Palenque

the dangers of forums like this is that someone who goes on one little train trip with a pass then makes generalities that just are not true in a larger context

I strive to point out that what you experienced was an exception and not the normso that others do not get a false picture. Not that i do not believe everything you say but it is extremely unusual and much of the things you lamented were your own fault for not reading the instructions that come with the pass - it is your duty to activate the pass once in Europe and to fill in the dates before you get on the train. That you were negligent is because you failed to read the info that came with the pass.

love_travel_Aus

Oh dear - what a disappointing response from you tony8028!

We have been using rail passes in Europe probably longer than you have been alive - and yep - the rules are clear - and you were lucky.
Paying those 12 euros was a small price to pay - so take a deep breath - if you are still reading - and laugh about this over a good dinner when you have settled back at home.

A shame you have given up on this forum - there is so much to learn - even for people like us who have been around for ages.

We will continue to use passes when it suits and even though I do not enjoy instructions I always re read the rules in case of changes.

May you have happy future travels...

Palenque

Yes indeedy tony was lucky -first of all he could have been fined, as one conductor said for not validating the pass as the instructions that came with the pass told him to do - and he could have been more likely fined for not having filled in his flexible travel days - the usual fine for that is 60 euros -and i have seen it happen on trains - though usually the conductor takes pity on clueless folks like tony -but not always - on one German train i saw an elderly American couple getpenalized for not filling in the day (they too were clueless) and the conductor then filled in the day for them as the instructions that come with the pass clearly demand and he proceded to fill in an extra date as well for the penalty- their five-day pass suddenly became a 4-day pass!

Sidny

I know it's not rocket science, but IMO the passes can be a bit confusing when people haven't done a lot of research (e.g., reading travel books or these forums). I had some friends meet me in Italy last year, they had bought passes, and even though we had all been to Europe before and used passes they forgot to validate before their first trip. Luckily for them, just a minor scolding to get the passes validated as soon as arriving at the station.

Palenque

Like sydny i have had several friends who have also 'forgot' to validate their passes and yes the conductor was always polite enough and told them to be sure to do it when they got off the train at their destination station.

There are some instances where you do not have to go to a train station ticket window to validate a pass

1- when coming into a country that your pass is valid in from a country (by train) that your pass is not valid in- say having a German Pass and coming by train from Holland - then the conditions say that the conductor will validate the pass on the train at no extra charge - i guess so you do not have to get off at the first station in that country and do it - even then IME the conductor is likely to say he does not have the necessary stamp to validate it and just do it when you arrive at your station

Palenque

And for folks who do not want to go thru the potential hassle of having to validate a pass in Europe at a ticket window - like at CDG Airport in Paris where lines IME are often absurdly long then there is another option - have your pass pre-validatedby whatever agency sells it to use- the you can use it from the get-go and just head for your train.

This would be most utilitarian in the scenario above -where you may have tight pre-reserved seats on a TGV and cannot afford to have to wait in a long long line just to validate your pass.