Trains vs Planes and Automobiles

On 3/6/2012 6:38 PM, Martin wrote:
On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:42:22 +0000 (UTC), Erilar
wrote:

As for those "frequent flyer miles": while my flights are always to
Europe, once a year doesn't accumulate enough to use for anything. My
credit card, on the other hand, earns actual cash, because I pay it off
every month.

I pay my card off every month. I don't see the card earning actual
cash.

I pay mine off every month, and get back at least 1% on all purchases.

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:42:22 +0000 (UTC), Erilar
wrote:

As for those "frequent flyer miles": while my flights are always to
Europe, once a year doesn't accumulate enough to use for anything. My
credit card, on the other hand, earns actual cash, because I pay it off
every month.


You might want to look into a credit card that pays you in airline
mileage rather than cash. I use an American Airlines Citibank card, I
also pay mine in full every month, and since I use my mileage only for
flights to Europe (never domestic flights) I value my payback as two
cents a dollar, rather than the one cent a dollar you probably get.


--
Ken Blake

What are the things which affect people's decision to travel by plane
or train or car when going on holiday? I love trains, and avoid
short-haul flights in favour of the train. I'm curious why more people
don't go by train for trips around Europe? Is it mainly price or time
are there other reasons too?

It depends on what you want. Visiting cities works well with trains.
But there is so much that is only practically reachable by car. This
is especially true in Britain with megalithics and Greece and Turkey
with their ancient sites, and both countries do not have a strong train
system as elsewhere in Europe.
--
Dan Stephenson
http://web.mac.com/stepheda
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

On 3/7/2012 3:57 AM, Martin wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:08:19 -0500, S Viemeister
wrote:

On 3/6/2012 6:38 PM, Martin wrote:
On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:42:22 +0000 (UTC), Erilar
wrote:

As for those "frequent flyer miles": while my flights are always to
Europe, once a year doesn't accumulate enough to use for anything. My
credit card, on the other hand, earns actual cash, because I pay it off
every month.

I pay my card off every month. I don't see the card earning actual
cash.

I pay mine off every month, and get back at least 1% on all purchases.

because your card charges the seller 1% more than my card does?

No idea. I'm just pleased to get something back.

Dan Stephenson wrote:
What are the things which affect people's decision to travel by plane
or train or car when going on holiday? I love trains, and avoid
short-haul flights in favour of the train. I'm curious why more people
don't go by train for trips around Europe? Is it mainly price or time
are there other reasons too?

It depends on what you want. Visiting cities works well with trains.
But there is so much that is only practically reachable by car. This is
especially true in Britain with megalithics and Greece and Turkey with
their ancient sites, and both countries do not have a strong train system
as elsewhere in Europe.

I only plan solo trips in countries where I don't need a car and speak the
language and can plan everything via internet. This usually means Germany,
Austria, and Switzerland. I've also visited Denmark and Norway on my own,
but only cities. For my Orkney trip last year I had a guide who provided
the transport.
--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

Martin wrote:
On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:42:22 +0000 (UTC), Erilar
wrote:


....

Trains are SO much less cramped than airplanes and you can get on and off
in the middle of cities or even small towns instead of out where there's
often no transport but a taxi, or even if other transport is available it
may take more hours(by train if you're lucky) to reach your destination.
That's what I'm facing in April to reach Passau, after which I get to avoid
airports for a couple weeks. At least my flights are nonstop!

You picked a town without an airport. Try doing something similar in
the USA.

Impossible! I wouldn't consider it. I can't even take a train anywhere
without a long drive.


http://www.e-energy.uni-passau.de/tr...ch-passau.html
Take a taxi from Munich airport to Freising train station for
approximately 25 euros (Alternatively, you may take the shuttle bus
number 635 to Freising train station. The shuttle bus leaves in front
of all terminals and runs every 20 minutes, 21 hours a day. Tickets
cost 2 € and can be bought on the bus too.)
Good! That was the piece of info I was missing.

Take the train from Freising to Passau.

And look out the windows along the way 8-)

I have all the schedule details including route maps and even sat. fotos of
the station surroundings saved in the same Photo "album" with hotel
reservation copies and other trip miscellany on my iPad already 8-)

As for those "frequent flyer miles": while my flights are always to
Europe, once a year doesn't accumulate enough to use for anything. My
credit card, on the other hand, earns actual cash, because I pay it off
every month.

I pay my card off every month. I don't see the card earning actual
cash.

Wrong kind of card 8-). I chose mine because of the cash back feature. The
interest rate is ridiculous, but doesn't affect me. I call it ripping off
the credit card company. It's no real benefit for most people, because
they don't have the sense to keep the use rational and pay it off each
month.


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

What are the things which affect people's decision to travel by plane
or train or car when going on holiday? I love trains, and avoid
short-haul flights in favour of the train. I'm curious why more people
don't go by train for trips around Europe? Is it mainly price or time
are there other reasons too?
It depends on what you want. Visiting cities works well with trains.
But there is so much that is only practically reachable by car. This
is especially true in Britain with megalithics and Greece and Turkey
with their ancient sites, and both countries do not have a strong train
system as elsewhere in Europe.

Turkey has a phenomenally good bus network. If there's anywhere
I'd want to get to in Turkey that I can't reach using buses and
(for short hops) taxis, I haven't felt a need to go there in the
last 30 years.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k
Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland
mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:42:22 +0000 (UTC), Erilar wrote in post :
:

Trains are SO much less cramped than airplanes and you can get on and off
in the middle of cities or even small towns instead of out where there's
often no transport but a taxi, or even if other transport is available it
may take more hours(by train if you're lucky) to reach your destination.
That's what I'm facing in April to reach Passau, after which I get to avoid
airports for a couple weeks. At least my flights are nonstop!

I'm a bit confused, you're flying to Passau?
There's a regular fast train service via Munich, many long distance trains
go through there.
--
Tim C.

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:42:22 +0000 (UTC), Erilar wrote in post :
:

bill wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:16:37 +0100, Martin wrote:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:08:37 +0100, Tom P wrote:

On 03/05/2012 07:24 PM, bill wrote:
The last time I flew within Europe it was with Ryanair and I decided
then that there has to be a better way to travel...

lol.. I'd agree with that...

... but not a cheaper, quicker way in many cases.

Only if you're lucky.

Munich? I meant Nuremburg/Regensburg.

--
Tim C.

"Tim C." wrote:
On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 20:42:22 +0000 (UTC), Erilar wrote in post :
:

Trains are SO much less cramped than airplanes and you can get on and off
in the middle of cities or even small towns instead of out where there's
often no transport but a taxi, or even if other transport is available it
may take more hours(by train if you're lucky) to reach your destination.
That's what I'm facing in April to reach Passau, after which I get to avoid
airports for a couple weeks. At least my flights are nonstop!

I'm a bit confused, you're flying to Passau?
There's a regular fast train service via Munich, many long distance trains
go through there.

I'll be on the bus to Freising, train from Freising to Passau, of course.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad