6 Unwritten Rules of European Train Travel
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- Опубликовано: 13 май 2024
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From taking someone's reserved seat to brining stinky food onto a train. Here are our six unwritten rules of European train travel.
1. Do not talk loud.
2. Do not take someone's reserved seat and pretend you don't know what they are talking about
3. Only bring luggage that you can carry yourself
4. Don't bring stinky food onto the train
5. Let people off the train before you try to board the train
6. Using the automatic ticket machines are always faster than waiting in line at the ticket counter.
Filmed in Luebeck, Germany
Copyright Mark Wolters 2015
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Not taking someone's reserved seat is actually not an unwritten rule. It's literally a RULE :)
Neither is #5, ¨let people get off before you get in¨ is literally written on the steps of the access doors in several countries.
The same goes for the not bringing more baggage than you can carry. It's a written rule, at least here in Germany.
Not always. In Belgium, by example, there are special trains (Train P) for rush hours. These trains cannot have reserved seats. Once, I saw a reservation in such a train and took the reserved seat. The people came and tried to move me out of their reserved seat. When the ticket inspector came, he just said "There are not enough empty seats" because in fact, he couldn't go against the rules of that special P Train which are essentially used by workers.
It is not forbidden to take a reserved seat. You just have to leave if the person whose seat it is comes and wants to sit.
Dorian Arbosvor It's not a rule in Germany and it also can't be enforced. Nowadays, I'd say 80 % of Germans in the big cities do not comply with this rule.
1. Make sure you're wearing deodorant.
2. If you're wearing perfume/cologne, don't use the whole bottle.
I will never use deodorants or anything like that, i don't some shitty smell on me. People in general (especially women) use way too much perfume on them.
Apache Longbow But it is especially bad if you are on a train which takes like 1 hour to arrive at the next station.
3. shower more than once a week
You are probably unaware that fine restaurants will refuse you service if you wear deodorant, perfume or cologne.
This applies anywhere. I worked with a guy that smelt so bad like sardines you could smell him from 20 feet away. For a while nobody wanted to say anything for fear of embarrassing him. Someone finally said something so he started dowsing himself in cologne rather than take a shower every day. Then he smelt like sardines and cologne.
So basically these rules can be reduced down to this: "Don't be an ass". There.
+LordBhorak exactly. But some people need it spelled out for them in exact terms ;)
+LordBhorak exactly. But some people need it spelled out for them in exact terms ;)
They really do need it spelled out. One of those pricks had the courage to offer me HALF of MY reserved seat. His idea was to share, I mean...c'mon lol
Haha, really, what an ass.
Although, I think "Do not take someone's reserved seat" is not really an unwritten rule. It think it is pretty much a written rule, quite sure it's in the train company's regulations. :P
exactly what I was thinking - except perhaps with the suffix -hole ;)
two more unwritten rules:
1. offer your seat to elderly people (if there are no free seats left)
2. don't leave your trash in the train; there are always trash cans at the train stations
Good points I missed. Thank you for adding them!
Also here in England there's bins on the train.
+YukiNoYume
Those are actually *written* rules.
not the one with the eldery people.
At least not in germany. Here there are special seats for elders, Pregnant woman and so on.
here's another rule for trains that have windows that open, don't throw stuff out the window
side-note: some trains should have bins, you might get off in the middle of nowhere and no trash cans there, and carring your garbage on the mountain would only be dead weight
One more unwritten rule: For heaven's sake, set the key sounds of your mobile and/or camera to MUTE. No-one wants to hear all these chirps or beeps whenever you take a photo or write a text message.
Well said!BTW using discount to get the European tickets is a good choice
Do not put your feet on the seats;
Give up your seat if somebody less able to stand needs it (elderly, disabled, unwell, pregnant etc);
Do not watch a movie or listen to music without using headphones.
+Will Uk amen to that one will!
I was abot to suggest just that. Feet on the floor.
You can put you feet on the seat if you take off your shoes right?
Whaaaaaat? Put your smelly sweaty feet and dirty socks on the seat? no thank you.
Thats the rules in Switzerland at least yes
Also SEATS ARE NOT FOR FEET!
+Edward Dunne very very true!!!
+woltersworld Yeah fuck that
+Edward Dunne When the train is empty, I take off my shoes and lay my feet on it.
