Train Travel to multiple cities in United Kingdom has become a nighmare

When you buy advance tickets on UK trains, it is impossible to change departure and arrivals. You must request a refund, but I have found the trips I booked are non-refundable.

That’s right. Non-cancellation hotel an plane bookings work in the same way.

Later I discovered that Kings Cross is a $40 taxi ride from where we will be staying in Chelsea.

Did you look at a map? Or the tube fares which would have cost a fraction of $40?

Different train line, and, no, you can't change departure location.

Well you can travel to your departure station by other trains, tube, bus, Elizabeth Line… terminal stations are where trains start and end their journey so yes you do need to be at the correct departure station. The same applies to airports, not all destinations are served by the same airport, you may have to travel another airport that serves your destination.

If I requested refund, we would lose it as there is no refund for advance tickets

That is why they are cheaper but you could have bought a ticket with no time restrictions

This is unheard of in U.S.

Do you not have hotel bookings and airline bookings ( and a million other things) that are not refundable if you cancel or don’t show?

I discvored there are trains from Victoria Station a few months after purchasing tickets. Victoria Station is much closer to Chelsea.

There are indeed trains from Victoria Station but not to Scotland, or York or indeed the North. There are trains to these places from Euston, King’s Cross, St Pancras. Again, you do need to be at the station from where the train departs. This might mean travelling to that station, or staying nearby.

For future reference consult the Man in Seat 61 website where will also discover discount cards such as Two Together.

If I requested refund, we would lose it as there is no refund for advance tickets. This is unheard of in U.S. No insurance was offered when I booked these trains. Since booking these trains, my health has worsened due to plantar fasciitus and thought better to skip York and go direct to Glasgow, but this will be a financial loss. Perhaps I will make a claim to travel insurance.

First of all, Leslie, I'm really sorry that you had these experiences, but I have to say that Trelawney is right. None of this should have come as a surprise to you. The tickets are marked very clearly if they are refundable or not. The non-refundable tickets, while being much cheaper than the fully refundable ones, do tell you that you cannot get your money back if you don't show up or if you have to change it.

And I'm not sure why you are saying that this is unheard of in the U.S. First of all, we don't have many trains. Second, with regards to other forms of travel like airfare, I'm sure you must realize that many airlines now offer tickets that are very cheap but also non-refundable. If you don't show up or if you can't take that specific flight, you lose your money.

And that leads me to my last point. Your last statement, where you said "perhaps I will make a claim to travel insurance" is exactly what you should be doing. This is what travel insurance is for. I would definitely sit down, read through it and see whether you can make a successful claim. That said, if your reason is plantar fasciitis, you will probably need to show documentation from a qualified physician that you were unable to travel because of that condition.

But for instance if you want to go from Chelsea to Glasgow, you would be leaving from London Euston if you were staying in Central London.

No text book or guide can quote every possibility, but you don't have to go into Central London to catch a train north if you don't want to use the tube or an expensive taxi.

There are National Rail lines which go in a circle around London.

In Chelsea there is a station called Imperial Wharf. From there you can take a train to Watford Junction, change for Milton Keynes, then a train to Glasgow. But at least once a day there is a direct train from Watford Junction to Glasgow Central at 1551. You can get Advance (cheap) Fares on that train. At other times of the day there are Advance Fares from Watford Junction to Glasgow where you take a train south to Euston, then change platforms to go back north to Glasgow- an odd way round, but a way to avoid the tube and minimise walking.

Likewise for York- you can take a frequent train from Imperial Wharf to West Hampstead, walk a few steps down the road to West Hampstead Thameslink then a train to St Pancras, and cross the road to Kings Cross. That is the way to avoid the tube and minimise walking. There are ways to get round this, and still get to where you want to get to.

If you were willing to use the tube you can buy an Advance Ticket from 'London Underground Zone 1' to any station which includes a tube fare to your station of origin.

The trains from Imperial Wharf to Euston or St Pancras are normal TfL fares, which you pay by contactless card.

There are ways round this, minimise or avoid financial loss and avoid the use of taxis. Also at any major station, including York and Glasgow you can ask for assistance.

Almost a year ago I developed walking problems suddenly, falling quite ill. Travelling 1st class like you (York to Glasgow) probably got me home (to eventually my local Hospital), because of 1st class stewards assistance.
Also I was going to be unable to use the tube, due to my walking problems, so I used the London circular route. I was coming in to Liverpool Street, leaving from Euston. The tube was an impossibility. So I changed at Stratford (East London) onto the circular line as I could hobble round the quiet Stratford and Willesden Junction stations, then collapse into the 1st class lounge at Euston awaiting help to get onto my train north.

Trelawney's response is spot on. While I think you can read your travel insurance to see what's covered, it sounds like the changes you're making are your own choice--not any fault of or cancellation by the train service.

I had to eat the cost of two train tickets last year because of a Tube delay that left us scrambling to reach Waterloo station. I bought new tickets, and we ultimately made it to our destination--which was the important part. I looked back at the fine print just in case, and as far as I could tell, we were out of luck--no refund possible. Unfortunately, it happens. Travel comes with risk and unforeseen costs at times.

Plantar fasciitis is painful. I know. However, please own that we all need to read, consult maps, and acknowledge that all this is indeed heard of in the States.

I’ve dealt with plantar fasciitis before and I know how painful that can be. I am sorry you are dealing with this.

However frustrated you may be, and we hear your frustration, the rail system is not at fault here. Non refundable tickets are non refundable. Your trip planning errors/desired changes are entirely on you. Don’t be too discouraged. There isn’t anyone who has traveled that hadn’t made errors along the way.

