I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack from May
1st to June 24th. I will be going with three other friends, and while three
of us have been to Europe before, these trips were on school tours or with
parents when young.
We will be starting the trip in Amsterdam and without a doubt will be going
to Greece [my friends insist], and will have to end up in Frankfurt to fly
home. Somewhere along the line we will be staying in a time share resort for
a week, most likely in Greece as well.

I am a little concerned about how to get around. We have not decided on a
mode of transportation yet, but the options we are looking at, as back
packing newbies, are Eurail and this thing called "Busabout"
(www.busabout.com) I was initially interested in Busabout, because it looked
fairly simple and straight forward, where as Eurail seems far more
complicated and difficult to plan using a minimal amount of days. However, I
have been discovering more and more complications regarding Busabout... for
example, our original plan was to take the Paris route to the south, only to
discover this route does not run until early June. I wasn't too upset,
because the other route runs through Prague. Then I discovered we would need
a visa to get into the Czech Republic...

...well then. I am just curious then, to hear from other foreign travellers
on their experiences using Eurail. Was it very complicated? What was the
average time it took to get from country to country? Did you find you had
purchased enough/too many days? We would be getting a flexipass, btw
(www.eurail.com). I am rather nervous about it, recalling how overwhelming
the train station I went to in Madrid seemed, and the tour guides have done
little to calm my fears.

Also, I would love to hear from any other youth [well, what ever age]
travellers who could share their experiences and any tips with me, maybe
answer any questions that might come up?

Thanks a lot,

Rachel ([email protected])

Rachel Rilkoff wrote:

    > I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack from May
    > 1st to June 24th. I will be going with three other friends, and while three
    > of us have been to Europe before, these trips were on school tours or with
    > parents when young.
    > We will be starting the trip in Amsterdam and without a doubt will be going
    > to Greece [my friends insist], and will have to end up in Frankfurt to fly
    > home. Somewhere along the line we will be staying in a time share resort for
    > a week, most likely in Greece as well.

    > We would be getting a flexipass, btw
    > (www.eurail.com).

Get the Eurail. Train travel is just so much more _civilised_ than
long-distance coach.

Since you are young, you are eligible for the 'Youth Flexi' 2nd class
pass. However, since there are four of you travelling together, you are
also eligible for the 1st class 'Saver Flexi'. I suggest you spend the
$100 US more and get the 'Saver Flexi'. You can then save money on
hotel/hostel rooms by taking overnight trains--much more comfortable in
1st class--and you would also have access to 1st class waiting rooms,
etc. And, of course, with a 1st class pass you can always travel in 2nd
if you want (if you meet people along the way, for example, and wish to
continue your conversation).

cheers,

Henry

"Rachel Rilkoff" writes:

    >...well then. I am just curious then, to hear from other foreign travellers
    >on their experiences using Eurail. Was it very complicated?

Nope. It was easy to use.

    > What was the average time it took to get from country to country?

Depends on the countries involved and how fast you're moving

I once whipped through some major cities of three countries (Vienna ->
Zurich -> Bern -> Barcelona) in the space of three days, although it's not
really recommended

    > Did you find you had purchased enough/too many days?

The best thing to aim for is slightly under the number of days that you need.
You can always buy an extra point-to-point ticket, but if you're left with too
many days, it's just wasted money.

You may find that on certain journeys that you're not travelling all that
far, and the cost of a point-to-point ticket isn't much - so save the
Eurail days for longer trips.

    >I am rather nervous about it, recalling how overwhelming
    >the train station I went to in Madrid seemed, and the tour guides have done
    >little to calm my fears.

Train travel is easy, especially when you've already got a ticket and, in
most cases, can just jump on without having to stand in queues or deal with
ticket machines to get one.

I always find bus travel far more complicated, because the bus depots aren't
always located in obvious places, and bus drivers seem particularly
uninterested in getting the destination sign on the front correct.

Cheers,

Paul.


