A Whim Goes a Long Way on a Rail Pass

The great thing about European rail passes is that you can follow your whim, choosing from thousands of destinations and a wide variety of departure times. You can travel through Europe less expensively by backpacker bus, but you are restricted to established routes and, at the most, one departure per day.

For rail travel in Europe, an excellent source is the 768-page “Europe by Train” by Katie Wood (Random House, 1997, $18).

Wood’s book is especially helpful to the traveler who dislikes planning: “It’s quite a heady feeling, never really knowing where you will be tomorrow.” Wood tells pass purchasers to check that “your name and other details are correct before you leave the issuing agent’s office.” All information on rail passes must match your passport exactly.

If you’re not sure of what you should budget, Wood says: “The most expensive countries are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland and Austria. The intermediate ones are Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Italy. The cheap ones are Spain, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Eastern Europe and Morocco.” On average, for bed and daily food you’ll need between $25 and $45 a day, Wood writes.

The book also covers various national youth (under 26) rail deals that you can take advantage of after you arrive (Eurotrain, Billet International Pour Jeunes and Europe Domino Tickets) and sightseeing, accommodation and rail-station services in popular destinations.

A few other points train travelers should keep in mind:

* Before you leave home make sure that you have a money belt, a lock to secure your pack to a rack while you are asleep (or if it’s out of sight) and a water bottle. “You can’t drink the water from the train washrooms anywhere in Europe,” Wood notes, or brush your teeth. She says that all drinks, including bottled water, are expensive in Europe.

* You can save money by spending the night on the train. An alternative is a berth in a couchette, but they are not included in the price of a pass and generally cost from $14 to $18 more. Berths are not segregated by gender and second-class compartments sleep six people. You must reserve berths at stations.

* In larger stations you’ll find tourist information offices , currency exchanges , waiting rooms, showers and services to store your luggage.

* Never let any luggage out of your sight.

Internet surfers can find information on youth discounts on European rail passes on a special youth fare page on the Rail Europe Internet site at https://www.raileurope.com.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com