to find out information about my potential travel destinations and also to learn travel tips that could help me save money and stress. 

I am planning a summer trip to a few European countries with some friends, and we planned on using the Eurail pass.  When doing research on the much acclaimed pass, I came across an article from the editors of hidden Europe Magazine that offered this valuable advice.

  • In their opinion, with a little advance planning, travelers can often get far greater savings by pre-purchasing destination to destination tickets.  Deemed promotional fares, they are available from the various rail operators in Europe, often through online sales.  I definitely plan to check this out; perhaps it will save us money just by buying our tickets in advance.  While we won’t have as much flexibility, if the savings are great – it will be worth the preplanning.
  • Here’s a great example of the savings that can be had… If visiting Wales, one option is a four-day BritRail Pass for around $329.  Another option is to purchasing a Freedom of Wales tickets for a much cheaper $140 that provides four days travel within Wales and the border areas of England for eight days.  Another perk, you can also use the pass on some bus services in Wales.
  • Another great option if on a France vacation is to use the French TGV rail system.  While it can be expensive to simply show up and purchase a ticket, booking directly through their website (in French) will give you some great deals.  Book as far in as advance as possible and plan to travel on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday with flexible travel times for the best deals.

So, I’m convinced it is worth my time and effort to investigate purchasing tickets through the local travel authorities instead of a global pass through Eurail.  Hey, if it saves me quite a bit of cash, that means I can plan a longer European vacation!

Posted by on 07/08 at 01:52 PM

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