Traveling by train simply has to be one of the most enjoyable ways of reasoning about the world. It’s clean and pleasant, allows you to soak in some truly stunning landscape and countryside vistas, and, most importantly, stretch your legs whenever you want.
Still, despite this optimal comfort and inherently romantic nature, trains are neither the fastest nor the most affordable way of traveling and the length of these journeys can quickly ramp up its costs.
But, don’t let this small hurdle prevent you from having your own Before Sunrise experience and exploring the world by rails. Much like all other aspects of our lives, the world of tech found its way to make this means of travel more affordable and enjoyable.
Let’s take a look at some of the most obvious examples.
Table of Contents
Traveling in off-peak seasons
Keep in mind, though, this is not some standard, always applicable rule. But you will find examples where the train ticket prices will drastically vary depending on the season or even the hour of a single day. For instance, the tickets for some earlier departures between 6.30 and 9.30 are cheaper than for the later, afternoon travels.
Traveling during these off-peak intervals and seasons also means quieter carriages and stations which is always a plus. So, do a quick web search of the area where you want to travel, its national holidays and other, traditionally off-peak periods, and traveling habits. You will find a lot of room for saving money here.
Buy bundled tickets
Once again, these options are usually easiest to find online, be prepared for another extensive research. The great thing about the bundled packages is that the more people you pick up, the more affordable the tickets will get. If you manage to gather a whole bunch of folks, you can save one-third or even half the money you would spend on traditional tickets.
Where to find your fellow co-passengers then? Well, the social media groups about traveling (most likely on Facebook) are a good place to start. If you want something more streamlined, you can check the apps made specifically for such purposes, like Meetup, Travel Pal, etc.
Use apps to find the best ticket deals
Navigating the world of railway companies can be a true ordeal. If you are, for instance, planning a trip to Europe you will need to travel through dozens of countries all of which have their national railway commute companies. And some of them will feature more than one.
The simplest way to navigate this complicated maze is to simply download the apps that will find the best deals on cheap train tickets all in one place. Just enter where you are traveling and from which location and let these neat tools do all the work for you. Combining this approach with the earlier two can get you some real killer deals.
Use the rail pass tickets
Much like pass tickets that give you access to various gyms and sports objects, rail pass tickets will allow you to hop from a railway company to a railway company with only one digital ticket on your phone. The best example of this can be, once again, found in Europe.
Eural Pass tickets will help you to easily pass borders and don’t really have to deal with the specifics of different national railway companies. Of course, much like in the case of gym pass tickets, this deal will make sense if you intend to travel frequently and long distances. Shorter trips can be managed with classic tickets.
Book in advance
Which is one of the reasons? There was a lack of availability of upgraded tickets found for high-charge station machines, which tend to offer better value.
Enhanced fares can be purchased less than ten minutes before your train departs, on websites such as Trainlines or through station ticket offices. Some apps can even send you alerts as soon as tickets go on sale for select trips, so you can get in as soon as possible (and before prices go up).
They mean you can only travel at certain times, but according to This Is Money, booking up to 12 weeks in advance can cost 10 times more than booking on the day.
Plan your travel
In some cases this won’t be an option, but if you can travel outside of peak times, you can save some money.
Unlike advanced tickets, with an off-peak ticket you don’t have to take a specific train, so there’s a bit more flexibility. However, you’ll need to go outside of peak hours, which vary by region and train company, but usually exclude morning or evening commute times.
Whose study? It has been revealed that each ticket from London to Swansea is £77.80 more expensive at peak times – and in some cases more than £100 can be saved just by waiting an hour.
Manage amenities on your own terms
By amenities, we think of tech-based things like Wi-Fi, entertainment, and so on. Depending on the railway company the costs of these small but necessary perks can vary from meager to unreasonably high. So, to avoid eventual unpleasant surprises it’s best to come with your own survival kit.
For a start, get yourself a decent power bank that will keep all of your devices in check. Second, download all of your Netflix shows and similar content before starting the trip. Finally, try to find prepaid SIM cards at local vendors. They usually feature data plans that are far more affordable than railway subscriptions.
Well, we hope these couple of tips will help you to make your next rail experience more comfortable and more affordable. If you are going on a tourist trip, that money can be much better spent on some other things and engaging activities. Be that as it may, we truly want to encourage you to take this journey by good old trains. Bringing together the traditional old-world charm of this way of commuting and the perks of the latest-gen digital technology will produce one unforgettable experience.