Rail Europe vs Omio vs Trainline: Which Consistently Gets the Best Deals on Train Tickets
We ran dozens of pan-European searches on the three top train booking platforms, Rail Europe, Omio, and Trainline, and compared the results. The goal was to find out: Which site results in better and cheaper train trips? All three of these websites are far easier to use than most national European train booking sites, which can …
Omio Is a Decent Travel Booking Site, but With Some Problems—We’ve Used Better Alternatives
Me on a TGV INOUI train in France—one of the many trains bookable via Omio—though that’s not how I bought my ticket A lot of reviews would have you believe that Omio is a great way to book travel. And Omio is certainly an honest booking site (it’s not a scam, your e-tickets from Omio …
Osprey Farpoint Fairview Travel Daypack Review: My Tests in European City Use
Heading out in the evening in Barcelona with the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Travel Daypack packed with my dancing shoes, water, etc. A good daypack makes travel a lot easier. It keeps a few essentials—a water bottle, snacks, a book, an umbrella, an extra clothing layer—close at hand, but is light enough that you forget you’re …
The Best Way to Hang Purses, Daypacks, Etc in Bars, Cafés and Anywhere While Traveling
The Heroclip holding up an Osprey Farpoint Fairview Travel Daypack in a café Want to keep your trekking pack from getting dirty on the ground in a train station? Need a way to hang your small toiletry kit so as not to take up your host’s limited bathroom space? Want to attach a travel water …
The Travel Water Bottles that Collapse Down the Smallest—Reviewed
I get thirsty, but I hate buying plastic bottles of water. And I hate taking up extra space in my pack; I’m a minimalist travel packer, after all. The solution is collapsible water bottles. I’ve tried a number of them and nothing is perfect, but there are some good options to recommend, depending on your …
Schemes for Cheap Train Tickets in France
The minimalist cheapskate writer of this article on a Ouigo train I’ve been whizzing around France on TGV and other trains as cheaply as possible for over two decades. And here, my dear penny-pinching minimalists, is an insider’s guide to the best current strategies, booking platforms, discount cards, sales, and future insights for bopping around …
How to Book French Train Tickets: A Guide to Painless Trip Prep
On another train. My butt’s been in all kinds of European train seats for 21 years. Trains are hands-down the best way to get around France. If you’re not used to France and/or to European train travel, the ticketing options can seem a bit overwhelming. But I’ve been traveling the French rails for the past …
We Tested the Legitimate Train Booking Platforms for France—Here’s What Works Best for Cheap Tickets
I’ve been booking train tickets online for French trains for two decades, both with the SNCF’s official websites and the various good competing private booking platforms. There is now a healthy variety of alternatives for booking French train tickets that can get you e-tickets with the same dynamic pricing as you’d get purchasing directly from …
Late Trains in France: What to Know
This is a look at your chances of having issues due to delays on rail lines with the national operator SNCF in France and what to do if they occur. We have separately covered how to book French train tickets and what to know about French train strikes. The Likelihood of French Trains Suffering Delays …
Train Passes Offering Discounts in European Countries—What They Are and How to Get the Deals
Almost every European country offers some sort of a discount card available for purchase for discounts on their train systems. Unfortunately, these cards are often not really worth it unless you make particular trips repeatedly, say for work or visiting family. I’ve lived mainly in European countries over the last few years and ridden trains …