Taking off your shoes is ok,,,
+Edward Dunne But the train is a lifeboat if Holland or Denmark sinks. I like to put my feet up.
Last time I traveled from Warsaw to Cracow, there was a silent zone in the train. You could book a seat in a silent zone. I was surprised how everyone was respecting it, passengers were reading or sleeping... I loved it!
Yeah last time i was in a silent Zone it was in Austria, migrants talked the whole time, i sayed them they are in a silent zone but they just gave me the look. Turkish people or southern people and eastern europeans have another mentslity, they are loud as hell.
Don't sit in more than one seat. Don't sprawl across two or more seats just because you don't want someone sitting next to you.
No, an actual problem. You can see people having their bags on the seats even if the train is packed.
but there is a human kidney in my bag...
nox5555 Doesn't matter, the seats are only for complete peoples, not parts of them. The kidney belongs to the bar waggon. In the fridge it will stay fresh.
It really depends...if the train is half empty, you can bet that I spread out and take a nap when I am on a long travel. If it is full you naturally have to be more considerate.
Yes, but a half empty train often doesn't stay that way. And if you're asleep, you'll be unaware the train is filling up. I seen this happen many times before.
When in Rome, do what the Romans do.
I cringe at the sight of fellow tourists who think "everything here is weird and why don't they do things like we do back home". With an attitude like that - just stay home.
+Jügren van der Kaas wow so welcoming... why can't tourists be curious about why we do the things we do different then them?
i love meeting tourists at bars or anywhere else and share experience's and story's about how different things are.
Vasich lolcode well said
JG: Except throw Christians to the lions and especially crucify Jesus, eh?
ya like drink coffee and wine
S.A. Hogan The Jews crucified Jesus ... Than the Christians slaughtered all the “ pagans “ whom had been
free people till their arrival...!
This is the flip side of #5. When your stop is coming up, get ready to hop off the train before people begin coming on. We made the mistake of not being ready when our train arrived at Orvieto, Italy. By the time we grabbed our bags, there was a flood of people coming on and the train took off before we could leave. The conductor was nice and informed us that we could get off at the next station and come back in 45 minutes for free. The conductor on that train allowed us to do just that. Lesson learned.
As a train host instructor on the commuter trains of Stockholm, Sweden, I must write: Don't arrive late. 1. Try to find an official clock that has the right time. I've got in an argument several times with people,stating that their wrist watch tells the right time. No it doesn't. Most mobile phones sync with a nearby cell tower once a day. Please use that function. 2. be polite M!ost staff will help you solve your problem provided they have time to do it, or point you where you can get help. 3 take your trash from the train out to the nearby trashcan. It's a fire hazard to leave trash and it helps us a lot. there are plenty of trashcans everywhere. 4, have patience. Most of the times, the train service is excellent. Then... chaos. So,that's why my last will be: go to the toilet when you can. Most trains,specially commuter trains, don't have toilets. Do use the restroom even if you are "half-full". It's not fun that panic feel when you desperately must go and you can't exit the train. Have a nice journey and a pleasant arrival at your destination.
If the wrist worn watch is a smart watch though again a different story.. just saying.
@@abbiebenjamin3069 most passengers has already a mobile phone with real time info and countdown but don't use it when it really matters. Some have smart watches but... same story.
For the multi-unit trains, make sure you are in the unit that stops at your station.
? I thought the entire train stops? Does the locomotive decouple intransit somehow, disconnect one coach, recouple with the rest of the train and continue without stopping?
@@anacondaeunectes1854 sometimes trains will have 2 parts, and will split to go to different destinations if they’re not that popular. Other times, some platforms are too short at the station so some doors may not open, and you have to make your way towards a door that does
About Rule 5 in Germany: Yes and No. I've had my share of run ins with some teenagers that wanted to jump on immediately without letting people off. Very annoying, but usually I don't see that issue with anyone in Germany above the age of 20 - exceptions exist, especially during rush hours or during VERY crowded/stressful times. Some very old pensioners will sometimes try it as well as they are scared that no seats will be left otherwise. TIP: If you have luggage and see people crowding to storm on, put your luggage in front of you and use it as a battering ram (DON'T actually smash people or use it as a weapon. Just keep it there as a passive deterrent). You'd be surprise how even macho teens will recoil and let you pass when the first thing they see is a massive 20kg object rushing towards them. Works like magic.
Actually, people who don't know the "let people get off before you get in" rule in Germany, a very likely to be just dump and would do other stupid things as well.