--
Paul Dwerryhouse
Amsterdam, The Netherlands (X) Melbourne, Australia ( )

Rachel Rilkoff wrote:
    >
    > I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack from May
    > 1st to June 24th. I will be going with three other friends, and while three
    > of us have been to Europe before, these trips were on school tours or with
    > parents when young.
    > We will be starting the trip in Amsterdam and without a doubt will be going
    > to Greece [my friends insist], and will have to end up in Frankfurt to fly
    > home. Somewhere along the line we will be staying in a time share resort for
    > a week, most likely in Greece as well.
    >
    > I am a little concerned about how to get around. We have not decided on a
    > mode of transportation yet, but the options we are looking at, as back
    > packing newbies, are Eurail and this thing called "Busabout"
    > (www.busabout.com) I was initially interested in Busabout, because it looked
    > fairly simple and straight forward, where as Eurail seems far more
    > complicated and difficult to plan using a minimal amount of days. However, I
    > have been discovering more and more complications regarding Busabout... for
    > example, our original plan was to take the Paris route to the south, only to
    > discover this route does not run until early June. I wasn't too upset,
    > because the other route runs through Prague. Then I discovered we would need
    > a visa to get into the Czech Republic...
    >
    > ...well then. I am just curious then, to hear from other foreign travellers
    > on their experiences using Eurail. Was it very complicated? What was the
    > average time it took to get from country to country? Did you find you had
    > purchased enough/too many days? We would be getting a flexipass, btw
    > (www.eurail.com). I am rather nervous about it, recalling how overwhelming
    > the train station I went to in Madrid seemed, and the tour guides have done
    > little to calm my fears.
    >
    > Also, I would love to hear from any other youth [well, what ever age]
    > travellers who could share their experiences and any tips with me, maybe
    > answer any questions that might come up?

My daughter travelled around with a Eurail pass when she was about your
age, with no problems. Your first train ride may be a little
intimidating, but be patient and within a week you'll be giving advice
to other travellers. I believe most vendors of rail passes give you a
little booklet explaining the ins and outs. If not, there are travel
guides for sale that specifically address Eurail travel.

Barbara


Barbara

Henry wrote:

    > Since you are young, you are eligible for the 'Youth Flexi' 2nd class
    > pass. However, since there are four of you travelling together, you are
    > also eligible for the 1st class 'Saver Flexi'. I suggest you spend the
    > $100 US more and get the 'Saver Flexi'. You can then save money on
    > hotel/hostel rooms by taking overnight trains--much more comfortable in
    > 1st class--and you would also have access to 1st class waiting rooms,
    > etc. And, of course, with a 1st class pass you can always travel in 2nd
    > if you want (if you meet people along the way, for example, and wish to
    > continue your conversation).

You can take overnight trains with a second class pass also. What's the
difference with this pass? Does it include the cost of the couchette?
One disadvantage of this pass would be that it would constrain the four
people to always travel together, even if they want to separate for a
few days, or (God forbid) fall out and end up not speaking to each
other. Speaking from experience, travel introduces a whole new element
into relationships and you often discover previously unsuspected faults
in your best friends.

As for 1st class waiting rooms, I've never seen one.

Barbara

Barbara Vaughan wrote:

    > Henry wrote:
    >
    > > Since you are young, you are eligible for the 'Youth Flexi' 2nd class
    > > pass. However, since there are four of you travelling together, you are
    > > also eligible for the 1st class 'Saver Flexi'. I suggest you spend the
    > > $100 US more and get the 'Saver Flexi'. You can then save money on
    > > hotel/hostel rooms by taking overnight trains--much more comfortable in
    > > 1st class--and you would also have access to 1st class waiting rooms,
    > > etc. And, of course, with a 1st class pass you can always travel in 2nd
    > > if you want (if you meet people along the way, for example, and wish to
    > > continue your conversation).
    >
    > You can take overnight trains with a second class pass also.

Well of course you can.

    > What's the
    > difference with this pass?

With this pass, you get to travel in the 6-person and
less-often-fully-occupied 1st class compartment, rather than in the
8-person too-often-full 2nd class. That's why I said 'much more
comfortable'.

    > Does it include the cost of the couchette?

I don't think so. And if you're going to pay extra for a couchette, on a
Eurailpass, then you shouldn't be travelling at night anyway. Sleep in
hotels or hostels, and travel during the day so that you can see
something.

    > One disadvantage of this pass would be that it would constrain the four
    > people to always travel together, even if they want to separate for a
    > few days, or (God forbid) fall out and end up not speaking to each
    > other. Speaking from experience, travel introduces a whole new element
    > into relationships and you often discover previously unsuspected faults
    > in your best friends.

Actually, you only need to have two people together, so even if tempers
fray they should be able to sub-divide into some acceptable formation.
From the tone of the OP's query (somewhat timid?), I didn't get the
feeling that there was any chance that she (don't know about her
friends) would go off solo.

cheers,

Henry

Rachel Rilkoff wrote:
    > I was initially interested in Busabout, because it looked
    > fairly simple and straight forward, where as Eurail seems far more
    > complicated and difficult to plan using a minimal amount of days. However, I
    > have been discovering more and more complications regarding Busabout... for
    > example, our original plan was to take the Paris route to the south, only to
    > discover this route does not run until early June. I wasn't too upset,
    > because the other route runs through Prague. Then I discovered we would need
    > a visa to get into the Czech Republic...

