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[Cinnamon]

In June I have a week of 3 University visits with my eldest daughter...all over the country,& we thought we would go by train.

 

Now,I don't like trains,so I don't use them very often at all,so can anyone advise me the best way or the best place to pre book tickets?

Also can her 16-25 rail card be used booking this way?

 

Thanks everso - at least pre booking the tickets will take some of the worry out of it all

[ali-s]

I haven't travelled by train for about 4 years but have always used this site www.thetrainline.com to pre book tickets. If you book the tickets well in advance you can get a lot off the normal price. I always used to pre book the seats at the same time which cost and extra £1.00.

 

Not sure on the 16 - 25 rail card but I have used a family rail card and paid £2.00 each for Natalie and Jack travelling from Elgin (NE Scotland) to Newark (Nottinghamshire). £1.00 of the cost of their ticket was the seat booking price.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I use thetrainline.com for prebooking tickets. You can book a railcard on there so no problems with that, there will be a drop down list that you can choose your railcard type from.

I always find it best to check both return prices and the cost of buying two singles as, for advance purchase tickets, two singles can often work out cheaper. Also be aware that some advance purchase tickets will only be valid for the exact train that you are booked onto (ie you can't catch an earlier or later one if your plans change) but others are flexible. There should be a link to click onto to explain each ticket type.

Oh and my last piece of advice... if you can stretch to it, book first class as apart from being comfier, there is also practically zero chance of sitting next to someone eating smelly wotsits or burgers or large groups of people shouting to each other at 1000 decibels (can you guess I don't like train travel either )

[Cinnamon]

Top tips there,thanks both of you.

First class is my one stipulation,if its affordable

[chickencam]

I agree with everything said above. you will save a fortune by booking in adavance, but as has been stated check if you have to use a specific train and if singles are cheaper than returns. Also avoid peak times if possible, unfortunately these vary from days to day and place to place so it can get pretty complicated.

 

I love train travel, mys DS is a total train freak and we have vowed to go on a train holiday just the two of us before he goes to uni.

[Lewis]

I always book with Cross Country Trains

 

I don't think first class is that much different - and you can reserve a seat

We have a family + friends card that we can all use which makes things a lot cheaper

[missuscluck]

We booked tickets to london for a wedding with Virgin trains last year direct from their web site. I think we were only allowed to book 6 weeks or so in advance but the tickets worked out to about £20 each return which is amazing value. Had we not booked I think its somewhere in the region of £120

[Charlottechicken]

I have used www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk in the past. They send the tickets out really quickly too (had one lot in 2 days) They do offers on occasion too. I had return tickets to Worcester for two people for just £2 each last year, a lovely day out.

 

[ubereglu]

Regards to train tickets when exactly do advanced tickets come out usually?

 

I want to go to Cambridge the 2nd weekend in May and have been looking at fares for about a month now, but the advanced, (eg reduced price) tickets don't come up at all and this means even with my railcard it will cost me £48 for a return ticket as the CHEAPEST option, so I'm not very happy about this...

[Kirstine]

Sorry to say Ubereglu that if you can't see the advance tickets 4 weeks ahead that probably means they have gone. It is probably worth hanging on for a bit anyway, in case any turn up. Unlike air tickets that just go up and up if you procrastinate, once you've said 'goodbye' to the advance tickets you may as well book just a week or so ahead.

£48 from Somerset to Cambridge return doesn't sound that awful - I mean to say it is obviously a lot of money, but then it is also a long way. Do you have to go through London? Are you travelling on Friday evening? Either of those always push the price up, but might be impossible to avoid. I once took a National Express coach from Bristol to Cambridge. It was cheap, and avoided London, but took at least 6 hours ...

 

Kirstine

[debbier]

Virgin First Class Birmingham - London is great if you can get it cheaply in advance. The price includes breakfast there and a snack on the way back. You have use of the First Class lounge at Euston, with free toilets

I've only done it a couple of times, but the once it only cost me around £15 each way. Bargain!

