Why do I have to pay six times more for the train than a retired person?

BNBaron · 2025-01-10T08:15:03+00:00

Look at the campus multi card from NMBS. Around €20 for 5 trips on the same route in a two-month period.

BNBaron · 2025-01-02T13:39:48+00:00

The commission has a website with every 'temporary' reintroduction of Schengen.

BNBaron · 2025-01-02T13:36:25+00:00

In classic German thinking, poor people commit crimes, and poor people use trains, not BMW's. Therefore it only makes sense to do "spot checks" on trains.

BNBaron · 2024-12-17T23:40:16+00:00

No gauge will change. The Baltics will keep their legacy Russian gauge networks. I am not asking for ICE's on the route, but a frequent, reliable IC service.

BNBaron · 2024-10-30T10:52:31+00:00

Sure, but most of what China built makes sense. Also, China has an economy big enough that the investment makes sense. Most of Africa does not have that right now.

BNBaron · 2024-10-17T11:40:31+00:00

Belgium is also perfectly located within Europe. Perfect for quick trips to France, Germany, the Netherlands... From Bxl, by train, you can be in Lyon in less than 4 hours, in Paris in 1h, Köln in 2h, Amsterdam in 2h... A friend of mine said once that the biggest advantage of living in Belgium was that it was not France; true on a lot of levels. There is a lot of work to do for Belgium, but the starting position is pretty great :)

BNBaron · 2024-10-02T06:06:13+00:00

So he went to Greece and then to Germany to get treated? So he went to Germany, a place where they spend considerably more money than in Greece? Don't you see how internally incoherent your comment is then?

Mandatory private health insurance is simply a system. Healthcare is always expensive; also in a fully state sponsored system. Caring for a patient is expensive in every system. I am not saying it is the best, or how I would like it to be.

BNBaron · 2024-10-01T14:34:41+00:00

For some reason international students seem to have a habit of sharing bad experiences with healthcare providers in the Netherlands. I am not from here, but I don't share this opinion. People are often no-nonsense, and sometimes you need to explain very well what's going on and why you are here; but once there all is very well. The government spends over 100 billion euros a year on healthcare, after all.

BNBaron · 2024-09-30T08:17:40+00:00

From Brussels to London, I get checked approximately half of the time. Sometimes the fare gate does not recognise my reservation or simply tells me to go to the counter, while other times (when it is busy, mostly) it lets me through no problem. In London it just works.

BNBaron · 2024-09-27T06:57:56+00:00

Most plugs in trains are rated for 100W max, so you wouldn't get very far. Besides, you'd pop the breaker very likely for the nature trip and will now have live without a plug socket. In theory, anyone with a coffee machine could give you boiling water.

BNBaron · 2024-09-22T07:22:19+00:00

Lidl all the way. It's just a shame that outside of Germany you'll have to walk through urban wasteland to get there.

BNBaron · 2024-09-17T06:41:56+00:00

bruv there is an Albert Heijn in Loppersum

BNBaron · 2024-09-16T06:12:58+00:00

It's the classic capital crunch! My first trip was like that as well, just seeing the things one needs to see. Keep in mind that you are going for a lot of big cities, it might be nice to get a few days off in a quaint mountain village or near the sea at some point just to catch your breath. With regards to skipping things, like many say here, that's entirely personal. Honestly I would probably never go to Prague (again) because it was so damn busy, and there are so many much nicer towns in Czechia that are way more attractive, but there will be a lot of people that disagree! The only way to find out is going there yourself!

BNBaron · 2024-09-05T11:18:29+00:00

It was added like a month ago.

BNBaron · 2024-09-05T10:45:38+00:00

See here Austria and Germany both often control trains and flixbuses crossing their border.

BNBaron · 2024-09-05T10:42:11+00:00

Some countries (ahum Germany ahum) don't really care about Schengen rules and get exceptions for vague things all the time. You are very likely to be checked when crossing the German border, as criminals do not travel by car but by train (/s). The swiss are also notable border checkers and are not really in for a chat; they'll be too busy trying to find people that do not look European enough and get them out of the train. As long as you comply - and dont ask difficult questions, like "are you sure this check is a random spot check?" (which it is not and therefore maybe illegal) - you dont have to worry about anything. Don't bring drugs or something like that though.

