Chantelle

Hi.I am a 18 year old female planning to spend 4 months travelling around Europe. I will be starting my trip in Berlin and the rest is undecided. I've heard that traveling by train is the best way to go. Is this true and what type of pass should I get ?

WellChantelle

Well, Chantelle, the type of pass you get - if you DO get a pass - depends on where you plan to go. It may or may not be the cheapest/best strategy. <BR>What's your itinerary? <BR><BR>By the way, you can only stay out of the USA for 90 days without special permission, in case you're American. Four months and you'll need to make some special plans.

xxx

If you look closely at Chantelle's email address, you will notice that she is from British Columbia, Canada, not the US. <BR><BR>Chantelle, assuming that you are holding a Canadian passport, you might need to obtain visas for certain countries within Europe.

Rex

Train is a good way to travel for some routes, though there are increasing numbers of cheap flights between many cities in Europe.<BR><BR>Four months is a long time; I know that many young people have done this for deacdes, but if you were my daughter, I would insist on a general &quot;plan&quot;, and perhaps no more than two months.<BR><BR>I would urge you to buy a Thomas Cook European train travel timetable(about a 500 page book), and lay out a general plan. The web site www.railsaver.com will analyze what you want to do and make train ticket/pass recommendations.<BR><BR>It will not recommend air travel when it would be a better idea - - but with months to fill, you probably will want to &quot;snake&quot; along a meandering route.<BR><BR>You should assign yourself a LOT of reading in the next 6-8 weeks (I assume that the travel is in summer 2003?). Your local large public library or good well-stocked bookstore (or both) is a good place to start.<BR><BR>And come back here often as your plans evolve. You might wish to visit www.lonelyplanet.com (Thorntree) also - - there is a slightly younger (more &quot;backpack'n'hostel&quot crowd that hangs out there.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Kay

I think Rick Steves website www.ricksteves.com has some good information on what train pass to get, what you get for your money and how the system works. I found it very helpful.<BR>You will also find lots of good info on backpacking/train travel etc on www.lonelyplanet.com especially the Thorn Tree section.<BR>Kay

Julie

If you either are a student, or have been one recently, think you can get special student discounts on trains and flights. Check this out in your area as sometimes you need to get a student card before departure. It can save a lot of money.

Leslie

I second the recommendation for checking the rail pass descriptions on www.ricksteves.com. The best I've seen.

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