What's the secret of cheap train travel?
Discussion
Split tickets - instead of london to Manchester, try London to Stoke, and Stoke to Manchester - same train, same seat, different pricing structures - https://www.splitticketing.com/
(try to avoid using the plagiarised Martin Lewis Moneysavingexpert version of this site - he doesn't deserve any credit for stealing another persons idea!)
(try to avoid using the plagiarised Martin Lewis Moneysavingexpert version of this site - he doesn't deserve any credit for stealing another persons idea!)
dvs_dave said:
With a car full, surely driving is much cheaper than the 350 quid the train will cost, and much more convenient, especially as you'll be at the mercy of weekend timetables? 3 1/2 hrs, 200 miles each way.
this being ph the op could hire a nice car, 2 seater forget the passengers and have a nice run down..The Moose said:
£88 return per adult seems bloody expensive for 4 of us to go for a long weekend (Fri to Sun).
Not really a secret, they just make it a bd to actually find, but you'd qualify for a GroupSave discount ... 1/3 off.http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/pr354fdc...
Good luck applying it on any website though, best to buy your tickets in person. And Friday afternoon services may not be applicable.
The secret of cheap train travel, OP, is to play the buggers at their own game.
Both Slough and Totnes are served by First Great Western. However, buying a ticket from one to the other right through doesn't necessarily mean that you can't get a cheaper fare, if you look around for it and can spare the time to dig deeply into their fare structure, which is basically based on a zoning principle (though they don't tell you that, and even if they call it something else, that is what they are doing)
Let me give you a f'rinstance to illustrate my point (at last year's prices, BTW). Chippenham and Henley on Thames are both served by FGW, and an off peak return between the two will cost you £40.60.
If instead you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Swindon it would cost you £6.70, and then an off peak return from Swindon to Henley which would cost you £26.10, then the total bill would be £32.80, a saving of £7.80 on the "through" ticket.
If you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Didcot it would cost you £14.60, and then an off peak return from Didcot to Henley which would cost you £8.90, then the total bill would then be £23.50, a saving of £15.10 on the "through" ticket. In other words, over a third of the advertised through ticket price .
You can swan in to any of their staffed stations and and ask the person behind the counter for a return from A to B, and then a return from B to C. You can also do it online, and specify that you want to pick the tickets up from your local station. You can't of course do it with automatic ticket machines as they only sell you tickets from the station you are at to the place you want to go.
If I wanted to go from Slough to Totnes I'd be looking at prices to and from such places as Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Castle Cary, Taunton, Tiverton Junction, Exeter and Newton Abbott, and then start adding up the totals on the various permutations.
One word of warning though. Whilst this is perfectly legal and above board (and the TOCs despise you for doing it, which makes it even more fun ) you must make sure that the train(s) you are on actually stop at the stations that you've bought tickets to and from. The Revenue Protection lads and ladesses really enjoy catching people with tickets to an from Aldermaston or wherever when the train doesn't stop there...
Happy hunting
Both Slough and Totnes are served by First Great Western. However, buying a ticket from one to the other right through doesn't necessarily mean that you can't get a cheaper fare, if you look around for it and can spare the time to dig deeply into their fare structure, which is basically based on a zoning principle (though they don't tell you that, and even if they call it something else, that is what they are doing)
Let me give you a f'rinstance to illustrate my point (at last year's prices, BTW). Chippenham and Henley on Thames are both served by FGW, and an off peak return between the two will cost you £40.60.
If instead you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Swindon it would cost you £6.70, and then an off peak return from Swindon to Henley which would cost you £26.10, then the total bill would be £32.80, a saving of £7.80 on the "through" ticket.
If you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Didcot it would cost you £14.60, and then an off peak return from Didcot to Henley which would cost you £8.90, then the total bill would then be £23.50, a saving of £15.10 on the "through" ticket. In other words, over a third of the advertised through ticket price .
You can swan in to any of their staffed stations and and ask the person behind the counter for a return from A to B, and then a return from B to C. You can also do it online, and specify that you want to pick the tickets up from your local station. You can't of course do it with automatic ticket machines as they only sell you tickets from the station you are at to the place you want to go.
