Transport
Our Best Schemes for Cheap Train Tickets in France
I’ve been whizzing around France on TGV and other trains as cheaply as possible for over a decade. Riding the French rails is nearly always a joy, and if you know when to book and how to work the discount cards, sales, and special offers, you can bop around the French train system without shedding …
The Best Platform for Booking Train Tickets for France — Especially If You’re Abroad
I’ve been an avid train rider in France for the past 16 years, and frustrated with the error-prone SNCF (official French national railway) websites in their various incarnations for just as long. There are now two great private alternatives for booking train tickets that cost exactly the same as the official SNCF site (as well …
The Total Guide to Train Strikes in France: Ride Out the Aggravations
The French railway company SNCF is particularly and infamously susceptible to strikes. Here’s a look at the probability of strikes affecting your travel in 2019, how to plan your trip, and what to do if there’s a strike on your travel dates. In general, we love travelling by train in France and don’t think you …
The Best & Cheapest Ways to Travel Between Paris and Barcelona: Train, Bus, and — If You Must — Plane
I’ve long lived in the lovely, romantic French capital Paris and the lively, sexy Catalan capital Barcelona — these are absolutely my favorite two cities in the world. But how to travel between them? There are lots of websites that promise to sell you tickets between the two cities. A lot of them are terrible, …
All About How Wi-Fi Works on Renfe AVE Trains
A laptop connected to the Wi-FI on an AVE train Yes there is Wi-Fi on most of the Spanish high-speed trains known as AVE. For now, these are the only trains in Spain’s Renfe train network to have Wi-Fi internet. The Wi-Fi is free on these trains; it is included in the ticket price for …
Solved: The Problems with Renfe’s (God-Awful!!) Website and How to Get Around Them
Oh the problems with Renfe.com! I’m fluent in Spanish and have used the site for years, but I still get plenty of error messages myself. We’ve put together some of the major problems and what to do about them in this article, but basically the solutions boil down to one simple thing: buy your tickets …
A Train Inspector Reveals: The Top Five Most Beautiful, Thrilling Rides in Switzerland
I can safely say I’ve gone everywhere on the Swiss rail network, and here’s the verdict: Most Swiss train rides are awe-inspiring. But some are merely great, a handful are overrated, and a few simply suck. For the past nine years I’ve been taking them all in as a ticket inspector with the national railway …
F.A.Q. on Brazilian Bus Travel
I’d like to put my years of Brazilian bus travel to use and answer a few of the most common questions we get from travellers. I’m also including perspectives here from other travellers with extensive experience in Brazil, including some female travellers who were kind enough to lend their take. 1. How safe are Brazilian …
What You Never Knew about European Trains — Secrets from a Ticket Inspector
I wear a fancy Swiss uniform and go up and down the aisles to check your tickets. My sexy German job name is Personnenzugbegleiter. Basically, a ticket inspector, controller, or checker, depending on your flavor of English. A ticket inspector is a strange little animal. We hop on and off of trains, ensure passengers’ security, …