[sadietoo]

Before now I have booked for London from South Coast with Southern rail for £3 each way if booked in advance....These fares do not come up on the National Rail site, and so I would recommend always checking the individual train company's internet site for offers before booking

[rabbitfluff]

I think the last time I used the trainline they charged a £1 booking fee (not sure if this was per ticket or per booking) so I now tend to use cross country trains as they don't (or at least didn't) - the ticket prices were the same.

 

The trainline has a handy best fare finder gadget if your time/day of travel is flexible so you could use that to find your ticket and book on cross country's site.

[The Dogmother]

I use this one for work bookings

 

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ always gives a good price if you book in advance.

 

I love train travel

[Daphne]

Ditto Claret's thoughts and www! I've just come back from a work trip involving South Coast - Middlesbrough return (well 2 singles actually) via London in peak travel time; cost £70, far cheaper/quicker/and more relaxing than I could have driven it! And I finished 'Girl with a Dragon Tattoo' and started Vol 2 as well

[ubereglu]

Sorry to say Ubereglu that if you can't see the advance tickets 4 weeks ahead that probably means they have gone. It is probably worth hanging on for a bit anyway, in case any turn up. Unlike air tickets that just go up and up if you procrastinate, once you've said 'goodbye' to the advance tickets you may as well book just a week or so ahead.

£48 from Somerset to Cambridge return doesn't sound that awful - I mean to say it is obviously a lot of money, but then it is also a long way. Do you have to go through London? Are you travelling on Friday evening? Either of those always push the price up, but might be impossible to avoid. I once took a National Express coach from Bristol to Cambridge. It was cheap, and avoided London, but took at least 6 hours ...

 

Kirstine

 

Unfortunately I HAVE to go by London as you need to change lines completely. And yes, I have to go on a Friday evening due to college, but that shouldn't make too much of a difference because both trains I would take are off-peak ones. Advanced tickets seem to pop up at any time nowadays though, whereas you used to be able to work out when they became available.

 

I've looked up coaches but it would take 8 hours, which is far too long.

[TAJ]

Now days I use trainline.com to do the research and then book with national rail as they do not charge as much booking fee. The other thing worth looking at is a family rail card - if DD is still in full time education I think even at 18 it still applies, but check with national rail. This gives 30% off what ever cheap ticket you find for adults and 70% of the childs price - I think it costs about £22 and covers up to 6 people. We have found 1 trip in a year actually covers the cost.

 

Tracy

[Cinnamon]

Just looked into this,& I am not sure if it will be worth it for us.

Devon already has a 16-25 card, which gives her 1/3 off, & the family card only goes up to age 15, not any child in full time education.

it may have been worth it to get a further 1/3 pff my fare,but you need to have a 5-15 year old with you on the journey

 

thanks for the info

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

It is very occasionally worth phoning the train operating companies for the very in-advance price deals. I've done that and got the just released mega cheap fares before they go online at thetrainline.com You will tend to only get these if there is only one operator for your whole journey though.

 

Ubereglu, £48 is a great price for that distance. Coaches may be cheaper but they will take forever. It may be worth looking at Saturday morning fares if you feel Friday night is too expensive.

 

Megabus and Megatrain often do very very very cheap advance fares between major cities too.

[Cinnamon]

Right-o, got Exeter all booked - they had almost all sold already & its not until June

 

Just Kent & University of Wales to do now.

[Woodcat]

Right-o, got Exeter all booked - they had almost all sold already & its not until June

 

Just Kent & University of Wales to do now.

 

Just being nosy now is that University of Kent in Canterbury? if so take some time to enjoy the grounds it's got some stunning views over Canterbury

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

If it's the Kent University Medway campus, ignore everything apart from Rochester city centre and you'll be fine.

[Cinnamon]

It is Canterbury yes,& Medway is one of the campus we will be seeing.

It looks fab from the site - I am all for her going to a more 'self contained' uni, where everything is all together

[The Dogmother]

It is Canterbury yes,& Medway is one of the campus we will be seeing.

It looks fab from the site - I am all for her going to a more 'self contained' uni, where everything is all together

 

Don't know if it's on your list, but have you looked at Warwick? Lovely campus and very self-contained.

[Cinnamon]

Yes,I have looked at it,but they don't specialise in Classics,which is Devon's chosen course.

Shame,as it looks lovely....