With a little know how and investigation, it is possible to find cheap train tickets.
It takes a little effort but the effort will be worth it to save a few bucks.
Train travel is a blast and a mode of transportation I highly recommend if you have the time.
Let's take a look at five ways to find a cheap train ticket.
Rewards programs If you travel a lot, sign up for the rewards program.
Just about everybody has a rewards program, to encourage loyalty and offer discounted rates for that loyalty.
The programs cost zero to enroll and they will keep track of your points for you.
The points you collect can be redeemed for no cost or discounted tickets.
Collecting points is a pretty decent way to "save" for a train vacation or future rail passage.
In the long run, you will save money on your train tickets by being a loyal customer.
Book early Booking your train passage well in advance will garner you a much cheaper price than booking last minute.
If you plan your trip well in advance, you will be able to take advantage of such savings.
Most travel enterprises, not just trains, make a significant amount of money with last-minute bookings but the early bird will get the discounted worm.
This is where being an organized, long ranger traveler will pay off.
Flexibility is the key If your schedule allows for some traveling flexibility, you may be able to avoid peak-time travel.
Traveling midweek to mid week and middle of the day and night boarding will save on your train fare.
Peak travel time will seldom render a cheap ticket price unless you are booking your ticket months and months in advance.
Book online and consider one-way tickets If you book your train tickets online yourself, you may eliminate handling and booking fee.
That is the beauty of the Internet, a lot of things you can do yourself, including booking travel plans.
Another cost saver is instead of buying a round-trip ticket you may find it cheaper to buy two one way tickets.
The trick will be to make sure you coordinate your travel schedule and your tickets coincide.
The drawback might be if you have multiple stops where you change trains and part of your trip is delayed.
If you do not reach your destination in time to make your connection, you will be out of luck.
Online research Do your homework when looking for cheap train fares.
Not only should you search the railroad web site for the best fare available, search the web as well.
Travel web sites often will have discounted rates advertised on their web page only.
Check out travel newsletters.
They often can give the traveler the heads up on cheap train fares and upcoming deals and sales.
Checking online will give the traveler the ability to compare rail fares and choose the one that best fits their wallet and travel itinerary.