Jan 22, 2008
Buy a Eurailpass before March 31 and get a totally free day on European trains
Europe has gotten so expensive that it's a cause for rejoicing when one of the unavoidable costs of travel -- food, lodging, or transportation -- comes down in price. This is why a rare railpass sale from Rail Europe (tel. 888/382-7245; www.raileurope.com) is good news.
This Eurail Early Bird sale is tacking on a free extra rail day if you purchase certain of its European train passes by the end of March. That might not sound much, but with a 6-day pass going for $530, adding that extra, seventh day is like getting $87 worth of train travel free.
The sale is on the Select Pass (as well as its variations the Youthpass and the SaverPass, for two or more adults traveling together), which allows you to travel a certain number of days within a two-month period in your choice of three, four, or five countries (or, in a few cases, multi-country regions).
The days of train travel don't have to be consecutive; you can opt to use them, one at a time, at any point in your travels. The countries/regions you pick, however, must either be contiguous or connected by ferry from the following list: Austria, Benelux (includes Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland), Bulgaria/Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia/Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Here are the 2008 prices under this sale (children 2-11 pay half-price):
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This Eurail Early Bird sale is tacking on a free extra rail day if you purchase certain of its European train passes by the end of March. That might not sound much, but with a 6-day pass going for $530, adding that extra, seventh day is like getting $87 worth of train travel free.
The sale is on the Select Pass (as well as its variations the Youthpass and the SaverPass, for two or more adults traveling together), which allows you to travel a certain number of days within a two-month period in your choice of three, four, or five countries (or, in a few cases, multi-country regions).
The days of train travel don't have to be consecutive; you can opt to use them, one at a time, at any point in your travels. The countries/regions you pick, however, must either be contiguous or connected by ferry from the following list: Austria, Benelux (includes Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland), Bulgaria/Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia/Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Here are the 2008 prices under this sale (children 2-11 pay half-price):
- A 7-day pass (in other words, the six-day pass plus the freebie) costs $520 if you want to use it in three countries, $576 for four countries, and $630 for five countries.
- A 9-day pass costs $617 for three countries, $673 for four countries, and $729 for five countries.
- An 11-day pass costs $715 for three countries, $769 for four countries, and $822 for five countries.
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Jan 4, 2008
There are so few remaining discounts for senior travelers that I can cover them in 2 short paragraphs
People over the ages of 62 or 65 used to receive substantial discounts from the airlines and other travel suppliers. Today, the pickings are slimmer, but there do remain a handful of advantages for the mature American.
The National Park Service's Golden Age Passport costing only $10 and allowing unlimited lifetime admission to the National Parks, is the preeminent perk. It can only be obtained in person at one of the parks. Runner-up is Amtrak's discount of 15% for persons 62 and older, available on every train other than the weekday Acela, the Auto Train, and sleeper cars. Greyhound gives 10% off for seniors, Avis gives them 5% to 20% off, and Club Med claims to have senior reductions as great as 30%.
With more and more of the nation's population entering the category of "seniors," other travel suppliers are surely missing a bet by not publicizing an attractive discount program that will lure these dynamic vacationers to their products.
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The National Park Service's Golden Age Passport costing only $10 and allowing unlimited lifetime admission to the National Parks, is the preeminent perk. It can only be obtained in person at one of the parks. Runner-up is Amtrak's discount of 15% for persons 62 and older, available on every train other than the weekday Acela, the Auto Train, and sleeper cars. Greyhound gives 10% off for seniors, Avis gives them 5% to 20% off, and Club Med claims to have senior reductions as great as 30%.
With more and more of the nation's population entering the category of "seniors," other travel suppliers are surely missing a bet by not publicizing an attractive discount program that will lure these dynamic vacationers to their products.
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Labels: discounts
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
