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Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watdaisy!maariano
From: maariano@watdaisy.UUCP (Marco Ariano)
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: Eurrail pass and other train options
Message-ID: <7650@watdaisy.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 9-Mar-86 13:45:31 EST
Article-I.D.: watdaisy.7650
Posted: Sun Mar  9 13:45:31 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Mar-86 00:24:24 EST
References: <2682@pucc-h> <5170001@acf4.UUCP> <12270@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: maariano@watdaisy.UUCP (Marco Ariano)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 49
Summary: *at LEAST* $100  (US even!)

In article <12270@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> citrin@ucbvax.berkeley.edu.UUCP (Wayne Citrin) writes:
>I have a few comments on the Eurrail pass.  It's very good for the grand
[...]
>The way to tell whether the Eurrail pass is right for you is to look at 
>a Eurrail schedule/fare table and estimate your total train fare.  You can 
>find this at your travel agent or Eurrail office.  Even if
>you anticipate completely spontaneous decisions on where to go, you can still
>make some good guesses.  If the total is greater than the cost of the rail
>pass, go for it.  Otherwise look at other alternatives.
>
[...]
>
>Anyway, I hope this contained some useful information about European train 
>travel.  I think it's great, although I'm thinking about doing it by car
>next time just for the different experience.
>
>Wayne Citrin
>(ucbvax!citrin)


Excellent points on using a Eurail pass.  Listen to this guy.

  I have one point I'd like to add.  When calculating whether a Eurail
pass is worthwhile for you, do not underestimate the value of time
saved from buying tickets.  As far as I'm concerned, this feature of a
rail pass is worth at least $100.  You just wander into the train
station, look at the timetable and hop the train you want.  It's
leaving in two minutes?!...No problem.  Without a pass you have to find
*where* to *stand in line* to ask in a *foreign language* (well almost)
for the cheapest kind of ticket you can get etc. and pay for it in
whatever currency.
  This is a serious consideration.  If you spontaneously decide to go
for a day trip to Fussen with some people you just met, you just hop
the train and go.  After using the trains in Britain and Czechoslovakia
(where Eurail is no good) we were continuously commenting on the
incredible convenience of our pass.
  I hope I've been convincing.  Just remember this when you're in
gare-nord in Paris, you don't have your ticket yet and your train, the
last one going today, leaves in two minutes.  (And they're *ALWAYS*
just leaving in two minutes! :-)


Marco Ariano                CSNET: maariano%watdaisy@waterloo.CSNET
			     ARPA: maariano%watdaisy%waterloo@csnet-relay.CSNET
University of Waterloo     BITNET: maariano%watdaisy%waterloo@csnet-relay.ARPA

(And don't get carried away trying to make your pass 'worth it' by
trying to see everything and sleeping on the train and go go go.
You'll really wish you hadn't later.)