Busabout looks simple, because you don't have that many options to
choose from. Honestly I do not "get" busabout. Their website tries to
paint a grim picture of train travel, and some of the things they tell
on their site are plain incorrect. They make a point of trying to
convince you that they are more flexible than the train... And then they
advice against getting of their coaches between cities.... Which means
that on your way from Amsterdam to Brussels you can't just hop of in
Antwerp to have a quick look around.
Their schedules are very limited. Amsterdam to Paris every other day,
with only a possible stop in Brussels. Paris to Amsterdam every other
day, with a stop in Brugge... Compare that to taking the train:
Amsterdam to any town in Belgium: once per hour throughout the day. Any
town in Belgium to Paris alomst once per half our throughout the day...

Planning your train trip in Europe is easy. Just go to
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e

Enjoy your trip!

Krist

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Krist Bern, Switzerland
mailmekrist

Train's the best option.

I've travelled on a train from Barcelona to Madrid (6 hours) and Pisa to
Florence to Siena with not much issues. Not to mention the big stations in
London namely Waterloo to Paris on Eurostar, Paddington to Bristol, etc....

In addition, I know people who have travelled from Rome to Zurich (via
Florence/Milan and Geneva) without any problems at all.

Also, the trains in Amsterdam and Brussells are very reliable and punctual.

Just a tip. Usually I prefer going into the station early (about 7-9am) to
avoid the crowds and any dodgy people that might lurking about in the
station.

Cheers

Ed
http://edgock.chaosnet.org/travel


"Rachel Rilkoff" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack from May
    > 1st to June 24th. I will be going with three other friends, and while
three
    > of us have been to Europe before, these trips were on school tours or with
    > parents when young.
    > We will be starting the trip in Amsterdam and without a doubt will be
going
    > to Greece [my friends insist], and will have to end up in Frankfurt to fly
    > home. Somewhere along the line we will be staying in a time share resort
for
    > a week, most likely in Greece as well.
    > I am a little concerned about how to get around. We have not decided on a
    > mode of transportation yet, but the options we are looking at, as back
    > packing newbies, are Eurail and this thing called "Busabout"
    > (www.busabout.com) I was initially interested in Busabout, because it
looked
    > fairly simple and straight forward, where as Eurail seems far more
    > complicated and difficult to plan using a minimal amount of days. However,
I
    > have been discovering more and more complications regarding Busabout...
for
    > example, our original plan was to take the Paris route to the south, only
to
    > discover this route does not run until early June. I wasn't too upset,
    > because the other route runs through Prague. Then I discovered we would
need
    > a visa to get into the Czech Republic...
    > ...well then. I am just curious then, to hear from other foreign
travellers
    > on their experiences using Eurail. Was it very complicated? What was the
    > average time it took to get from country to country? Did you find you had
    > purchased enough/too many days? We would be getting a flexipass, btw
    > (www.eurail.com). I am rather nervous about it, recalling how overwhelming
    > the train station I went to in Madrid seemed, and the tour guides have
done
    > little to calm my fears.
    > Also, I would love to hear from any other youth [well, what ever age]
    > travellers who could share their experiences and any tips with me, maybe
    > answer any questions that might come up?
    > Thanks a lot,
    > Rachel ([email protected])

Rachel,

For tips on using the trains and ferries throughout Europe see my page
at
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap17/rail.htm.

I recommend that you buy the Thomas Cook European Timetable. It is
invaluable for rail pass travelers. Also, make sure to get the Eurail
Timetable and the Eurail Map; they are free with your pass. The Thomas
Cook Timetable can be purchased at http://www.thomascooktimetables.com.
Including postage from England it will cost under $20 and will be in
your mailbox in 2 weeks.

