Just came back from my Europe trip. I had a 15 days consecutive Eurail pass. According to Eurail pass web site, it is required to fill out trip even for the type of pass I have. But, during the whole time in Europe, conductors just looked at the date range on the pass, never asked about the trip recordings.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8062 posts
Your experience is in line with just about everyone that has had a pass.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
Recording each trip is only "necessary" for the flexi passes. For the consecutive passes, the validation date at the start of travel is the requirement.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
I think that requirement is silly. No conductor cares, and you carry that extra piece of paper for no good reason. At the end of the trip the Eurail people promise you a "gift" for returning the filled-out itinerary. I sent mine in last fall and got back, eventually, a calendar. I can understand that the company wants data about how travelers use their passes. I don't see any advantage to us in following this requirement.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4415 posts
From THIS website: "Both Flexi and Continuous Eurail passes also require you to fill in your trip destination on the Travel Report (on the long, extended pass cover)." It's also on the Rail Europe website... Except that some have reported getting hassled on-board trains with their Global passes not being filled in, I would have been inclined to ignore the new regulation, too. Kind of like saying 'I rode all over Europe without once buying a ticket, and I never got caught!'... But was it legal? Perhaps one more free ride would've done you in......... Maybe all conductors aren't up-to-speed on the new rule...or just don't care ;-) But it's not a big whoop to fill in the cover, either. I DO think that Rail Europe (or, perhaps the railroad companies) just wants more feedback on when and where people are using their passes, and by 'forcing' people to fill out the Trip Reports and coerce them to send them in, they get their info. Just a guess.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8062 posts
I do not think that it is a new rule; I recall seeing the "requirement" 12 years ago, and like many things, I filled in the first few legs...then promptly failed to keep it up. I always wondered about the purpose, may be data collection, compensation to the national rail companies may be a reason, but the only people that seemed to be concernd about it are the pass sellers. I would not compare it to riding a train without a ticket, since you do have an active ticket.