We have been planning to go InterRailing with our tent this summer. We are definitely over 26 (59 and 58), and usually travel "non-package". However, before embarking on a three-week train journey I have been trying to find out a few details about how the InterRail pass actually works. I know that we can get the Thomas Cook timetable to help plan the route, but to a certain extent, we don't want to plan too much in advance - just going where we fancy at the time. Rail Europe has sent me its brochures but they do not tell us anything that I cannot find on the websites. Could you help with the following queries?

1. We note that Eurostar is discounted, but not so heavily as the fares that you can get online if one is prepared to book a ticket on a certain train. Does this mean that you are able to just turn up at Waterloo/Paris/Lille and buy a ticket for the next train?

2. Do you just turn up at the European railway stations to board a train with the InterRail card? This query is more for the international routes via TGV or Italian high speed trains where reservations are necessary.

3. There are extra charges on some of the high speed trains - any idea of how much these are likely to be?

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4. We know what we plan to do for the first leg of our journey. Is there a way to book this online with a rail card prior to travel?

5. Are all these questions answered in accompanying information when we actually buy the InterRail pass?

Jenny Holland, by email


Times Online rail expert Alan Heywood responds: InterRail has been rebranded for 2007 and now combines the former InterRail and Eurodomino passes. The latter had been passes for one country for unlimited travel for relatively short durations.

There are two types of pass - the InterRail Global Pass covers 31 countries in Europe and is available for different periods of validity - the shortest being any 5 days travel within a 10 day period and the longest one month continuous. An adult 2nd class for the shorter duration is £184 and for the one month £444. First class tickets are also available. I reckon that's amazing value if you intend to do a lot of travelling.

The other type of pass is the InterRail One Country Pass and the shortest duration here is any three days within a month and the longest is eight days within a month. Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg count as one "country" for this purpose. Prices vary according to size of country. Big countries like France and Germany charge £140 for three days and £221 for the eight day pass (Second Class). The cheapest deals are mainly in the former east and the Balkans where three days costs £36 and eight days costs £88. Once again, first class options are available.

Taking the questions in order, you are right to say that the cheapest public tickets on Eurostar are often cheaper than the InterRail discounted tickets but you should never just turn up and hope to buy any kind of cheap ticket. It simply won't be available. Choose your date of travel (bookings open 120 days in advance) and, if possible, be flexible about the time of train so that you can take advantage of the cheapest available fares. Book as early as you can for the best deals.

For international and long distance trains in Europe, reservations are necessary but, subject to seat availability, these can often be done at very short notice (say, about an hour prior to departure). Of course, if you can plan in advance, this would give you peace of mind. All main stations in Europe have a good reservation office and there aren't usually any language problems when doing the transaction.

Surprisingly, the jury is still out on whether high speed supplements must be paid. With the old InterRail tickets, high speed supplements weren't included but, for Eurodomino, they were. My latest understanding is that the high speed ICE supplements will not be charged in Germany except for a few specific routes. In France, TGV supplements will "probably" not be charged. In both cases of course, you must pay a reservation fee. Don't forget to show your InterRail to the reservation clerk or you will definitely be charged the supplement!

You can buy Eurostar online, but I recommend buying your InterRail from a rail specialist travel agent either by email or by old fashioned telephone. The reason is very simply that the InterRail ticket doesn't come with lots of useful information and you will want to to ask a friendly person all manner of things - even some that don't occur to you until a few days before departure. Several good agents belong to the Association of European Rail Agents, from the website you can choose a retail agent from the list (some only deal with groups but the site makes this quite clear). Then contact the agency and the rest is easy. You will be surprised how easy it is - and good value too.

Alan Heywood is a director at rail specialists, Ffestiniog Travel

Got a question for Alan? Email us at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk

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