Appreciation post: Switching from plane tickets to overnight trains cut my Europe trip costs in half.

In my experience, booking sleeper cars instead of flights saved me a bundle on lodging and transport, but your mileage may vary.

3 comments

3 Comments

bailey.max1mo ago

Cut my costs in half" sounds great until you're trying to sleep while some guy snores like a chainsaw in the bunk below you. Honestly though, the money saved is worth a few weird train noises.

miapatel1mo ago

Ugh, I have to push back on this. While saving cash is nice, train sleep is hit or miss. My last overnight trip left me groggy and grumpy the next day. The money saved didn't make up for how tired I was. I'd rather pay more and actually enjoy my vacation. Bad sleep can ruin the whole trip for me.

mary5221mo ago

@miapatel, I get why you'd say that... but the train journey itself can be a cool part of the trip if you let it. Waking up rolling into a new city feels way more real than just popping out of an airport. That saved cash means more days exploring or nicer meals out, which matters a lot to me. A rough night sometimes happens, but it's never ruined my whole vacation... I just plan a slower first day. The trade-off is totally worth it for the extra travel I can afford.