Stuck in a strike? How did you solve the problem? Personal experiences to help others..

Problem #2: we have a train ticket for Wednesday, Vannes Brittany--Montparnasse. Luckily we also rented a car with Hertz. Solution: we are allowed to drive back to Paris and drop the car for no extra charge. Just be sure to tell the car rental agency, so they can modify you drop off location on the contract.
Update: Having driven in Paris, around Paris, to and from airports, I vetoed my husband's idea of dropping at Montparnasse and walking to our hotel. For thirty euros taxi fare, I wanted to spare him the bother. We dropped at Orly and caught a cab to the front door of our hotel. Traffic into town was like any other day. Enough hassle for one day!

Finally: taking the train any time, don't count on the restaurant car being open. More than once, it has been closed. Last week was due to a strike by restaurant car workers. Solution: buy your food at the station before getting on the train.

When things happen while traveling, quickly gather as much information as you can and then make a considered decision. Sometimes solutions involve money, a changed itinerary or even waiting it out, like a boat anchored in a safe cove while a dangerous storm passes by.

“what was your problem and how did you solve it?”

We were in Rouen and had returned our rental car when a wildcat rail strike occurred, some years ago. Our flight home was the next day. We got back to Paris by taxi at a cost of $300 (1000 Francs). Money is often a solution as well as “the root of all evil”. Actually it is “the love of money” that is the root of all evil, to get the quotation right, and we loved our 1000frs that day.

“what was your problem and how did you solve it?”

Caught in Arles during a train strike, I went to the train station and waited for any train that passed through. Boarded with much help, a jam-packed train, stood all the way to Paris swapping food, drinks and chatter. Everyone was in a good mood, probably because they were aboard. Not at all an unpleasant experience.

We arrived in Milan on our way to Varenna one year and discovered there was a train strike in progress. After some confusion we learned that some trains were not affected so we headed to a different train station where we bought a ticket to Como. We thought there would be bus service up the west side of the lake and I had remembered that our son said he got tired of the ferry outside of his Varenna hotel announcing "Menaggio, Varenna, Bellagio" all day long so I knew if we could get to Menaggio on the west side of the lake, we could take a ferry to Varenna on the east side. We arrived by dinner time but Laura, the hotel owner, kept mumbling about where her other evening guests were who hadn't arrived. We tried to tell her that there was a train strike and no one would be arriving at the Varenna station that evening but maybe some of them would be able to figure out an alternative route like us. Taking a plane, trains, bus and ferry on our first day in Italy was an adventure but we'll never forget it!

We had a one week stay in Spello followed by a week in Sorrento when a train strike reared its head. We had to take a regional train to Rome and cancellations were likely, so we poured money on it. Left Spello a day early and were able to add an extra night in Sorrento. The total cost was paying for two places one night. Not bad.

We were booked on the RS Spain tour. The friend we were traveling with had never been to Europe so we started with a few days in Paris and had 1st class tickets for the Paris-Barcelona high speed train (4 of us). The train strike was on and the cancellations were being updated daily. We could not tell with any certainty if the train was a go and we absolutely had to be in Barcelona on the given day. I purchased 4 cancellable tickets on Veuling at great expense. On travel day the train was a go and I was able to cancel the tickets within (barely) the window. It took weeks and many calls to get the money back. Can’t remember what they cost but it was substantial. Showering the problem with money is exactly what we did.

When the Icelandic volcano erupted (2010?), our return plans changed. The earliest return flight we could get was 4 days later than planned. So I spent a lot of time on-line (as well as the time initially spent on the phone to get a new flight), after my wife and I discussed where to go, and we would up adding one night where we already were (near Geneva) and 3 nights in Annecy. The extra cost was, of course, accommodations, plus extending the rental car for one day, plus meals (well, we would have eaten anyway if we were home). Fortunately we were both self-employed, so we didn't have to deal with employment issues.

We have train tix to travel from Paris to a small town in the Loire Valley on one of the planned strike days. So now we also have tickets on Flixbus for backup. When we leave the Loire for Switzerland a few days later, more train tix purchased, but just our luck it's another strike day....so we also have a tentative car rental and would have to drive 6 hours across France to the Swiss border. All doable, but would rather take the train.

Update on our upcoming AF flight and their strike, also posted in another thread:

This afternoon AF finally listed April 10 and 11 as strike dates on their website. I immediately called AF and got an agent who put me on hold two times to find the "bulletin" which she said had just posted.
She said we needed to go through special handling by the "reissue desk" so she connected me. The reissuing person asked what we wanted and we said the nonstop KLM flight directly to AMS (we had two tickets with AF, SFO to CDG then CDG to AMS. The agent said ok and booked us! All in all we were on hold less than 15 minutes with each step. We called 1 (800) 237-2747.
Fingers crossed now for our return flight out of CDG on May 4. I know it is a train strike day but so far it's not an AF strike day.

Big relief and thanks for all the encouragement and information!

Picture it -- Florence, 1969 -- massive Italian general strike for several days -- no museums, no restaurants, only one bank a day open to cash foreigners' travelers cheques. We just hunkered down in our hotel, which provided meals for us off-season (October) guests, and chatted with each other. Best polenta I can remember!

