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By Steve & Sandy Mouatt
There is nothing more frustrating than taking an organised tour only to by speed through some delightful little village as you are herded towards an attraction that you are meant to enjoy more. Of course the way to combat this is to become an independent traveller.
This need not be as daunting as it might at first seem as one of the easiest ways to travel around Europe is by rail using one of the various rail passes that are available.
This is not just an occupation for the rich as the passes are very reasonably priced and many are also available in 1st class for those of who prefer a little more comfort. Of course you might think that because there isn't a tour operator organising and planning everything that this workload falls on you. Well there is a simple solution that the flexibility of the rail passes offers you; Don't plan.
Of course you need to decide where and when you wish to go and how long you want your holiday to last but you needn't book accommodation for the duration of you holiday as it's easy to find places to stay. Many European railway stations have accommodation directories or booking offices attached to them and normally where this isn't the case a Tourist information office will be close at hand.
You might worry that you arrive at some strange foreign town and there will be no room at the Inn. Unless you turn up in Cannes during the film festival or Monaco during the Grand Prix week this is unlikely to happen. But if the worse happens you simply hop back on the train again and find a less crowded town.
The biggest single advantage that such a holiday brings you is the sense of freedom. You become the captain of the ship so that when you come across that picturesque village you just simply order a stop rather than pushing on to yet another collection of souvenir shops.
The most important thing to remember is that you must purchase your train pass before you leave home as they have conditions to prevent their use for domestic purposes being far cheaper than equivalent season tickets.
For those of you from outside Europe, there are several different types of Eurail passes - for those under 26 years, single travellers, couples and groups of 2-5 people travelling together. Countries covered by this pass - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland with different duration's to choose from.
There is also a range of rail passes for Britain and Ireland including one that allows unlimited travel on the underground (subway) and buses in London.
For those of us who already reside in Europe there are a number of passes that are available but again must be purchased before you set off on your adventurous holiday. If you want to visit multiple countries, the best value for money pass is the Inter - rail pass, giving you the freedom to travel within up to 28 European countries for various duration's. At one time this was restricted to those under 26 years old but these days at an additional cost an over 26 pass is available.
If you intend limiting you itinerary to only a few countries then there are a range of other passes that cover a small set of countries. The Scan Rail Pass entitles you to travel in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The Benelux Rail Pass covers you for Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg whilst the Iberic Rail pass will carry you across Spain and Portugal.
However if you only want to travel within only one country, there are a number of single country passes also available. These are; Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
The various passes do not just provide you with rail travel as some other forms of transport are often covered such as ferries, buses, trams and even cable cars. Even where it doesn't provide free transport often significant discounts are given.
With passes varying in duration from 5 days to 3 months the cost varies significantly but for as little as £219 you can travel across all of Europe for a month.
For further information on the various passes available try Europe On Rail or contact your local railway station. For timetables Thomas Cooks produce a European Rail Timetable that is indispensable once you are on the road (or should that be rails) or of course just check out travellers-friend.com .
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