We recently returned from a visit to Innsbruck, Austria, travelling by train from Glasgow. The journey there and back was comfortable and relaxing, a most enjoyable way to travel, but on two of the long distance trains, the seats did not line up with the windows: on Eurostar from London St.Pancras to Paris for example, there was a large window pillar at our seat, so I was unable to see out comfortably.

On the TGV, although we had a full window at our seat, the seat in front had no view, except a large window pillar! We booked our tickets on the Internet and there was nothing that gave any ability to choose individual seats, or how seats related to windows. How can we ensure that we have a window seat with a full view on any future long distance rail journey to Europe? Fred Landery, Hamilton, Lanarkshire

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: You are quite right; the web-based booking systems for Eurostar and other trains, simply gives you a choice of window or aisle, really meaning next to the aisle or next to the outside of the train, bit not actually guaranteeing you of a window view.

The solution is to make your next reservation over the phone. Make sure you talk this through with the reservations agent, as if you just ask for a window without explaining that you are looking for one with lined up with a clear outside view, they might do the same as you would have done on the Net and tick the "window" box when making the booking.

If you ask the Rail Europe (0844 848 4070) reservations staff nicely, for example, they will try and book this for you.

It works on the Eurostar, French TGV, and Lyria trains into Switzerland.

It's done as a special request on a different booking system to the one you can see on their website, so it might take a bit longer than normal to get your confirmation.

If you want to find which seats have unobstructed views before you call a rail ticket agent, there are detailed seat plans on the websites of Direct Line City Breaks (0870 300 8 333), and Rail Bookers (0844 482 1010), though oddly enough, not on the Eurostar site, which unhelpfully shows a seat plan minus the seat numbers.

If you already have a Eurostar booking and find you aren't at a window, you can ask to change your allocated seats at the staffed check-in kiosks on departure, providing the train isn't full of course.

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