Brit3964

I just got an email reply from Eurorail helpdesk saying that you have to be a US Citizen to be eligible for a railpass.

This is absurd. I'm a UK Citizen whose been living in USA since 1996 with 10yr Permanant Resident card yet I don't qualify anymore for the discounted railpass. I bought one back in 2002 when I last visited UK. Now they say you have to show a passport when you first use the ticket.

Anybody else had similar problems with Eurorail?

ladylisa

I'm confused at that because I thought Brits could do the Euro rail pass too, I know in the past some of my friends did. Are you sure the ticket open to other Europeans isn't just called something different?

britchicknyc

I have used BritRail passes on many ocassions with no problem at all. You just need to be a US Resident.

Try calling ACP Rail - 1877 677 1066 or RailEurope: 1800 848 7245 they might be more co-operative.....

Good Luck

Englishmum

I don't know how you posed the original question but if you can show that you are resident in the US then there should be no problem whatsoever. You can get loads of info on the various train passes on this fab website, devoted to international train travel (the website is operated by a keen British train traveller):

http://www.seat61.com/Railpass.htm (you can buy the passes online in the US - see the link)

http://www.seat61.com

RoadWarriorFromLP

#3 is correct -- it's not a matter of citizenship, but of residency.

The question is why would you want to bother with a Eurail, particularly for those over 26 who don't mind traveling in second class. (For those over 26, it is mandatory to pay for first-class travel.) Unless you have a brief trip that includes a substantial amount of train travel in northern Europe, the railpasses are generally a poor value.

I'd recommend a look at the Rick Steves' railpass guide at www.ricksteves.com to determine your best options. The guy may be a geek par excellence, but IMO, his railpass guide is the best you'll find. (Despite the fact that his company sells them, he offers good, objective advice about whether a railpass is right for you.)

Englishmum

[QUOTE=RoadWarriorFromLPI'd recommend a look at the Rick Steves' railpass guide his railpass guide is the best you'll find. [/QUOTE]

Nah....I beg to differ...the man at Seat 61 gives more options! (His site lists the local train companies web sites)..

RoadWarriorFromLP

Steves does a great job of explaining the options to newbies very simply and quickly, without making them to do a lot of additional research from individual sources. The railpass guide is, IMO, very helpful for those without a lot of time or inclination to research options. (His forums are far less helpful, except for Yanks and others with very wide eyes and minimal European travel experience.)

One thing Steves does well is to allow easy comparisons of the various country passes that are also available. If one's travel is limited to a couple of countries, those are often a better value. And frankly, I probably wouldn't bother with a pass at all if I was traveling in Italy, Spain, Portugal or eastern Europe. (In contrast, in Scandinavia, they can be a Godsend.)

By the way, the Man In Seat 61 posts a lot over at the Lonely Planet Thorntree travel forum, as I do. He gives good advice, but he's a lot more in depth, could be overkill for some.

glenurse

i bought my eurorail passes online here in Los Angeles and they came about a week later in the post, there was no question of citizenship just that they went to an american address.
by the way saved a bunch of money with it too

cindyabs

THAT was always the issue, that they went to a US address-when I worked as an travel agent overseas, the only way the American military stationed overseas could purchase them was using an APO address, not an address "on the economy."

Brit3964

Thanks for the replies. I got another email later from Eurorail saying the original email was wrong and that you do qualify so long as you can prove your US residency.

mattbutt3

You can get the equivilant of a eurorail pass as a European resident cant remeber what its called (interail ticket i think?), i think the only restriction of use was that you cant use it in the country you bought it in.

Im sure one of the previous listed websites gives the details of it.