Plan for Progress  

CHEAP TRAIN FARES

Inexpensive train fares were once difficult to acquire but it is not so anymore. There are various reasons why people opt to commute by way of train:

It is comfortable since you are able to walk around and stretch your leg. You can also make new friends.

It is a very rapid way of commuting. With train travel you get to sidestep long traffic and long security lines at airports.

Travelling by train is quite exploratory. You get to enjoy the scenery from suburbs to cities, from forests to lakes and mountains to valleys.

It is often cheaper to travel via train than purchasing gasoline to drive long distances or purchasing airplane tickets.

Trains pollutes to a lesser extent than aircrafts as they give off less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Various countries have different agents and ways to acquire inexpensive fares:

1. Europe – commonly known as the home of inexpensive train travel. Europe has many rail passes to different countries in the continent. It is mostly available to travelers outside of Europe. If you plan a wide trip of Europe, you may decide to buy a Eurail which is a first class pass valid for one or several weeks which is quite economical. If you just want to visit sections of the continent, the cheap choice is Scanrail or the Balkan Flexipass.

2. USA – Amtrak US rail passes are cheap, and are available in 15 or 8 days choices. Children get ½ price passes. Tickets are sold for segmented travel, which means that it can take 2 or 3 sections provided by Amtrak to travel one city to another. Tickets are sold online at their website and international commuters and students are offered weekly specials and other hot deals.

3. India – rail travel is low cost in India. Travel by rail is your best option providing you can stand crowds. Many individuals commute by train in India and the railway sector has been getting better.

4. Australia – Austrail Flexipass is perfect for long term discovery. This pass is ideal for travel over 15 or 22 days and is very inexpensive. Each time you travel, those days are subtracted from the pass. The only shortcoming is that kids pay the same as adults.

TIPS TO FIND CHEAP TRAIN FARES:

Travel during off-peak seasons when trains offer cheap tickets. During peak hours there is greater demand for tickets so they are more costly at these times. Mid-week is an ideal time to book your ticket.

Make your reservations as early as possible to make use of reasonable tickets. The earlier you book, the cheaper the fare.

Check for holidays in your destinations as this tend to hike train ticket costs.

If you are commuting to Europe, browse online for tickets at Rail Europe. If you are travelling in groups the tickets are less expensive.

You can split the tickets in one journey and this often works out cheaper than to buy one ticket. This is really purchasing three or four tickets instead of one ticket.

Think about using a travel agent. They can often hunt own the best deals, saving you time and effort. STA Travel is a travel agent which also operates online providing special fares especially to students.

Browse online for cheap train fares. You will be shocked of how much discounts can be acquired on the internet. Online brokers are designed to find the lowest prices available. Some of the most common websites that offer these services are Amtrak.com, Virgintrains.co.uk, Thetrainline.com and Eurorail. The most suitable one would depend on the destination and where you are travelling from.