John Bermont
--
------------------------------------------------------
* * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
------------------------------------------------------

    || I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack
    || from May 1st to June 24th. I will be going with three other friends,
    || and while three of us have been to Europe before, these trips were
    || on school tours or with parents when young.
    || We will be starting the trip in Amsterdam and without a doubt will
    || be going to Greece [my friends insist], and will have to end up in
    || Frankfurt to fly home. Somewhere along the line we will be staying
    || in a time share resort for a week, most likely in Greece as well.
    ||
    || I am a little concerned about how to get around. We have not decided
    || on a mode of transportation yet, but the options we are looking at,
    || as back packing newbies, are Eurail and this thing called "Busabout"
    || (www.busabout.com) I was initially interested in Busabout, because
    || it looked fairly simple and straight forward, where as Eurail seems
    || far more complicated and difficult to plan using a minimal amount of
    || days. However, I have been discovering more and more complications
    || regarding Busabout... for example, our original plan was to take the
    || Paris route to the south, only to discover this route does not run
    || until early June. I wasn't too upset, because the other route runs
    || through Prague. Then I discovered we would need a visa to get into
    || the Czech Republic...
    ||
    || ...well then. I am just curious then, to hear from other foreign
    || travellers on their experiences using Eurail. Was it very
    || complicated? What was the average time it took to get from country
    || to country? Did you find you had purchased enough/too many days? We
    || would be getting a flexipass, btw (www.eurail.com). I am rather
    || nervous about it, recalling how overwhelming the train station I
    || went to in Madrid seemed, and the tour guides have done little to
    || calm my fears.
    ||
    || Also, I would love to hear from any other youth [well, what ever age]
    || travellers who could share their experiences and any tips with me,
    || maybe answer any questions that might come up?
    ||
    || Thanks a lot,
    ||
    || Rachel ([email protected])

Eurail pass is a no brainer. Once you get it validated by going to the
ticket window just immediately prior to boarding your first train, it
consists of getting on the train you want, no tickets or reservations unless
you are getting on a high speed train like a TGV/ICE/etc. or a getting a
couchette, in which case you need to reserve a seat/space.

If you get into a quandry about the length of the pass, one alternative is
to use regular tickets for the first or last part of the trip. For example,
you have a three week pass for a 30 day trip and are going to be in Greece
when the pass runs out; use regular tickets for the first part of your trip
and start the pass on the first day of your last three weeks. This will
allow you to save money by having the pass for the long journey back to your
entry/exit airport.

It is mandatory to get a current copy of the Thomas Cook rail timetable.
Using this you can find the combination of trains that will get you to your
destination in the minimum amount of time both in travel and layovers. The
reading of this timetable is a paramount feature of succesful train travel.
You don't want to change trains and have to wait 3 hours for your next
connection, you want layovers of minutes, not hours, whenever possible. The
other slick way, if you're dragging a laptop along, is to get the DB (Die
Bahn) http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e CD set. Another way is to
use the DB site before you leave and try and hardcopy all possible
permutations of travel for your group and use that. We did this on our last
trip by putting it on a palm top. Haven't checked by I wonder if DB has it
for palm devices. For Greece, the pass is good for the ferry from Brindisi,
but it sounds like you're going overland.

"Rachel Rilkoff" wrote in message news:...
    > I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack from May

Get the Eurail pass. It will also cover the ferry to Greece that your
friends insist upon. A 2nd class youth pass will only cover a deck
seat while a 1st class pass gives you a bed in the dorms (nothing
fancy). But you can always upgrade if you want. I'd suggest the Youth
saver pass. Check into the different deals (there are thousands of
combinations, but all rail passes are the same price no matter where
you buy them, so just figure out what you need and then go with
whoever gives you the most freebies). Do some research and you can
find everything you need. Here's a few to get you started:

www.bootsnall.com

www.ricksteves.com

If you've got any questions you can email me and I'll help out if I
can.

One last thing, as to the difficulty of railing in Europe... it's not.
You'll get the hang of it very fast and any worries you have will melt
away on your first ride.

Above all, have fun and keep your schedule loose.

Slanthe,
Dave

LPaulsen wrote:

    >>>[LPaulsen snipped the header, but the OP wrote:]

    > || I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack
    > || from May 1st to June 24th.

    > || We
    > || would be getting a flexipass, btw (www.eurail.com).

    >

    > If you get into a quandry about the length of the pass, one alternative is
    > to use regular tickets for the first or last part of the trip.

It's not the length of the pass that might pose a quandary, but the
number of usable days.

She said she was looking at the Flexi pass. There are two flavours of
Flexi: 10-days and 15-days of travel within a two-month period. She is
going to be in Europe less than two months, so either one could be
suitable, depending on how much she intends to be on the move.

    > For example,
    > you have a three week pass for a 30 day trip and are going to be in Greece
    > when the pass runs out; use regular tickets for the first part of your trip
    > and start the pass on the first day of your last three weeks. This will
    > allow you to save money by having the pass for the long journey back to your
    > entry/exit airport.

