There are so many reasons why our favourite way to get somewhere is to travel by train. No one has to drive, it’s more comfortable, you can move about when you want to, you can get a table and play games or relax listening to your music, you can get just about anywhere and finally, it’s great value for money! Oh and if someone needs a wee, they don’t have to wait twenty miles for the next service station.
So when thetrainline.com offered to pay for us to go on an adventure by train we said a big yes and started planning where we wanted to go. The only problem was that we couldn’t agree!
I wanted to go somewhere that I could do some shopping as I had a few things I needed to get, Miss Frugal wanted to go to a nearby town to relax on the beach and at the play park and Master Frugal wanted to go to a theme park.
So, we costed up each destination using thetrainline.com app and discovered that we could do all three for less than £50 for the four of us (and our friends came with us on one trip.
So….
Miss Frugal got her wish and we went and had fish and chips, ate ice cream and realxed at the seaside for the day.
Master Frugal got his way and we went to the theme park.
And I got my way and we went shopping. Except I felt bad for dragging everyone shopping so we stopped off for a treat slice of cake in a fab little cafe where these are the table markers!
Travelling by train made the days so much more relaxing and it was great value for money in my opinion considering there were no petrol costs to pay and no parking charges to pay.
If you are travelling by train then I would strongly recommend using thetrainline.come and not just because they paid for some of our Summer fun days out. I genuinely have the app on my phone and use it regularly to check for train times and prices, it’s really quick and I’ve never had a problem with the information it’s given me. I also love the fact that you can store your home station and no matter where you are in the UK, you can just click on next train home.
But if I haven’t convinced you yet, here’s thetrainline.com’s tips on how to save as much money as possible on your train fares:
- Sign up for Ticket Alert emails and leave the thinking to someone else – sign up to Ticket Alerts and thetrainline.com will email you as soon as the cheapest tickets for your journey become available. That way, you can be sure to bag yourself a bargain and have more money leftover.
- Think ahead and book in advance – if you can, try to think ahead – it really will pay off. The cheapest Advance tickets are released twelve weeks ahead, so planning could really help you save!
- You can save up to 6pm the day before – it’s okay if you can’t plan ahead, because savings can be made right up until 6pm the day before you travel.
- Download thetrainline.com FREE mobile app – you can use the free app to search for and book the cheapest tickets for your journey. Once you’ve booked, avoid the ticket office and pick them up from a ticket machine just 10 minutes later.
- Use our Best Fare Finder tool – if you’re searching nearer the time for the cheapest tickets, head to our Best Fare Finder tool to make sure you’re getting the cheapest tickets for your journey – Tell us where you’d like to go and when and as long as you can be flexible, it’s a life (and money!) saver.
- Opt for Off-Peak – Travelling Off-Peak may be cheaper. We now indicate ‘Peak’ in our train times so you can choose whether to avoid it.
- Stay single – Two single tickets are often cheaper than a return. Our website highlights the cheapest available end-to-end ticket so you know you’re getting the best.
- Carry a card – having a railcard could save you 1/3 off rail fares. Go to www.railcard.co.uk for more details on which railcard you may be eligible for.
- Take it slowly – if you’re not in a rush, some routes are operated by several train companies and the slower, longer journeys may be cheaper than a faster one.
- Live departures – don’t forget you can get information on live departures from thetrainline.com, so you can keep track of your journey.
So next time you’re going anywhere, consider going by train.