2:36 Damn, my doctor tells me to eat that icelandic delicacy that's 'fresh fish naturally fermented' in its own piss..
well i live in the netherlands and i hate people jumping on the train before the people are all out of the train. just take those 2 seconds in consideration, it wouldn't bring you any much further anyway
lol, where in the world could you break these unwritten rules ?
In Berlin especially on the urban trains, its nowadays unfortunately quite common to get in as fast as possible before people get off.....and then they complain being shoved or get their phones knock out their hands.
This should be a written rule.......but wait its already written on the trains!
I guess Germans arnt that much better then the rest of the world!
ha ha ha
There should be a rule to not travel by train unless you’ve bathed in the previous 12-24 hours.
Another unwritten rule is to have a window seat for easy viewing of the gorgeous scenery outside :)
+Horse san you know I had a bunch of "out the window" pictures but I could not fit them in the video because it was so short. so didn't add them into the video. but so true :)
+woltersworld europe is not germany but nice video
Mimmi, but Germany is Europe ;-)
@@henningbartels6245 is IN Europe... there is a difference... Germany isn't Europe... it's a part of Europe.
Jesper, what exactly is the meaning behind your remark?
I live in the Netherlands and this just sounds like common sense.
aydan cc same
that many people don´t have idea about
Because you live in the Netherlands.
Americans dont have any, especially since trains aren't common there
For gods sake dont whistle to your self on the train either!!!!!
When you're in a full train: don't take up four seats, if you are only with one or two persons. Don't put your begage on the seats but let people sit there
+butterflyworld95 And if people do that, you are free to move their luggage.
+Ho Lee Fuk or sit on it.
In a full train, I put my luggage usually on my lap and/or behind my feet. Though I usually put my stuff into one or more backpacks, so doing it that way is possible.
If the train is empty, I will put it on the seat next to and/or opposite me until someone else wants to sit there.
Thank you for these rules! As an employee of a mayor railway company in Europe I wish everyone respected these rules.
Thank you so much for telling people this. Once on an Italian high-speeed service for Milan, a Texan sat in someone else's seat in the row opposite me (fortunately they didn't show up), started eating McDonalds ("The McDonalds that y'all eat is so different!") and told me his life story. Two hours dragged by.
LMAO
Murica. yeah buddy. leave it to some asshat texan
I'm honestly surprised that you understood a single word from the Texan, even if you're fluent in English.
Eis Geflüster well let's see here.....and where are you at or in ?
Since it was fairly plain to me what he said and how it got said, it was pretty easy to understand it. Since you obviously " get it", that's on you and no one else to figure out.
Don B
I don't understand what you mean.
You should add one more rule...if you have reservation for one seat...DO NOT put the luggage or anything to other seats.
Another rule: compare. There are fast luxury trains, and there are regional trains which are a lot cheaper. Some of the cheap ones are quite fast, as well (160 km/h = 100 mph) -- and distances between major cities are a lot shorter than in the USA. Read the schedules on-line, you can save money for a fancy dinner just for spending 20 minutes more on a ride. And, if you change carriers, check out the carriers' own homepages. Fares are not standardized. Sometimes, there are ticket machines standing right next to another that sell the same routes for astonishingly different prices.
If you are booking in advance, which can make fares cheaper, these tickets only are valid in exactly one train you booked for (and lost when you are late). So better take some time for traveling and use cheaper trains if you want to save money. Of course, if you want to enjoy 1st class on a fast thing, do it.
Very secret tip: talk to locals. Don't expect »hello, how are you, I'm fine, great ...« small-talk in Europe. In most regions, saying nothing means »yes«, and you'll be helped by finding your train or best fare.
You should have talked about validating tickets. So many Americans dont know about it and get fined. Happens a lot in Milan.
+djvartan yeah. I tried to put a picture with a note about validating tickets near the end
But it is not necessary in german-speaking countries.
dearsell, it depends. A lot of the tickets for the regional services have to be validated.
Always love finding your old videos that are very timely, even 5 years later. I've been doing almost as much train travel as flying this year and these are spot-on! Thanks, 2015 Mark.
One important safety point I should mention is use those light weight luggage cable locks on panniers to secure your bags as some people will try to steal the bags when getting off a stop before you.
