Ok if Sammi does not have the option of booking trains more than 5 days ahead, is the Eurail a better option than pt to pt? I really have convinced myself that pt to pt and planes are better, what do you Y"all think?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23569 posts
Who is Sammi? We'all think that without a whole lot of more information, it is impossible to answer your question ? Don't be cute with us. Just provide some basic information - like when and where.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
pt to pt often and flying ARE often the cheapest way,, but usually ONLY if booked well in advance.. last minute walk up fares are a different story.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32328 posts
Chere, I'm not sure who Sammi is, so I won't address that part of the question. "I really have convinced myself that pt to pt and planes are better" It's impossible to answer that question without knowing which route(s) you're referring to. Shorter trips between cities are easier and cheaper by rail, while longer trips are better by budget air. It would help if you could provide some specifics. Cheers!
Posted by
OP
Pensacola, FL, USA
29 posts
Sorry I,ve just been in a constant communication thing. Sammi is my 21 year old daughter who is just finishing up her engineering finals in Florida. On the 8th of May she will begin a 6 week study abroad in Osnabruck Germany the have 3 weeks to trave. She will go to Paris to join up with a fellow student, perhaps fly to Barcelona and then train to Marseille and east towards Nice. She'll be meeting up with a French friend in Aix. One friend had a wild idea oof travelling to Amsterdam on the 7th of July for a music fest. She flies home July 12 from Marseille. I do not think it would be walk up tickets more like several days or a week before.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4085 posts
Several basic answers. European trains are fast and efficient. Budget airlines, and some of the traditional lines too, can be very cheap. For local train travel, walk-up purchase on the day of travel won't make much difference to the price and if a train is sold out there will be another one soon enough. But for major intercity travel, both by air and by train, prices are cheapest months in advance and rise substantially as the time of departure nears. Want to flit off to Amsterdam for a day? You have to pay for your impulse. Best information source for trains is www.seat61.com To see budget air fares, www.whichbudget.com, which is clunky to operate but still useful.
At least one previous flippant question about Sammi has been posted, which may be cool on Twitter but here will more likely be regarded as time-wasting twaddle, hence the fairly hostile reaction. At 21, and with an engineering degree, she should do serious research on her own so she will be more self-sufficient when she is travelling on her own, without mom.