Get on track for an epic European Rail journey

There are few things more romantic than the thought of beautiful European country sides passing by your window, and what a better way to see this than by train.

Trains are everywhere in Europe, and they come in many shapes and sizes. Some of them travel at high speed across the continent, while others move around leisurely, either by day or by night.

So what is it that agents should know when advising their clients about choosing train travel over say, a road trip or organized bus tour? We break it down for you.

Benefits of travelling by train:

No check-in queues, meaning travellers can rock up 10 minutes before the train departs (unless it’s the Eurostar, which requires a little bit more time).
City centre to city centre connections – no expensive cab charges and traffic.
Comfortable and spacious seats in all classes plus lots of legroom.
Power points for charging electronic devices – tablet, laptop, camera or phone.
No baggage limit, meaning great for shopping, though it’s not advisable to bring on too much or more than one carry to ensure a comfortable journey for all.
Exposed to Europe’s stunning scenery throughout the journey.
Go wherever, whenever – a lot of flexibility with Passes.
High-speed services often trump flying or driving (no traffic, no queues plus all of the other benefits listed here).
Cost efficient – tickets are cheap, especially when bought in advance – up to 70% off the regular price, bookable up to 120 days in advance.
Family friendly – certain trains have kid friendly carriages. In Switzerland, children under 16yo travel for free when accompanied by an adult and on the Eurail Pass, children under 11yo travel for free with a guardian.
Environmentally friendly – a lot less carbon emission than air travel or driving.
Convenient for day trips to neighbouring towns or wine region (no worries about drinking and driving!).
Travel overnight (save on hotel costs).
See Europe off the beaten track (with 240,000km of track, rail reaches to almost every corner of Europe that’s not accessible by road).
Great way to meet locals – Europe has an extremely efficient rail system used by most locals.
Good onboard dining services. Most trains have a bar service too.
A wide range of discounts and bonuses come along with the passes (check online).

Tips for getting good deals:

Book a few months in advance (up to six months).
Look out for constant deals on the website.
Agents should help their clients determine if point-to-point tickets or a rail pass would best suitable their trip – knowing this may mean large savings for the clients

Rail Europe GSAs offers agents the widest and best selection of European rail products across no less than 30 countries and 25,000 destinations on more than 11,000 different routes.

Agents are reminded that Rail Europe tickets are distributed by Rail Plus, Rail Tickets, CIT Holidays and Infinity Rail in Australia. See www.raileurope.fr/wheretobuy for more details.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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