I'm Dutch and everything you mention is recognizable here to, but it is a matter of courtesy and good manners in any country I think. And violation of courtesy and good manners occurs among ourselves as well. It is nice to see / here the opinion of an enthousiastic American about Europe and who kwows Europe. Thanks!
Wo Cheiron I
"take psychedelics and tell amusing jokes and stories to German and Swiss businessmen, and share your whiskey" worked for me, once.
Not all local trains in the Netherlands have toilets. If you are planning to make a longer journey, make sure you use the facilities at the train station.
It's totally okay to ask someone for help to put the luggage up in Germany - if it's not too heavy to put up for a normal adult man!
Unless you’re elderly or disabled it’s not “totally OK “. Being considerate of others includes not packing so much that you will need to ask for favours to handle it - even if people are happy to help. You could put people in to an awkward situation - eg someone who feels they should help even if they have a medical condition that you can’t see.
What,? What's wrong with you? Why do you need to rely on an adult man? I am 65 years old female and when I travel solo, I lift my own luggage.
1. On TGV (high speed train of France), you could find a buffet car in the car #14.
2. Some new tickets are already validated. If not, and you are late ; don't worry , just tell it to the on-board staff by yourself. A better way, is to buy an e-ticket and download "SNCF Voyage" app on your smartphone. Just, bring the QR code to a staff member on the train to check in
3. On national and international railroad, trains are divided in 2 classes. The 1st class is more expensive during rush hours.
4. Some trains are also special like without noise ("iDZen") or more family-friendly ("TGV Family")
5. Be aware that's sometime not possible to cross boarders in the Schengen area by train...not illegal, but technically not possible due to the non-standard track gauge. (eg France-Spain)
6. No...you will see any fish in the channel tunnel.
7. On the Eurostar, EU and UK plugs are provided.
8. You can buy Parisian metro tickets on each TGV at the buffet car.
9. French railroads are Paris-centric particulary in the North, for some reasons you have to go thru and sometime you have to go in another train station : add extra time if you re in this situation
10. It exists extra TGV stations outside the urban area, it provides you more destination and quickly; nevertheless you have to find a schuttle to access them. (eg the "Gare Lorraine-TGV" close to Metz and Nancy, provides a direct line to Bordeaux or Nantes)
Same with Intercity Express
for 7 UK buses (Enviro 400, Streetlite, Gemini 3 etc) have USB plugs too!
No.7 If you are a tourist in Croatia, DON'T USE TRAINS AT ALL! Our trains are extremely slow and accidents happen regularly. Use a bus, you'll get to your destination 5 times faster.
Pretty much, general etiquette all around the world
That is why American civilians do not follow it.
Kof ola... because we don't have trains?
And in many cases (due to many regions being so spaced out the next city might be a 2-5 hour drive) no public inter-city transportation at all?
Also, civilians? As opposed to soldiers? In your experience, do soldiers follow general etiquette better than civilians? Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, your comment was just interesting, so I thought I have to ask to make sure.
Samuel Nasta Americans have to be taught not to be assholes abroad.
Evil Pagan Not only abroad. I’ve been in the USA multiple times, and believe me when I tell you that the Dutch stereotype of being rude/straightforward is nothing like most Americans...
great advice, I live in Germany and have an hour commute everyday to work in Munich. All of the things you said are very true but I also hate people with the terrible Headphones. Early in the morning no one wants to hear the TSS-TSSS-TSSS of bad music. Spend the money and get a good set of Headphones or turn the music down.
We traveled from Paris to Colmar. The train travel was wonderful. Just had one moment of a mother who allowed her son to watch Elmo on blast. Elmo might be cute but hearing anything on full blast never a good thing. Luckily a very nice French man calmly informed the mother to use headphones.
Great list! And thanks for including the rule to validate your ticket before you get on the train (your item 6). I've been caught out by this rule in Italy and France and it was very embarrassing to explain my failure to the ticket inspectors on board the respective trains.
My god, I thought all of those things are fucking obvious. Traveling by train in US must be horrible experience.
There are hardly no passenger trains in the US besides the Northern East Coast.
And the few passenger trains there are, are only located in the big cities and are an absolute mess. The majority of our trains are freight. In fact, unless you're in a big city, you will only ever see freight trains.