Travel insurance claim is an option. My guess is that you might need to cancel an entire trip due to a medical necessity rather than just a reservation for a successful claim, but your insurance may be different.

Money saving ideas moving forward: Did you consider whether a “two together” railcard would save money? You can price out the price of the railcard vs. the 30% discount and see if it would help with the costs. Maybe skip first class if you make new reservations to recoup some of your losses?

Most of all, don’t let this take away from the joy of your trip. Even if it is frustrating, try to put it behind you and look forward to a great trip.

First of all, we don't have many trains.

Mardee, I'd like to clarify this a bit. This is another location dependent issue in the US, it seems. The Northeast has a great many trains: local, regional and cross-country trains and we use them often. We have so many different regional/governmental cultures in this country, it's hard to come up with blanket statements, particularly now. I think the reason for the poster's issue is her lack of information before booking. I've been there, done that. The more trips I take, the more I know...or the more I realize I don't know. LOL. Still learning after 50 years of travel...

Travel insurance: I can't imagine the insurance will cover the issue, unless you can prove it is health related, which might be difficult with plantar fasciitis and just part of your trip.

Are you already through this segment of the trip? I think you can still enjoy York, but perhaps differently. We all have made mistakes. Just learn from it and let it go. Don't dwell on the lost money or it will ruin your trip. Just think of it as the cost of travel. I hope the rest of your trip is fantastic!

I do agree with you that train travel in England is expensive and complicated. I'm pretty sure I read this in the RS guidebook and folks on the forum also stressed this as I was starting my planning process. When I realized this, I used my resources like Man in Seat 61 and the many British folks on the forum. I did a lot of tinkering with my itinerary and on the train websites before I booked anything, hotels, train tickets, attraction tickets, etc., to determine what choices would be the most cost effective. I purposely did not buy an advance train ticket from London Heathrow to York to save money because the the ticket was nonrefundable and air travel can be so unpredictable. I learned what times of day train travel could be cheaper and when I would save money to purchase tickets in advance. I played with Google maps to determine distances from various points and to see what transportation options were available. I learned about railcards that I could purchase to save money and the conditions in which they could be used.

The U.S. train system is nothing like anything in England or other parts of Europe. It is very limited in terms of what places can be visited. One of the things that I love about Europe is the public transportation makes so much of the area accessible by folks that would rather not use a car. I wish the U.S. could be more like Europe in that regard, though I understand why it can't be. However, when I do buy a train ticket anywhere I've traveled, I read all the conditions and understand any cancellation policy and possible refunds, if any.

I think travelers to England should either do extensive research and itinerary planning if they plan to purchase tickets in advance or not buy any tickets until day of travel, and then understand that some of the train tickets will be quite expensive and that is true in most every other country in Europe.

You bought a non-refundable train ticket - is that really a nightmare?

Mardee, I'd like to clarify this a bit. This is another location dependent issue in the US, it seems. The Northeast has a great many trains: local, regional and cross-country trains and we use them often.

Wray, of course you are correct. I wasn't even thinking when I said that. There are lots of trains in the east, and some on the west coast as well.

Leslieava, I know that you've posted here before and you were asking some questions about your trip. I just wanted to repeat what others have said, and don't make yourself feel bad about this trip because of that. I'm sure you had a wonderful time in the places you got to. I've had catastrophes happen before. On my first trip to England back in 1996, I lost my passport, all my travelers checks and credit cards. I eventually got it all back, but while I was there, I had to scramble to get a new passport, go to the embassy, and basically run myself ragged for a day. But I didn't let it ruin my trip, and I still had a wonderful experience.

Next time, before you go, come to the forum and ask questions about how to book trains and what the different types of train tickets are and so on. You can gather a wealth of information here. Another good resource, which I think Jules and Trelawney mentioned above, is the Man in Seat 61, which can be found here. You can use that to search for information about trains all over Europe. https://www.seat61.com/index.html

I can't imagine insurance will pay out on a cancelled ticket to York on medical grounds when it's being replaced by a ticket to Glasgow, which is further away.

I hadn't really encountered the practice of booking and cancelling reservations on a whim for travel and hotels before I started reading this site. It was never something I factored into planning to go anywhere. [edit: not that feeling unwell is a whim. I mean cancelling things in general for other reasons]

I think the moral of this story is to consult people on the Rick Steves' Europe forum before booking if you're unsure about anything. Folks could have explained what an advance ticket is and pointed out that trains to York or Scotland don't leave from Victoria. People here could have helped out to allow you to avoid these issues. Sorry to hear it didn't go as well as expected.

Thanks all for your replies and the compassion some of you have expressed. The tip of coming to the forum first before booking is the lesson I've learned. Yes, it's all relative. We're fully booked and we will manage.

Here's a tip--was advised by many travel guides to book hotels early, especially overseas. Well, we had a refundable booking at Middleton's Hotel, York, which I booked months ago. Today, the rate was less for an upgraded room. I cancelled the earlier one and booked this one. Suggestion--book refundable and check back closer to date for a potential better rate.

Thanks again,

Leslie

I do agree with you that train travel in England is expensive and complicated.

Definitely agree with this, even before getting into ticket splitting, it is a pretty opaque system of many companies, stations, types of fares, and more complicated especially if a person is unfamiliar with London's geography.

Thinking train travel might be very cheap was a mistake, though.

Thanks, leslieava, for the tip on the refundable hotel rooms. I hope your plantar fasciitis symptoms improve soon. Best wishes for a wonderful trip - England is my happy place. :)