George Nugent Travels

Welcome to the first of my practical guide series that aims to make some of the most difficult elements of travelling easier for you to understand.

One of the most common things that people struggle with in the UK is booking train tickets, especially for long distance rail travel. With that in mind I want to share with you some advice that will make the experience easier for you.

Step 1 – Book Direct With The Operator

Although websites such as the Trainline claim to make the process easier for you, the truth is they regularly fail to notify you of train cancellations and also make it much harder to get a refund if you are delayed.

If you are doing a journey with multiple operators, book with the one you are using for the majority of the journey.

Step 2 – Know What Type of Ticket You Need

This is by far the hardest part of the experience, knowing what ticket type you need. Some cheap tickets offer less flexibility.

To explain more I will use the LNER website for a journey between Edinburgh and Newcastle.

As you can see, for one train there are potentially seven different ticket types, ranging in price and flexibility, below is a handy breakdown for you.

1. Advance Single – Valid only on the service you pick and are non refundable.
2. Advance Single (1st Class) – Valid only on the service you pick and are non refundable, butt will allow you to sit in first class.
3. Off-Peak Single – Valid on any service between your origin and destination, however, are subject to early morning and evening time restrictions.
4. Anytime Single – Valid on any service between your origin and destination regardless of time of day.
5. Off-Peak Single (1st Class) – Valid on any service between your origin and destination in first class, however, are subject to early morning and evening time restrictions.
6. Anytime Single (1st Class) – In the example above this is valid on any LNER service in 1st class regardless of time of day.
7. Anytime Single (1st Class) – In the example above this is valid on any operators service in 1st class regardless of time of day.

The simplest way to work out what ticket you need is to know when you want to travel and book an advanced ticket. This will restrict you to a specific train but is usually significantly cheaper.

Step 3 – Do You Qualify For A Railcard

As with anything on UK railways this is not straightforward. A large number of people are eligible for a railcard that will save them 1/3 on the price of a ticket.

Multiple different cards are available, and to find out more, and get help on finding the best value card I recommend visiting the LNER Railcard page and using their helpful tool.

To access the LNER railcard tool, press here.

When you have your railcard you can input this into your search when you are booking.

Step 4 – Getting Your Ticket

You have two main options for collecting your ticket. You can either collect them from a station with a ticket vending machine, or you can get an electronic ticket directly to your phone.

If you are collecting your tickets, look out for an email immediately after booking thus will have a collection number on it.

Remember and collect your tickets before boarding the train!

Step 5 – Enjoy Your Journey

All that is left to do is turn up to the station and get on your way.