I'm taking some long rides like London to Caernarfon, York to Edinburgh and so on. I find it more convenient to get to the station and buy a ticket right before leaving but am afraid they might say they're already booked out.
Is it worth booking bus and train tickets in advance in the UK?
- Thread starter some1whodeletedhisaccount
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If you book in advance, by a week or more, you will save a heck of a lot of money.
My typical tickets on the day are £28 return, but in advance £9 return. Big difference.
My typical tickets on the day are £28 return, but in advance £9 return. Big difference.
As above such things are considerably cheaper if you go far enough in advance, and even without that can drop prices (general tip is if someone would be taking it to go to work then it will be expensive, few hours after that then watch them drop) as you can finesse things.
I don't know offhand if those are sleeper trains* which can be a bit different but even those are usually still within the general systems of trains.
Also as above do watch out for strikes (several have been happening lately with more predicted) and other things delaying or cancelling things (winter time does tend to increase the amount of leaves on the tracks, or emergency works). They will usually put on a bus replacement or have another in an hour or so but they might be slower than ideal if you are doing connections.
*video because why not
I don't know offhand if those are sleeper trains* which can be a bit different but even those are usually still within the general systems of trains.
Also as above do watch out for strikes (several have been happening lately with more predicted) and other things delaying or cancelling things (winter time does tend to increase the amount of leaves on the tracks, or emergency works). They will usually put on a bus replacement or have another in an hour or so but they might be slower than ideal if you are doing connections.
*video because why not
So if there is a strike then what are my options? Taking an Uber all the way to Scotland or Wales is incredibly expensive. I'll probably have to extend my stay wherever I am at that time for a few days.
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Use Megabus they are not out on strike and have cheap travel all round the UK.
https://uk.megabus.com
If I miss a train am I able to take a later train using the same ticket or ask for a refund or do I forfeit my money and buy a new ticket? How do I receive a ticket I buy online when I'm physically in Australia right now?
Depends upon your ticket.
Some will be open/flexible, or with further restrictions (I refer back to the business/commuter crowd remark from earlier, crowd being the operative word if it is to or from London or another big city in the relevant direction, as those tend to be said restrictions).
Some will be very fixed do or die. These tend to be the cheapest ones as well.
Asking in the station can also help you out -- if you end up with a night somewhere (many places will have last train fairly tight if you spend too long in the pub/stay for the encore of a concert) then they might well transfer you to a new ticket the morning after if you ask nicely and have the original ticket still.
Refunds for many things are possible depending upon the timeline (further out is better). For trains you might take a bit of a hit on what you get back and have to sign some forms.
Some will be open/flexible, or with further restrictions (I refer back to the business/commuter crowd remark from earlier, crowd being the operative word if it is to or from London or another big city in the relevant direction, as those tend to be said restrictions).
Some will be very fixed do or die. These tend to be the cheapest ones as well.
Asking in the station can also help you out -- if you end up with a night somewhere (many places will have last train fairly tight if you spend too long in the pub/stay for the encore of a concert) then they might well transfer you to a new ticket the morning after if you ask nicely and have the original ticket still.
Refunds for many things are possible depending upon the timeline (further out is better). For trains you might take a bit of a hit on what you get back and have to sign some forms.
Can I buy tickets from any operator or does it have to be the operator which actually runs the service?
I'd like to buy a ticket from London to Southampton but South Western Railway doesn't like dealing with people who are not physically in the UK at the time of booking. Other operators seem to be willing to do this. Is there a particular operator you would recommend?
I'd like to buy a ticket from London to Southampton but South Western Railway doesn't like dealing with people who are not physically in the UK at the time of booking. Other operators seem to be willing to do this. Is there a particular operator you would recommend?
https://www.thetrainline.com/ is probably what most will suggest as a general site for fiddling with tickets if the baseline operator (which may or may not be cheaper or have other offers) is not playing nicely. Though https://www.omio.co.uk and https://rail.ninja/ are viable enough competitors (though rail ninja appears not to have Southampton where the others, which are basically clones, do)
How not in the UK is not in the UK? If it is a digital ticket then is this a proxy/VPN thing and maybe fun with SIP to get an internal number for a bit? If they want to ship physical then depending upon your hotel choice you can use them; high end hotels (don't imagine you are going for one but if it is a "I am there for one night" type deal then hey) maybe even sorting it for you (if not it is the sort of thing a concierge service is literally there for and most never use), basic chains maybe have connections for at least this and a private bed and breakfast type affair if you have booked that in advance will probably be amenable to having you send a ticket there (oh no one extra bit of post I get to store for a week or three).
How not in the UK is not in the UK? If it is a digital ticket then is this a proxy/VPN thing and maybe fun with SIP to get an internal number for a bit? If they want to ship physical then depending upon your hotel choice you can use them; high end hotels (don't imagine you are going for one but if it is a "I am there for one night" type deal then hey) maybe even sorting it for you (if not it is the sort of thing a concierge service is literally there for and most never use), basic chains maybe have connections for at least this and a private bed and breakfast type affair if you have booked that in advance will probably be amenable to having you send a ticket there (oh no one extra bit of post I get to store for a week or three).
They require me to use a British address when I make an account and the reviews on the app store claim the app refuses to run if you're not in the UK. I could work around it by using an address from Airbnb and a VPN but the Trainline service you recommended works without me needing to deal with any pointless bullshit.
What services are most likely to run on strike days? I was planning on going from one place to another on a certain day but a strike has been announced for that day. If I can't get a train then I'll have to spend an extra day at one place and one less day at another.
https://archive.ph/m22J2#selection-2365.28-2373.115 , archive of https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...strikes-this-month-october-2022-b2204920.html in case that one messes you around, appears to cover most things you need to know.
Though short version if you are just within England mainland is better to go the day before or after as it is going to vary considerably and probably in line with whatever loses them the least money, is most politically expedient or the like, even nominally fixed tickets can be shuffled around (or refunded). That or ditch the train and see if there is a coach heading that way (there won't be rail replacement like there might be if the track is damaged or something but coaches in general probably will be -- don't think they are the same union nor are they likely to do a sympathy play), as might buses (none mentioned in a quick search), and taxis (though that is expensive, be it official taxi or riding in someone's car you found on a phone). Flights can be done (some apparently do go from London city, and you could connect) but also very expensive.
Though short version if you are just within England mainland is better to go the day before or after as it is going to vary considerably and probably in line with whatever loses them the least money, is most politically expedient or the like, even nominally fixed tickets can be shuffled around (or refunded). That or ditch the train and see if there is a coach heading that way (there won't be rail replacement like there might be if the track is damaged or something but coaches in general probably will be -- don't think they are the same union nor are they likely to do a sympathy play), as might buses (none mentioned in a quick search), and taxis (though that is expensive, be it official taxi or riding in someone's car you found on a phone). Flights can be done (some apparently do go from London city, and you could connect) but also very expensive.
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