Interrail: travel route filled in ticket wrong - mistake

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

Hi.

(1) the InterRail ticket is an official document. these are expensive tickets. and as there are sometimes persons using fake (or stolen) tickets, the rules are very hard !! I fill out the ticket when I am in the train. :)

(2) I book it either online via [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] or personally at a station. I have bad experiences (to complicate) to do it by phone.

(3) you pay for a bed in a 6-bed-compartment between 10 and 25 EUR. depending on the country you travel:
[u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train[/u]
it is often cheaper than in a hostel. you save a day, when it is a boring route and nothing to see during the day. and you often meet a lot of nice travellers.

have fun,
Peter
:)

admin
Traveller
203 comments

Hi bumchicken,

1. It can be considered fraud to make ammendments as it might be thought that you are doing it for the purpose of obtaining benefits from your pass to which you are not entitiled. It is more important, to be clear and correct in details entered, in the case of a limited number of days pass - e.g., 10 in 22, where less scrupulous railers might attempt to travel on more days than they have paid for, but any apparent alterations, on any pass, might cause problems.

Your idea to right down the info on another piece of paper first, to ensure that the details are correct before entering them on the pass, is a wise one and I'm sure that you'll pay enough attention to avoid any mishap.

On occasion, I've had my pass very carefully scrutinised by suspicious controllers and border guards so it is best to give the least possible cause for their attentions.

2. I would advise trying to make the reservation in any big station, rather than before going on holiday or phoning, which might be expensive and difficult if you don't have the language competence or have a Scottish accent, like me! In my experience of many thousands of kilometres on European railways, making a reservation two or even one day in advance has been sufficient, though it's best to make them as far in advance as you can in the summer season, to avoid disappointment. When I arrive somewhere, I make the reservation for the next trip before leaving the station. That means that I can relax knowing where I'm going next and that it's taken care of.

3. Night trains mean not wasting sightseeing days sitting on trains if the scenery isn't exciting. You can go to sleep and wake up in a completely new place with new scenery, architecture, weather, money, language, etc,. It's a wonderful experience. I like lots of variety on my trips so I take mostly night trains. A couchette, which will cost around the same as a hostel bed gives greater comfort, as you can lie down; greater security as you're in a lockable compartment with other backpackers like yourself; and the opprtunity to chat with the others to swap stories and share advice and beer. I used to take a seat to save money, but the couchette means arriving much less fatigued than when having to sit up all night.

Hope it's all helpful to you. Have a great trip.


iaink


[quote]1. Why is it considered fraud if you make amendments to your InterRail ticket? I'm just a bit nervous in case I make a misstake and try to score it out and get my ticket cancelled or something. =P For anyone who has been on an InterRail trip before, do you make a rough copy of your journey plans for reference and fill in your master copy just before you get on your train?

2. What would you do if you were make a two-leg jjourney, and your second train requires compulsory reservation? Would it be advisable to book online or via phone before you go on your holidauy as opposed to buying these tickets once you get to your destination?

3. What, in your opinion, are the advantages/disadvantages of travelling by night as opposed to during the day between countries?[/quote]

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

hej Iaink ...
an answer at the same time ... ;)
by the way: my mum just came back yesterday from Aberdeen and loved it !!!
have a sunny day,
Peter
:)

admin
Traveller
203 comments

Yeah Peter, you just pipped me to the post, as we say here. And sunny it is; and for 4 consecutive days! But we don't usually even have 10 sunny days in 22! Prosit.


iaink


[quote]hej Iaink ...
an answer at the same time ... :wink:
by the way: my mum just came back yesterday from Aberdeen and loved it !!!
have a sunny day,
Peter
:)[/quote]

bumchicken
Traveller
7 comments

Such fast responses!

Well, thank you, everyone. It certainly does seem that travelling by night is more cost, and time, effective. I'm just worried that I'll book my hostels with nights free to allow for night trains, then I'll find out there's none and I'll have nowhere to sleep. =P Or that I'll have to switch trains halfway through the journey but sleep through my stop!

bumchicken
Traveller
7 comments

I suppose I could just book hostels for every night I'm away just in case, and let them know that I won't be using the room if I get a night train? It's more costly to pay for three more night, but am I better safe than sorry? Hostels in Prague and Hungary won't be very expensive anyway...

admin
Traveller
203 comments

Hi,

Many of the night trains don't involve changing train and many of them terminate at your destination, e.g., Amsterdam - Berlin. Some of the night train attendants will come along and wake you; sometimes they come along and give you your passport and ticket back 20 minutes before you arrive. Sometimes you have to wake yourself up. Maybe you have a small travel alarm you can take? I set the alarm on my mobile phone sometimes...just in case.

You can book your hostels well in advance if you like and, the great thing is that you can cancel and only lose a couple of Euros deposit if it's with 24 hours notice. It means that if you fancy changing your route or schedule you just go on the net and rearrange your accommodation. I, personally, like to have it all either booked or have all the hostel info, email addresses and phone numbers with me so that I'm never stuck. It's a wonderful system compared to what it was like before the Internet.

I make my plan using my calendar and never book hostels for the nights that I'll be on the train. I book hostels for the nights in between the train nights: usually about 8 nights are on the train. So if you get out your calendar and then just book your hostels for the nights that you won't be on the train you'll be fine. If you reserve hostels for the nights that you'll be on a train you'll lose deposits and, if you don't give 24 hrs notice, you'll lose the full price. I don't think it's worth the hassle of doing all the cancellations and losing money.

I've, luckily, never missed a train. One train, in Italy last year, was late and I missed my connection for Nice but still arrived in Nice the next afternoon and so the accomodation was still secure. You can also phone or email from your phone, if you will expect a delay, to let the hostel or hotel know that you'll be a bit late. You are doing lots of planning and considering in advance which is good. I once arrived in Florence, before the internet was invented, and all the hostels were full so I had to take a big room with a double bed and linen sheets in a hotel for 30 quid. In many places you will still get an ok room, to yourself, in a budget hotel near a station for less than 30 quid. Don't worry. It will be great.

All the best,


iaink



[quote]I suppose I could just book hostels for every night I'm away just in case, and let them know that I won't be using the room if I get a night train? It's more costly to pay for three more night, but am I better safe than sorry? Hostels in Prague and Hungary won't be very expensive anyway...[/quote]

stezbot
Traveller
31 comments

i've just saw iaink, that you said the train attendants will give you your passport and ticket back before you leave the train - they take your passport off you?

admin
Traveller
203 comments

Hi,

Yeah, but don't be alarmed. Someone told me that this happened in the East but I also had my passport, and railpass, taken on the Amsterdam - Basel overnight. All passports, and passes, are sometimes collected and, if you have a few borders to go through, it means that the attendant shows them to the border guards and you don't get woken several times in the night by brusque, gun-toting, gimlet-eyed automata. The attendants will come along in the morning; wake you, and return your stuff. Getting scrutinised by the guards, while you are half-asleep, trying to look law-abiding not like a smuggler, etc, is quite memorable and a bit fun. Just remember to smile and say thanks in an appropriate language.

Cheers,


iaink


[quote]i've just saw iaink, that you said the train attendants will give you your passport and ticket back before you leave the train - they take your passport off you?[/quote]

stezbot
Traveller
31 comments

thanks for rectifying that. i wanted to check before i got alarmed at guards, and in words that i probably won't learn in any languages, but luckily thankyou is easy enough :P cheers