Those mostly apply in the US too. Its just that most Americans aren't used to taking trains. The only main difference sometimes is talking. On long distance trains here people tend to be unusually social (because trips can be several days long and get boring otherwise).
it probably is, slow, dirty and shitty in general
Travelling by train is in US so exotics like traveling on an elephant. We, Europeans, live in other part of the world. We consider public transport as a normal think, that is everywhere, but there are not public transport in any part of US. There has everybody her/his own car and people use it for all trips. Here in Europe, we use for longer tripes (longer in european measurement :-) ) the public transport, in the cities we have city transport and into almost every village goes buses in the Europe.
In US use people public transport only when it is city transport in a very big city or when it is airplane. In any parts of US, there are nothing between it.
Love your videos! A rule I would like to add - Clean up after yourself in the toilet!!! I mean really, should this even be an issue? It's not that hard to wipe the sink and counter, put paper towels in waste baskets and flush the toilet. Just saying...
living in Japan. These rules are too normal for me.
so basic concept is "Don't act like Americans and Chinese". correct?
not all Americans act like this just the a** holes
Now, this is a surprise!
Your comment implies that while not all Americans are assholes, 100% of Chinese people are. Some of the wisest words are the ones that aren't even spoken.
I live in Tokyo and have to say, that there are too many people who behave like assholes on the rush hour trains. You know, like saying "sumimasen" if you need to pass really hurts, so people would just elbow their way through, pushing the small and fragile ladies all around. The ladies would then in turn pierce you with their mega handbags and nobody bothers to put down their backpacks. And what about letting seats to the disabled or elderly? No way everybody is just pretending to sleep. You know all of these would get loud complaints from fellow travelers in the Czech Republic, but in Japan, people just put up with everything. At least the trains are quiet.
More precisely, do not act like Americans and Russians....if you come from such dumps, it is clearly seen the very first moment you board the train.
I've got another one: Don't put your shoes on the seat!!! No matter if your feet are inside or outside the shoe: No shoes on the seats!
+SHyperice i love when the train personnel come by and tell people to put their feet down and the people are like in shock that they have to move their feet :)
Regarding smelly food, also don't open up the French cheese you bought. That has a powerful smell to it. :)
these are great for planes too
Excellent information...that was funny about stinky food, reminded me of a documentary I watched of people actually cooking inside the train in some country...lol
#5 is so true. Oftentimes I stand right at the door of the train so that I can get out quickly, but even then you sometimes have people trying to push their way into the train before you can even step out properly.
rule n.0 should be: dont stick chewing gums under anything
+Mustang Rt very true
That one is written in s. 1 Criminal Damage Act 1971
Because of these assholes chewing gum in school is banned. I never did that ever. I always swallow my chewing gum.
Mustang Rt anywhere in Britain there is ALWAYS gum, unbelievable
@@LunaDragofelis It's also banned in school because it looks rude to the teacher.
In Sweden, take a note on that the doors of trains are closed 30 seconds before departure time to be able to get the train out of the station at the correct time.
I was in Seville, Spain and at 11:00 I bought a train ticket from the machine to get me up to the airport for my flight. It was the fast train but it left at 12:15 and my flight was at 12:30. I had just assumed the train left in time for my flight. So I got a refund at the ticket desk and caught a taxi from the train station. Never assume train times.
It's good that you told us and even made a video for this, because otherwise we wouldn't have been able to figure it out by ourselves. Thanks for pointing out the obvious.
Dutch train travels as compared to these rules.
Rule 1 is usually explained in the coaches themselves. In the Dutch trains, there are silent coaches or partly silent coaches. Where you can sit and work in quiet. In contrast to other countries, the Dutch trains also get a difference whether you're sitting upstairs or downstairs. Downstairs usually is the talking area, where there are more seats facing each other and sometimes even a couch. Whereas upstairs there are more chairs with folding tables and people tend to be more quiet, since there are many people reading, working or just trying to sleep a bit.
Rule 2 may seem kind of strange, but there are no reserved seats in the Netherlands. (Unless you're traveling by an international train headed to Belgium, France or Germany.)
Rule 3 Seems so obvious, but most of the people seem oblivious to the fact that some luggage doesn't need to be stored overhead. If you've got a rather large and bulky suitcase, try downstairs. Where the chairs are facing away from each other, there tends to be more space in between to store more luggage.
