When to reserve train tickets?

Dave Hatunen:
Which reminds me of something else I should have added for neophytes: You
don't check luggage on European trains.

Checking isn't totally unknown -- I've done it -- but when I did, they
charged and it added time. I haven't looked for the service since, so
I don't know how rare it is.

There are generally fairly large overhead racks at the seats (I
have had to hoist some pretty heavy bags up there), and some trains have
luggage racks at the ends near the doors.

In the countries I've been in, *almost all* trains have luggage racks
at the ends near the doors. Not being a bird, I tend to travel heavy,
and I've only once had to lift a suitacase overhead that I didn't
want to. Unfortunately, on some trains the racks may get full.

Also, in most countries trains half the seats face backwards, and
if the layout is such that some seats are positioned back-to-back,
usually the space between those seats is suitable for stashing luggage.
However, layouts with back-to-back seats are relatively rare. (They
used to be common in British long-distance trains where at one time
most seats on were arranged in face-to-face groups, but not any more.)

The fact that half the seats face backwards is one reason I don't like
to reserve, by the way -- in most countries you can't request a seat
that faces in a particular direction.

I haven't ridden the Channel tunnel Eurostar since the London station
moved to St Pancras Station, but they did have a check-in.

And it's the only train service in Europe where the airline-style
practice of requiring a check-in in advance of departure time is used.
Everywhere else, if you turn up just before departure and still have
time to find your platform, get through any pre-boarding check (and
these are rare), and get onto the train, you can.

--
Mark Brader That would be the opposite of "non idiotic",
Toronto assuming there's some good word for that.
--Ken Jennings

My text in this article is in the public domain.

On 04/13/2011 03:34 PM, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
On Wed, 13 Apr 2011, Tom P wrote:

It's an interesting question whether complusory seat reservation is
good or not. Seat reservation on the Deutsche Bahn Intercity Express
trains is optional. meaning that if you have a ticket then you can get
on the train,

correct me if I'm wrong : "you can get on a train of given type (e.g.
ICE) and can also travel on a train of lower type (e.g. IC, IR, R)"
Is that still true in Germany ?


If you have a full price ticket for an ICE you can use any train, as
far as I know.

In general if I travel on long distance for business, I know when I
depart and therefore I can book, but I might not know when I return (say
the meeting ends in advance or later). [X]

When I travel on long distance for leisure, say long vacations, I may
fix the time when I depart a few days in advance and book at home before
departure, and similarly can fix the time when I return a few days in
advance and book there.

If I travel on short distance for tourism, day trips or even less, or
for personal reasons, say visiting a relative or friend, I'd like to
have maximum flexibility [X]

In the case marked like [X] compulsory reservation is just a nuisance,
specially if accompanied by the fact the ticket is not valid on a train
of lower type, or to change to a train of equivalent type you have to
queue up if not pay an extra fee.

For a short trip one may accept things like : travelling on a train of
lower type if that gets you home first (*), travelling in separate
distant seats if you are travelling with somebody, or even stand.

(*) back in the old times when reservation was not compulsory, or
compulsory only on certain trains, I used for trips Milan-Bologna-Milan
to book both ways in peak seasons, or otherwise not to book for return
but buy an IC ticket. Then I might get earlier to the station and catch
the first IC, or get on time, discover my IC was 30 min late, and get an
IR which brought me home earlier.

Unless they announced the delay of the IC just one minute after the IR
had departed :-(

On the other hand it had happened that I had booked a seat in 1st class
on an IC in the just-before-Christmas season, and found it occupied by a
person who was granted permission to use it on Florence-Bologna (I had
the booking Bologna-Milan). At the time they were still using paper
labels to tell a seat was reserved or reservable from A to B, so if you
did not have a reservation could just take it (normal trains) or get a
permission from trainmaster (compulsory reservation trains).

Then Trenitalia moved to all compulsory reservation trains, with no
paper labels, and no electronic displays to tell when a seat is available.

Tom P wrote:
On 04/13/2011 03:34 PM, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
On Wed, 13 Apr 2011, Tom P wrote:

It's an interesting question whether complusory seat reservation is
good or not. Seat reservation on the Deutsche Bahn Intercity Express
trains is optional. meaning that if you have a ticket then you can get
on the train,

correct me if I'm wrong : "you can get on a train of given type (e.g.
ICE) and can also travel on a train of lower type (e.g. IC, IR, R)"
Is that still true in Germany ?


If you have a full price ticket for an ICE you can use any train, as far as I know.



I don't recall encountering any train I couldn't use with a 2nd class
German rail pass

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

On 4/13/11 5:58 AM, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
On Wed, 13 Apr 2011, Justin wrote:

We're leaving for Italy in about 50 days. Should we reserve our train
tickets now?

Try to avoid reservation as far as possible, unless you plan to travel
in peak season or hours. You gain much flexibility in that.



Okey doke.
It appears the consensus is to forget about reservations and just get
the tickets on the fly.
I'm used to flying and since here in the US we don't use trains all that
often (compared to the rest of the world) this is new territory for me.
Thanks!
Justin

Justin wrote:
On 4/13/11 5:58 AM, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
On Wed, 13 Apr 2011, Justin wrote:

We're leaving for Italy in about 50 days. Should we reserve our
train tickets now?

Try to avoid reservation as far as possible, unless you plan to
travel in peak season or hours. You gain much flexibility in that.



Okey doke.
It appears the consensus is to forget about reservations and just get
the tickets on the fly.

Yes. A few days in advance is also ok. If you are flying in to Rome, you
could get them all at Termini, the main train station in Rome. It's very
easy, and they are used to dealing with us foreigners there.

I'm used to flying and since here in the US we don't use trains all
that often (compared to the rest of the world) this is new territory
for me. Thanks!
Justin

Originally Posted by Justin[_5_]

We're leaving for Italy in about 50 days.
Should we reserve our train tickets now?
I got this email reminder a few days ago. Has anyone had experience
with Rail Europe?
I'm a US citizen, just FYI... not EU. In case that matters.

Dear Traveler,
This is a one-time reminder from Rail Europe. When visiting our site a
while back, you asked us to let you know when the train you were looking
to travel on from rome to florence, on 6/7/11 was available for purchase.
Well, the day has come.
Please click *here* to purchase your tickets and confirm your
reservations today. Remember, the earlier you book, the better the price.

Hoping you have a wonderful trip,
Rail Europe

It is always better to book in advance to avoid any last minute hassles. Also you can get better deals by advance booking if your are traveling in the peak season.

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:16:24 +0000, harryoung wrote


It is always better to book in advance to avoid any last minute hassles.
Also you can get better deals by advance booking if your are traveling
in the peak season.

Not if you book through RailEurope or any other US travel agency.

--
Dave Hatunen, Tucson, Arizona, out where the cacti grow