As with most products, the Eurail has some fine lines that you most likely will NOT know about. Jessica Lander lays out the drawbacks of this seemingly fabulous travel plan here.

 

by Jessica Lander

Pay a thousand dollars and get unlimited train travel in Europe for two months. It sounds like a great deal, a real money saver…doesn’t it?

 

The Eurail pass is recognized as one of the cheapest and easiest ways to travel throughout Europe. With a myriad of options available, you can choose how many countries you want to travel through, and for how long. The pass is also incredibly convenient in that it enables you to go to a train station, pick where you want to go, and take the next train to your destination. No waiting in line or planning ahead of time is required, and it offers complete flexibility, allowing you to even change your mind last minute. No sweat.

 

Now, if you’re smart, you’re thinking that this sounds too easy, too cheap, and you’re wondering, “What’s the catch?”

 

Unfortunately, you’re instinct is correct. There are a few.

 

The implications that traveling with a Eurail pass is both free and simple are misleading. Important details regarding extra fees and terms of use aren’t boldly stated on the Eurail website, leaving you to most likely find out the hard way. It’s like the fine print on the medicine label that explains you could possibly suffer a stroke from taking it. Without a magnifying glass, you would probably never know the risks because manufacturers are afraid that if the print was actually readable, you might not buy the product. Likewise, if you knew about the unlisted costs and stresses that come with having a Eurail pass, you might consider choosing to fly instead.

 

The biggest deception is that the pass guarantees you free travel. You don’t need a ticket, but depending on what type of train you take, you have to pay for a reservation. I was unaware of this until one day on a train to Italy, I was charged fifteen euros because the train required a reservation. In addition, I had to pay eight more euros because the reservation wasn’t made in advance.

 

So, then you reluctantly agree to make the reservation a few days before your departure and pay a few extra euros. It might sound reasonable, but even that plan is easier said than done.

 

While some of these reservations cost as little as six euros, others can be quite expensive. Moreover, sometimes you have to make several reservations to get to your destination, so even four cheap ones add up in the end. For instance, on my return from Italy, my reservations cost twenty-eight euros in total, even though I made them beforehand. For the same price, I might have been able to take an inexpensive flight, traveling for only a few hours versus the seventeen it took by train. 

 

Oh, and it gets better.

 

Making these reservations can often be a huge inconvenience. It can’t be done online like when booking a flight, but instead must be made at an international train station. If you can’t get to one before your trip, and wait until you arrive at the station, you’re risking the train being full, which is not uncommon.

 

Yet, even with the extra money and hassle, the Eurail can save you quite a bit of money. So, maybe you still think it’s worth the investment. But, once you encounter the consistent unreliability of the European train system, you might decide that traveling by train is definitely not worth the extra grey hairs.

 

While check in, security, and customs at the airport can be a nuisance, changing trains six times or more to get somewhere can not only be worse, but an open window for disaster to crawl through. For example, if one train is late, you miss all of your connections, and can either end up traveling double the time, or stuck somewhere overnight, forced to choose between finding a hotel or a comfy bench in the station to sleep on.

 

Both Kendra Davidson and Eileen McIntire, Emerson College students studying abroad, had nightmare train experiences leaving Barcelona. “All our trains were forty-five minutes late and one even broke down. We missed the last trains of the night, so in the end, we took a 135 euro cab ride home,” said Davidson.

 

McIntire had an even more difficult time getting out of Spain. “There was a train strike in France, so there were no trains and we got stranded in Barcelona for two days, slept on a park bench one night, and finally paid to take a flight out,” she said.

 

Due to these problems within the train system, both girls ended up paying much more money than anticipated, invalidating the point of their Eurail pass.

 

If you plan on traveling frequently during your stay in Europe, the Eurail might be worth your while for it will save you a good amount of money overall. But, if you are staying mostly within the same country, or few countries, it probably isn’t a good investment. Either way, before you jump on this seemingly perfect bargain, make sure it’s worth the money, the time, and the hassle, and most importantly, before you sign or pay for anything, read the fine print.