Rule 4 Is really self-explanatory. Just don't :P
Rule 5 In the Netherlands people tend to give way for people who are leaving the train. Just not really that organized. One thing to note about leaving the train in the Netherlands though is once the train starts to slow down to stop at your station. You get up ahead of time and go towards the exit. So that person who wants to board the train doesn't have to wait for you to get your luggage. And people also tend to help elderly and people with strollers with entering and leaving the train.
Rule 6 really is as simple as it sounds. But the ticketing machines in the Netherlands have two options on kinds of tickets. You can buy a single ticket or a return ticket. On wich, you pay an additional €1,- per ticket. For the electronic chip that is inside. Or you can purchase an "anonymous chipcard" (Dutch word: OV-Chipkaart) Which you pay €7,50,- for and you still have to charge it with funds at one of the ticketing machines by scanning it and paying. But that comes with the huge advantage of having a single card for all public transports.
Which brings me to the following point. In the Netherlands, you have to check in and out with all OV-Chipcards. Whether you're going by bus, train, tram, metro or even some ferries. And if you don't know what to do, just ask the staff of the transport companies. They're happy to help and get paid to do so. So let them :D
If you've got any more questions feel free to ask. Since I've already put so much time and effort in writing this comment :P
If doing short distance travel - Utrecht to Amsterdam 2 or 3 times, is it worth buying the chipcard ? i.e. do you get a discount or any other benefit ? Thanks for your tips...
There is no discount with a standard chipcard. Other than the fact the loose tickets are 50cts extra. So if you go more than15 times, will be cheaper than buying a chipcard 7.50 But a chipcard is certainly more convenient and also usable on other forms of public transport in the Netherlands.
You could also buy e-tickets online, but you should check ns.nl for that.
man I hate it when you can't get off the train because there are always some idiots trying to get into the train first. What I usually do is, because I'm a big guy, that I spread my arms from side to side (or at least to one side, when someone next to me gets off at the same time) so nobody can "slip through"
Sometimes it's like breaking through a bunch of pigs during feeding time. No wisdom of the crowd whatsoever.
Oh yes it does happen in Britain, more and more the closer you get to London.
Chris Wilson it doesn't happen in London. The ones getting OFF the train ALWAYS get off first.
Thanks! I’m petrified of traveling by train (missing the train, not having the right ticks, not understanding how to get or reserve a ticket and my WiFi not working to show an e ticket). Your videos have been helpful. Definitely don’t want to stand out as the bad passenger if I make it to the train.
True!
And remember ALWAYS to validate the ticket BEFORE get on the train. In Italy is VERY important to validate the ticket and there's no possibility to validate it later also if you can prove your ticket is regular. :O
Have your ticket or travelcard READY BEFORE you reach the barrier
Unwritten??? What??? The rules are written right there in the description!
1. U can speak on the phone and talk (regular, not loud voice). That's why there is a quiet and a phone zone on the train. 2. Reservations are a rule, a written one. A seat is held for the person who reserved it for 15 minutes after departure, if no one shows up u can take the seat.
Good- I didn't break any of these. But the Dutch guy who sat next to me totally did- he talked to me the ENTIRE TRIP between London & France. Some semi-retired banker dude who told me all about his job and national stereotypes in Europe :).
These rules apply in many. such as while riding Greyhound in the US. there's always someone on their phone talking about their colposcopy why too loudly, unaware that the people in other seats do not want to hear about it.
I had a positive experience once with stinky food on a train, although probably not the kind of stinky you are talking about. I was on an Amtrak train (USA) on a line with the low end café cars. They serve a microwaved hot dog as a standard menu item. Someone went and got one and for whatever reason the scent filled our car. almost one by one people started saying how good it smelled and how much they wanted one. Suddenly a wave of folks started getting up and going for hot dogs. It was quite funny.
Thank you. This was very helpful and your pictures are beautiful.
I love your videos! Informative and unpretentious. Also real
You make excellent points to make train travel easier for everyone.
Anyone traveling by train in Germany, avoid the Fussball fans and sit as far away from them as possible.
+Wally Kaspars yeah. that can be a bit crazy for sure
But if you do and want to get rid of it, stay calm go with the fans and occasionally ask some of the kind police officers for help where to go.
+Wally Kaspars Pay for First Class,,,worth it!!!
Don't plonk your luggage on the adjacent (unreserved) seat and then complain when people ask you to move it.