If I wanted to go from Slough to Totnes I'd be looking at prices to and from such places as Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Castle Cary, Taunton, Tiverton Junction, Exeter and Newton Abbott, and then start adding up the totals on the various permutations.
One word of warning though. Whilst this is perfectly legal and above board (and the TOCs despise you for doing it, which makes it even more fun ) you must make sure that the train(s) you are on actually stop at the stations that you've bought tickets to and from. The Revenue Protection lads and ladesses really enjoy catching people with tickets to an from Aldermaston or wherever when the train doesn't stop there...
Happy hunting
rs1952 said:
The secret of cheap train travel, OP, is to play the buggers at their own game.
Both Slough and Totnes are served by First Great Western. However, buying a ticket from one to the other right through doesn't necessarily mean that you can't get a cheaper fare, if you look around for it and can spare the time to dig deeply into their fare structure, which is basically based on a zoning principle (though they don't tell you that, and even if they call it something else, that is what they are doing)
Let me give you a f'rinstance to illustrate my point (at last year's prices, BTW). Chippenham and Henley on Thames are both served by FGW, and an off peak return between the two will cost you £40.60.
If instead you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Swindon it would cost you £6.70, and then an off peak return from Swindon to Henley which would cost you £26.10, then the total bill would be £32.80, a saving of £7.80 on the "through" ticket.
If you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Didcot it would cost you £14.60, and then an off peak return from Didcot to Henley which would cost you £8.90, then the total bill would then be £23.50, a saving of £15.10 on the "through" ticket. In other words, over a third of the advertised through ticket price .
You can swan in to any of their staffed stations and and ask the person behind the counter for a return from A to B, and then a return from B to C. You can also do it online, and specify that you want to pick the tickets up from your local station. You can't of course do it with automatic ticket machines as they only sell you tickets from the station you are at to the place you want to go.
If I wanted to go from Slough to Totnes I'd be looking at prices to and from such places as Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Castle Cary, Taunton, Tiverton Junction, Exeter and Newton Abbott, and then start adding up the totals on the various permutations.
One word of warning though. Whilst this is perfectly legal and above board (and the TOCs despise you for doing it, which makes it even more fun ) you must make sure that the train(s) you are on actually stop at the stations that you've bought tickets to and from. The Revenue Protection lads and ladesses really enjoy catching people with tickets to an from Aldermaston or wherever when the train doesn't stop there...
Happy hunting
Thank you for that. MUch appreciated.Both Slough and Totnes are served by First Great Western. However, buying a ticket from one to the other right through doesn't necessarily mean that you can't get a cheaper fare, if you look around for it and can spare the time to dig deeply into their fare structure, which is basically based on a zoning principle (though they don't tell you that, and even if they call it something else, that is what they are doing)
Let me give you a f'rinstance to illustrate my point (at last year's prices, BTW). Chippenham and Henley on Thames are both served by FGW, and an off peak return between the two will cost you £40.60.
If instead you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Swindon it would cost you £6.70, and then an off peak return from Swindon to Henley which would cost you £26.10, then the total bill would be £32.80, a saving of £7.80 on the "through" ticket.
If you bought an off peak return from Chippenham to Didcot it would cost you £14.60, and then an off peak return from Didcot to Henley which would cost you £8.90, then the total bill would then be £23.50, a saving of £15.10 on the "through" ticket. In other words, over a third of the advertised through ticket price .
You can swan in to any of their staffed stations and and ask the person behind the counter for a return from A to B, and then a return from B to C. You can also do it online, and specify that you want to pick the tickets up from your local station. You can't of course do it with automatic ticket machines as they only sell you tickets from the station you are at to the place you want to go.
If I wanted to go from Slough to Totnes I'd be looking at prices to and from such places as Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Castle Cary, Taunton, Tiverton Junction, Exeter and Newton Abbott, and then start adding up the totals on the various permutations.
One word of warning though. Whilst this is perfectly legal and above board (and the TOCs despise you for doing it, which makes it even more fun ) you must make sure that the train(s) you are on actually stop at the stations that you've bought tickets to and from. The Revenue Protection lads and ladesses really enjoy catching people with tickets to an from Aldermaston or wherever when the train doesn't stop there...
Happy hunting
Out of interest, how can one find out the FGW zones?
Is this likely a pointless task as I'll end up on the bloody buses anyway?!
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff