First class vs second class vs rail pass - Dover to London, to Oxford, to Bath, to Southampton

The best site to check schedules and prices is http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ . In my meager experience I've been able to put my carryon sized suitcase in the rack above my seat in 2nd class.

I have found that ticket prices seem to depend on the rail line and perhaps the destination. For my own travels it was WAY cheaper to advance purchase tickets from London to Bath but the price was the same for the tickets from London to Salisbury whether I bought for the next day or as far out as I could purchase. Look around on the National Rail site and do some comparisons to see whether it is cheaper for your train journeys to purchase ahead of time.

I think you are more than a little paranoid about your luggage. Stolen luggage is very rare. Who wants a bunch of old cloths? We have traveled for 20+ years in a lot of trains and bunch in Italy with never a problem. We store our luggage in the end bins most of the time. But if you are nervous, you are nervous. In most cars standard carry on bags will easily fit on the overhead racks. The only problem might be space available if you are a little late in boarding. In that case first class would be a better bet simply because there are fewer people in first. But the luggage storage is going to be about the same for both classes.

Very easy to buy a ticket the day before or day of on most trains since trains rarely sell out. And first class is always wide open. The only advantage to booking in advance in the internet is to take of any discounts available.

"More than a little paranoid"... LOL thanks for the diagnosis. I'm not worried about my "bunch of old clothes". We are travelling with one suitcase each for eight weeks. If someone pinches our case, we will be naked through Europe. I'm not paranoid. I just don't want to leave my luggage out of my sight. I wouldn't want to do that anywhere, not here at home, not anywhere.

I do appreciate the rest of the reply.

Thanks for the help. I've done some comparisons between National Rail and Trainline. Trainline will allow me to buy well into September, whilst National Rail only allows me to buy as far out as 9 September. I can wait another week to book, but I'm curious to see that Trainline ticket price for 9th September is 15 pounds, and the next day onwards til at leat 19 September is 52 pounds.

Britrail price for the same day is 115 pounds :-O

Is that because there is a "sweet spot" for getting cheap tickets? I will check tomorrow and next few days.

Maybe best thing to do is wait until National Rail opens up the ticketing for 19th which is our last trip and compare those two sites and just pick whichever we can get for the best price.

That is a huge variation - 15, 52 and 115 pounds for three different sites for the same journey on the same day. Crazy!

Most carry on sized cases will fit overhead on most trains in most parts of the train. If seats are back to back in some parts of the train there is often an "A" shaped opening which a larger case can fit into. Many people like to have their luggage nearby, many more prefer to leave it near the door for easy access.

I don't know how the reconstruction of the train line near Dover is progressing. Vast amounts of it were washed away in the floods and storms earlier this year, and buses have replaced trains during the disruption.

If the high speed Javelin trains to St Pancras International are back running when you travel, they are all one class, standard.

Use the link provided above for real prices of tickets.

None of the trains you mentioned are reservation only and they cannot sell out. If you get on and all the seats are already taken you stand or sit on the floor until (if) any seats become available. First Class can and does fill, too.

The factors which cause trains to fill are commuters at commuting time, towards London in the morning peak and away in the evening peak, day of the week - Friday afternoons are always very busy with not only commuters but week commuters and people setting off on holidays and weekends away, football and other sporting attractions, and festivals (another draw on Fridays and Saturdays).

I've never hears of "railplus" so can't speak to their prices, surcharges, or comprehensiveness.

This site is great. Thanks for the help.

I did see that until December there is a portion where we will be put onto a bus due to the washouts.

I will wait another few days until each site is selling tickets as far ahead as I need and then check each one for the appropriate tickets that we are looking for.

Thank you all so much.

Bath Spa to Southampton is served by a little Great Western (GWR) train from Cardiff which only has Standard Class - no First is available.

London to Oxford - there is first class on this route but the types of train used vary even on the fastest trains. You could end up in a wide probably leather seat in a HST or 180 (neither with buffet) or a small area in a seat not much bigger than standard in a turbo.

Oxford to Bath - the first part to Didcot will be 90%+ in a turbo, see above. Didcot to Bath will be in a HST, so on a weekday expect at-seat service of complimentary items.

The reason for the different prices will likely be ticket types not the websites themselves.

The cheaper tickets will be Advance tickets that (mostly) go on sale about 12 weeks before you travel. The more expensive tickets will be the prices of walk up tickets; there's little point in buying these beforehand - just buy at the station.

