Unlimited Rail Pass for Students

Travelers now can buy a ticket valid for unlimited rail travel in Britain and France, plus return travel across the English Channel. An attractive feature of the pass is that travel on consecutive days isn’t necessary for full value.

The BritFrance Railpasses can be used on Britain’s high-speed InterCity trains, and for travel aboard the world’s fastest train, the French TGV. It’s also valid for round-trip Hovercraft travel between Dover and Boulogne, or Dover and Calais. For the Hovercraft you must make seat reservations, a service that costs about $4.

There are no youth or student rates for BritFrance passes, but there is an economy version with seats in second-class rail cars. A pass for economy-class travel on any five days throughout a 15-day period costs $199; for 10 days throughout a one-month period it’s $299. Passes must be bought before leaving the United States. They’re available through travel agents.

Youth rates are offered for unlimited second-class rail travel in England, Scotland and Wales. The BritRail Youth Passes are available to travelers between 16 and 25 years. An eight-day pass costs $169, 15 days is $239, 22 days $309, and a one-month version $359.

Last year a Flexipass version of the BritRail Youth Pass was introduced. A ticket valid for four days throughout an eight-day period costs $139. For travel any eight days in a 15-day period it’s $199, and for any 15 days through a one-month period the cost is $289. BritRail Youth Passes must be bought through a travel agent before you leave home.

If you’d rather not commit yourself to buying a rail ticket before your arrival in Britain, you can still take advantage of some discounts if you’re the right age or on student status.

The British Tourist Authority offers a student over 16 a Student Coach Card after arrival in Britain if he or she can provide proof of being a full-time student. The card, which costs 3.90 (about $6.75 U.S.), can be bought from National Express and Scottish City-link agents in England, Scotland and Wales, or at the Coach Travel Centre, 13 Regent St., London.

The International Student Travel Conference advises that full-time students and non-students under 24 can buy a Young Person’s Rail Card, which is honored for reductions of 33% to 50% on regular rail fares in Britain. The card most likely would be of best value to long-term visitors. The cost is 15, and the card is valid for one year.

London travel agencies affiliated with the Student Travel Conference include Travel CUTS, 295A Regent St.; London Student Travel, 52 Grosvenor Gardens (opposite Victoria Station), and STA Travel, 74 Old Brompton Road.

These offices also can supply information on reduced rates for travel from Britain to continental Europe. Services include budget bus travel and special point-to-point rail tickets that are available to travelers under 26.

The rail tickets are called Transalpino, or Eurotrain, and are available for hundreds of European destinations in 22 European countries and Morocco. You can take up to two months to complete the journey. Some of the reduced rail tickets are for routes that circle back to London.

For example, Eurotrain recently offered a ticket for travel from London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and back to London for $112. A ticket from London to Amsterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Cologne, Brussels and back to London was $305.

One of the best sources for information on budget travel in Britain is the 590-page, 1990 edition, of “Let’s Go: Britain and Ireland” (Harvard Student Agencies, $12.95).

For more information on travel to Britain, contact the British Tourist Authority, 350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071, (213) 628-3525.