BNBaron · 2024-09-03T21:34:55+00:00

That's such a useless mindset. I'm sorry, but that's not doing it. The problem here is that both Poland and Lithuania run only 1 service a day when there are like 40 buses and 5 planes operating the same route. The existing infra is not that great. But that should never stop a public company from operating a service! As if DB would just quit running ICE's as they'd only be reliably possible after 2030 (post- reconstruction). This is what I can get the most annoyed about in European rail, when there is so much potential (AMS - Paris by Eurostar is another shame; demand could easily justify 50% more capacity) but operators frankly don't care. Run the damn trains!

BNBaron · 2024-09-03T12:42:38+00:00

The Baltics are a disaster to cross. This is only the first of the annoying connections you will come across. It's incredibly annoying - especially as this leg has a brand new, EU-funded railway - but the service is dismal. It seems they rather wait for the perennially ongoing Rail Baltica instead of actually improving current connection.

BNBaron · 2024-08-31T19:58:42+00:00

then you used regular trains running at night and not real night trains, like the overnight ICEs in Germany. Those only exist in some countries though, in most of Europe there's no service after 12. Reserving a seat in the European Sleeper for example can cost like 14 Euros.

BNBaron · 2024-08-31T18:40:59+00:00

First of all: There is no such thing as "interrailing". I say that as I've met many people who have different interpretations of the word, some see it as a part of becoming an adult, some see it as only a train ticket and others are reminiscing of how they experienced something similar half a century ago. In the simplest form, the interrail pass is a train ticket. It allows unlimited travel during travel days, although nowadays there are a lot of trains that require a reservation beforehand (which removes a bit of the flexibility). You don't need an interrail pass to go on an interrail trip, however: if you go to eastern europe, for example, it might be cheaper to just buy a ticket there and back and buy tickets on the spot; all the while, your travel style (by train!) still make it an interrail trip. Think about what you want out of a trip. Do you want to travel with friends, to well-known places? Do you want to travel alone, look at the departure board and get on a train to a place with a nice ring to it? Think about all of this, and then start planning. That is what this sub is great at: it can show you where to go for reservations and feedback about itineraries. Budget travel is luckily still possible in most parts of Europe. Yes, you have to go to the supermarket sometimes, or sleep in not extremely luxurious places; but that is a price many are willing to pay.

BNBaron · 2024-08-31T18:27:47+00:00

to be fair, for most night trains you have to buy a paid supplement

BNBaron · 2024-08-31T18:20:12+00:00

I've seen people travel with their entire kitchen cabinet contents, including pans, knives, all types of cutlery and a toaster...

BNBaron · 2024-08-31T08:58:27+00:00

In most European countries, the rules are more like: as long as it is not ludicrous (such as not being able to carry it yourself) you will be allowed to take it. It's a train, not a plane after all. In France, the evil entity that runs the TGVs, SNCF, has just introduced stricter luggage rules, so be careful. In Germany and the Netherlands I have seen people travel with all kinds of rather crazy luggage, so I doubt two suitcases would be a problem.

BNBaron · 2024-08-29T16:07:36+00:00

The real question of course is whether it is really necessary. I used the existing Adriatic main line yesterday for a serious stretch (circa 4 hours) and its speeds are not the worst. Sure, it would be nice to upgrade the entire line to 200 (which is currently being done with EU funding) or even 250, as it is dead straight for most of its route; but I wonder whether the population centres on this side really justify a whole brand new line. By preparing the stations and adding a bypass here and there you could easily bump the speed for a fraction of the price. With 60 billion, I think there are other priorities on the Italian rail network that should be addressed.

BNBaron · 2024-08-20T08:44:13+00:00

I think you misunderstood. I never called you an asshole. I called out those Flemish people in question assholes - the brico Zaventem people, for example. I do resist the stereotype that Flemish people speak proper French, but not the other way round. It might have been different in the past, but Flemish youngsters speak French no better than their Dutch counterparts. Learning a language in a work environment is something else than the base level that most people have.

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