The ONLY site you need is http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ which will direct you to the relevant train operating company. You can buy pretty much any ticket from any company so no need to register with several different sites - just choose one that is easy to navigate; but remember its Advance tickets that are the bargain fares.

The trainline is a third party site and charges an additional booking fee - tickets won't be any cheaper on that site.

Thanks all. My main concern is losing everything except what we are wearing, but it seems I'm likely worrying too much. I've heard too many stories about lost luggage after flights and friends with nothing to wear. I guess the points made about the low risk are valid and I just need to stop worrying.

And thanks for the sites suggested. I'll check in a few days when it is three months out and book second class. We laughed on the Italian trains when we last travelled, when we chose second class and an announcement came over detailing all the thing we were NOT getting that the first class passengers got. Talk about rubbing it in.

I had some idea (before we went last time) there was a nice part of the train and a run down, rickety part for second class. But second class looked the same as first class to me, and was all we needed... a seat and a window. We can spend the money we would save if we went first class at our destination.

There are times when advance first class tickets can be considered a bargain with the meals etc thrown in - but not really on the routes you have indicated, even when it is available..

You feel how you feel and this is not a bad thing. Theft of suitcases may be unlikely but it's not unheard of. I have at times felt concerned when I have had to leave my luggage at the entry of the car and out of sight. There are simple bike cable locks that you can hook around the handle of your luggage and attach to a pole or rack. It's the journey as well as the destination so travel in the way that gives you the most peace of mind.

Why not take a thin cable bike lock with you to secure your bags on the train. If that's what it takes to have peace of mind then why not.

Kelies, my luggage was lost for my whole two-week trip to Europe 9 years ago. You know what I did? Went out and bought clothes and toiletries. It cut into sightseeing time and it was an additional expense, but if it happens you don't have to let it ruin your trip. It's by far not the worst thing that could happen!

Whenever I take the train in Europe, I worry about finding space for my carryon-size suitcase, not about someone stealing it.

I don't consider anyone who wants to secure their luggage antisocial. You take no more room, you tuck your luggage in, attach it to a pole or the rack. When someone else comes, they put it next to yours. There have been several times when I have tucked my suitcase in the luggage rack and because it's on wheels, it's come rolling back out and I've had to jump up and secure it to the pole with my scarf to stop it so it would not bother others.

I don't know how old you are, but if you are over 60, you can get a Senior Railcard which will severely cut the cost of almost any train journey. You show the pass with your ticket when the person comes by to check your ticket. I saved literally hundreds of GBP by booking in advance and using the Senior Railcard price. I worked with an agent at Bath, where my first train journey began, and was able to print all my tickets right there.

When you go to National Rail, you can select which time you want to go. Different times will have different prices. When you click on your selection, you will automagically go to the right place to buy your tickets. In one case, I had to split the ticket to avoid being forced to go to London and back out again on a trip from Moreton-in-Marsh to Bletchley. In one case, the most efficient and cheapest way was to go thru Clapham Junction, sort of like going through London.

I got back from the UK on June 12 and I traveled all over England and Scotland 95% by rail. I did like to keep an eye on my luggage and felt somewhat uncomfortable when it was behind me, so I totally get your concern.

Sometimes I was able to put my "big" carry-on (20x14x8) on the rail above my seat. Sometimes I put it in the small luggage rack in the middle of some coaches. Sometimes I put it at the end. Sometimes I had to sit in the wheelchair area and pram area, and I had my bag right with me on the floor. And sometimes, anti-socially, I put it on the floor between the back of the seat in front and the window seat beside me. This was only on trains where there were lots of empty seats. I wasn't the only person doing that, and there were lots of empty seats at the off-peak times I traveled.

Fortunately, I never had to stand the whole time on any train. I must also say that the UK is the only place I've been where people actually helped with my luggage and/or gave me their seat. Gray hair and obviously bad knees have their benefits.

The possibility of a train being "old and rickety" or new and sleek depends more on the country/route/speed/type of train. Within one train, first vs second class cars are usually of the same generation and similar design, as you learned, kelies. I'm surprised that you weren't able to store your carry-on-sized luggage overhead on more Italian trains.

Not everyone can be counted on to load luggage in a logical or optimal configuration. Someone might take his half out of the middle, put a lock on it, and head to the dining car. And as different passengers board and depart, the available space changes. There can be legitimate needs for luggage to get shifted around - maybe only by a few inches or maybe to add a new, heavier bag to the bottom of a stack and put a lighter one on top.