My daughter and I were visiting Annecy when the train strike began at the end of May 2016. We had tickets to L'Isle sur la Sorgue and didn't know if our train(s) would be running the following day. Instead of waiting till 5pm, as noted on the SNCF website, we went to the train station and asked about our options. The agent at the ticket counter suggested taking a train that very afternoon. We rushed back to our hotel, explained our dilemma to the hotel receptionist who was very understanding and helpful; she even called the hotel in Avignon to see if a room was available for us. So we packed our bags, rushed to the station, bought a sandwich and boarded the train.
The following morning, we took a train to L'Isle sur la Sorgue, and arrived to a closed train station without any taxis in sight. We found a city map posted outside thestation and we proceeded to walk to the hotel.

A week later we had TGV tickets from Avignon to Paris and the strike was still in effect. I went to the train station the day before our derparture and was told that our train may not be running the following morning, so the SNCF agent issued us new tickets for an earlier train. I was also informed that all trains from Avignon Centre to the TGV station had been cancelled but that there would be a bus running that route. When we arrived to the bus stop early the next morning, there were just a few people waiting but the expected bus didn't show up and the next bus was late. By the time the bus arrived, there was a large group of people and everyone was trying to board the bus at the same time! When we arrived to the TGV station everyone was rushing to board the train.

In the end, it all worked out and we arrived to our destinations; sometimes earlier than expected, and sometimes later ;-)

I do hope everyone arrives to their destination safe and sound!

All this has gotten me to thinking- when are the next labor contracts up with US carriers?

Anyway, British Air rolling strike picks our flight, 3days before departure ....while we are in Rome..on a weekend. We had separate tickets because I was using miles, even through our reservations were linked. They rebooked us, but on separate flights. After extensive attempts, the only live people we can reach are at the Rome BA office. And their primary language is Italian (of course). However, the desk staff at the Hotel Sonya stepped in and helped translate to get us to the proper agent. They had booked my husband on a direct flight Rome to Seattle, but I was flying a very odd route with multiple layovers. Finally able to get an agent who found a spot on the same flight as my husband - better itinerary than what we started with.

When traveling by train I always print out the entire schedule with all possible routes and times from my departure station to my destination in English. That way I have every possible combination at the ready and it is in ENGLISH. I traveled solo from Nice to Florence during an Italian train strike that was called the night before, no warning. I learned about it while waiting for the French train that would take me to my first Italian station. On that French train I pulled out the schedule and began putting together several possible combinations of trains to get me to Florence. By the time I got off that French train I had accumulated a following of 4 Ausies and 2 young Canadian guys because they all saw I had a schedule in English. By the time we got to Florence, 5 trains and 9 hours later, there were 19 of us traveling together as "Team Florence"! All because I had a schedule of all the trains and it was in English.

In May 2016 the train strikes were less organized than they seem to be this year. It was essentail to have access to the SNCF app as the next day's trains were sometimes not confirmed until quite late (like 8.30 pm) the evening before. I was travelling from Arles to Sarlat and could get only as far as Agen on that day. I booked a cheap hotel near the station in Agen but had to wait until 6 pm until they opened. A kindly bar-owner allowed me to leave my luggage behind his counter so I had a chance to stroll around Agen and have an early meal before my very early train the next day.

The conductor on the train would stamp one's ticket to validate it for travel on the next available train, even if it was the next day, although seat reservations on the TGV could not be carried forward: you were encouraged to take any empty seat and explain or move if challenged.

A few years ago, my husband was on a business trip that involved a weekend in Paris. I said, "You are not going to Paris without me!" I had made my own arrangements to fly in for a long weekend. However, due to ticket costs at the time, my long haul flights were to FRA and then I had separate tickets from FRA-CDG on Air France. All was well on the way there (other than a train strike but the RER B was still running into the city and could take the metro from there). The problem came on the way back. There was a baggage handler strike at CDG. and my flight back to FRA was delayed and delayed. They finally had us board, but in the middle of the safety spiel, they stopped and said we couldn't take off because we wouldn't make it to FRA before it closed for the night. They bussed us to a hotel in the middle of nowhere (probably 30-45 min by bus) and then put us on flights to FRA the next morning.

My solution: While waiting in line the long line in the terminal for the Air France rep, I called my friend stateside. He was able to change my out-going flight home to a later flight. By time I got to the front of the line to speak to the AF rep, I could tell her my new flight time and she was able to get me on a flight the next morning that would not have made the original flight but was fine for my adjusted itinerary. The back-up to that was going to be an ICE train from Paris to Frankfurt (those did not seem to be involved in the train strike). I did loose my prepaid hotel reservation (in FRA) and there was some cost to rebook my flight, but overall it didn't turn out being too bad and I got a good story to tell.

Hear's an update to my update. Today at SFO there are 2 AF flights. One is going and one is cancelled. Mine is the one that will go but the stakes were too high for me to wait until last night to find out so I am sitting here waiting for my rebooked KLM flight. To those on the one departing AF flight, enjoy the extra empty seats around you.

Is it also true the strikes start the night before?? The planned date that is

In 2015 , going by rail from Bruges to Lille , French trains were on strike from Kortjrik ( Belgian - French border , to Lille ) I also remembered Ed's advice . I dashed out of the station to the taxi rank , and grabbed a cab . Forty minutes and EU 75 later , we were in Lille in time to pick up our rental car for the coming ten days , on our way to Paris via The Somme , Amiens , Beauvais and Compiegne .

And where's Ed when we need him ?

I am a faster version of Ed. In 2016 my train from Paris to Brieve was struck out so I had to spend an extra day in Paris. Normally a stroke of luck but it was raining constantly. The train ran as planned the next day. My Paris hotel was very...accommodating.