jimb@drutx.UUCP (Jim Bryant) (03/11/86)
>However, the *ease* of purchase associated >with the Eurrail pass is worth a lot. With a pass, you do not have to >wait in long lines to purchase tickets, and with a first class pass, >your reservations are automatically confirmed. This is a good point, and there is another. Occasionally, I managed to get on the wrong train (esp. in Yugoslavia and Spain). When you don't know the language well, it can be difficult to buy the correct ticket. Then, if you do get on the wrong train, as long as you have your Eurail Pass, you can just get off the wrong train and try again. Without a Pass, you must haggle with some (sometimes very unfriendly) ticket master. Unfortunately, the Eurail Pass is not good in Yugo., so I had to haggle a lot :-). In general, you must factor in the convenience of not having to buy tickets when you consider the cost of a Pass. We often arrived at the train station just 5 minutes before our train was to leave. >My advice would be to get a first class pass, even if you qualify for >the Youthpass. With a second class pass, you have to pay extra for >confirmed reservations, express trains, and sleeping cars. These are >all free with a first class pass. I agree! I bought a second class ticket, and survived, but I would never do it again. In addition to the comments mentioned above, consider: 1) Where you will do most of your traveling. In Northern Europe there is less reason to go 1st class. However, in Southern Europe, there can be a vast difference. In Spain, the 2nd class sections were always bursting at the seams with people, which often meant sitting on the floor, the bathrooms were often "out" of water and a total mess, the air conditioning didn't work, etc. 2) If you plan to take many "overnight" trips. (There are several advantages to taking an overnight train, the main one for most Americans is that you save valuable time by sleeping and traveling at the same time. Also, you save the cost of a pension or hostel when you sleep on the train.) By traveling 1st class, you can usually stretch out across three seats (assuming there are no sleepers on the train) and be pretty comfortable. 2nd class is usually too full to allow that. 3) You will probably meet more students (American and European), and will feel less like a "rich amerikan," if you go 2nd class. However, if you have a 1st class pass, you can always sit in the 2nd class section if you choose, and when you don't feel like it, are exhausted, and want to rest and recover, the 1st class section is available. Overall, buying a 1st class pass instead of a 2nd class allows you even more flexibility and gives you even more options, helping to make your trip more enjoyable. ------- Jim Bryant - the right choice -====------ ...!{ihnp4,ulysses,mtuxo,whuxl}!drutx!jimb -======------ /\ --====------- AT&T Information Systems Laboratories /~~\ ---/\------ 11900 North Pecos 30K66 /\ / \ /\ /~~\--- /\ Denver, Colorado 80234 / \/ /\ \/ \/ \ /\ / \ (303) 538-4224 / \ / \/ / \/ \ / \ / \/ \ / / \/ \ / \/ \