The only way the pass could 'run out' while she is in Greece is if she
used the last day's entitlement while there, or in getting there. A
previous respondent has already suggested buying cheap single-trip
tickets for shorter travel, if necessary, during the two-month validity
of the pass in order to save the pass-days for longer trips. These
'off-pass' extra-days could reasonably come at any time of the
trip--beginning, middle or end--depending on the vagaries of her
itinerary or wanderlust.

cheers,

Henry

"Barbara Vaughan" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Rachel Rilkoff wrote:
    > >
    > > I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack from
May
    > > 1st to June 24th. I will be going with three other friends, and while
three
    > > of us have been to Europe before, these trips were on school tours or
with
    > > parents when young.
    > > We will be starting the trip in Amsterdam and without a doubt will be
going
    > > to Greece [my friends insist], and will have to end up in Frankfurt to
fly
    > > home. Somewhere along the line we will be staying in a time share resort
for
    > > a week, most likely in Greece as well.
    > >
    > > I am a little concerned about how to get around. We have not decided on
a
    > > mode of transportation yet, but the options we are looking at, as back
    > > packing newbies, are Eurail and this thing called "Busabout"
    > > (www.busabout.com) I was initially interested in Busabout, because it
looked
    > > fairly simple and straight forward, where as Eurail seems far more
    > > complicated and difficult to plan using a minimal amount of days.
However, I
    > > have been discovering more and more complications regarding Busabout...
for
    > > example, our original plan was to take the Paris route to the south,
only to
    > > discover this route does not run until early June. I wasn't too upset,
    > > because the other route runs through Prague. Then I discovered we would
need
    > > a visa to get into the Czech Republic...
    > >
    > > ...well then. I am just curious then, to hear from other foreign
travellers
    > > on their experiences using Eurail. Was it very complicated? What was the
    > > average time it took to get from country to country? Did you find you
had
    > > purchased enough/too many days? We would be getting a flexipass, btw
    > > (www.eurail.com). I am rather nervous about it, recalling how
overwhelming
    > > the train station I went to in Madrid seemed, and the tour guides have
done
    > > little to calm my fears.
    > >
    > > Also, I would love to hear from any other youth [well, what ever age]
    > > travellers who could share their experiences and any tips with me, maybe
    > > answer any questions that might come up?
    > My daughter travelled around with a Eurail pass when she was about your
    > age, with no problems. Your first train ride may be a little
    > intimidating, but be patient and within a week you'll be giving advice
    > to other travellers. I believe most vendors of rail passes give you a
    > little booklet explaining the ins and outs. If not, there are travel
    > guides for sale that specifically address Eurail travel.
    > Barbara
    > Barbara

Look at your local big box bookstore for a copy of "Europe by Eurail". This
guy gives itineraries for travel and daytrips and explains in detail how to
use the Eurail system. We used for our first trip to Europe and like Barbara
says, once you catch on to the system you will travel like a native. Also,
ask questions if in doubt. Everyone does and people are generally very
helpful. If you have a Borders you can learn the system over a coffee and
don't even have to buy the book. I do recommend it though for those
traveling by rail exclusively.

Henry wrote:
    >

    > With this pass, you get to travel in the 6-person and
    > less-often-fully-occupied 1st class compartment, rather than in the
    > 8-person too-often-full 2nd class. That's why I said 'much more
    > comfortable'.

All of the second class compartments I've been in were for six people,
not eight. The second class couchette compartments have also been for
six people. In any case, "compartments" seem to be on the way out in
Europe. The newer trains are all open carriages.

I always travel second class, and find it quite comfortable. I wouldn't
advise anyone young enough to be eligible for the second class Eurail
pass to pay extra for a first class pass.

    > > Does it include the cost of the couchette?
    >
    > I don't think so. And if you're going to pay extra for a couchette, on a
    > Eurailpass, then you shouldn't be travelling at night anyway. Sleep in
    > hotels or hostels, and travel during the day so that you can see
    > something.

Then why did you advise taking overnight trains?

Barbara

Dave wrote:
    >
    > "Rachel Rilkoff" wrote in message news:...
    > > I am a 20 year old Canadian girl travelling to Europe to backpack from May
    >
    > Get the Eurail pass. It will also cover the ferry to Greece that your
    > friends insist upon.

The Eurail pass only covers some ferries to Greece; these leave from
only one Italian port, Brindisi I believe.

Barbara