If someone turns up (me) and asks for their reserved seats to be vacated, don't tell me to go and find an unreserved seat in the next carriage. As I will fetch the conductor and she will find out that, not only have you no reservations whatsoever for that (reservation compulsory) train from Spain to France, but also your "ticket" is actually not valid at ALL on this train and will have you launched from the train at Perpignan (this actually happened to me with, I am sad to say, an American couple, who justified this with comments on my (admittedly scruffy) clothing. Yes, I might look bad, but *I* had a ticket and you did not.)
Turn the music down on your MP3 player/phone. I don't need to hear your entire collection of "top" drum and bass tunes, or the tinny soundtrack of your HILARIOUS videos. If you're considerately wearing headphones, make sure the volume isn't so loud that the rest of carriage can hear you.
Don't stand in the corridor or gangway whilst you are recounting your hilarious frat boy antics to your friends and then pull a face when people ask you to move. You're in the way.
Finally, a practical one. Check the carriage you are in is actually going to the destination you want. Trains in Europe can often be made up of 4 or 5 different sections, some of them only going part way, some going to other destinations and splitting off half way.I know someone who had a delicious meal in the bar car, on returning to his carriage, found it had been detached at the previous station and they were staring at an empty space. By the time they got back there the train had gone and with it their luggage and most of their cash.
Ric Euteneuer that last one! Wow, why would any tourist know this?! Thank you for the info, I’m planning g a trip and this is very helpful knowledge!
Yes. The trains in the UK detach at certain stations (Cambridge for instance) 4 trains go back to London or elsewhere and the other goes to kings lynn. They usually announce it, but that’s only good if you speak the language!
I like you more than Steve and your videos make me feel like I'm standing there with you! Thank you
my friend, thanks for your channel, it keeps me dreaming and learning about travel! I love it!
yes! also, dont put your feet up on the seat across you even if no one else is sitting next to you/across you
what countries/cities are on your list of places that you haven't been to yet? there can't be many hahaha
+Caroline P Put a towel or something else under your feets and everything is ok.
Hey Wolter, I know a country where the ticket line actually is faster than the machine: My home country Luxembourg. We just are so stupid in making those machines that it is faster to walk up to the counter and ask one of the 12(!) employees sitting there.
great advice, as usual from Wolter's World !
I just returned from a trip to Germany and during that trip I took the train from Dresden to Frankfurt. During the ride there were a group of college age men that got on the train. They were loud, they also listened to music without headphones. No one seemed to pay any attention.
You may think your badly behaved children are cute. Everyone else on the train is wondering how to throw them out onto the track without getting caught.
If you play loud rap music on your phone don't be surprised if someone else plays Max Bygraves. Louder. On loop. With reverb.
However drunk you are do not throw things at other passengers or the ticket inspector.
Actually, if you're drunk PLEASE throw something at the ticket inspector... and hopefully he'll throw something off before the next station... your body perchance!
It is forbidden to drink or have alcoholics openly standing for drinking on most (if not all) trains in germany.
nope. In long distance trains (ICE/IC/EC) and DB Regio its actually allowed to drink. There are some private rail companies such like Metronom, which dont allow alcoholics. But mostly it's allowed.
Loud badly behaved children are very annoying. Also I wish alcohol would be banned on all trains and planes. There is nowhere to escape from the drunken sods.
@@3DRiley_ I saw some young people passing a bottle of liquor on the Eurail in Germany 😨
You missed the rule saying if there's one of these 4 people group seats and you wanna join one person sitting there do not sit next or directly opposed to them.
On the newer German ICE-3's, the "reserved" sign over the seat will show the city pair that the seat is reserved for. If you are getting off the train before (or at...) the first city, or get on the train after (or at...) the last city, go ahead and use the seat. (because it isn't reserved for your portion of the run...) Keep an eye out for the sign resetting, though - sometimes the same seat is reserved for more than one segment of the run! (and the train computer is sometimes slow to update those "reserved" signs...)
I love love love this guy!!!
Fantastic real world advice.
People wanting to enter blocking people wanting to exit is not just German, it's universal and applies to buses, subways and elevators as well as trains. The odd thing is that people never seem to learn this and so it continues endlessly.
i think in berlin it works very well!.
I remember London Underground in the 70s had funky posters on the trains asking people to let people off before getting on. It did seem to work as people usually did wait.
The same "let people off" first before getting on works for elevators, too.
Could you do a video on the different classes on European rails? I'm traveling to London and France for a week next year and have no idea about how the Euro rail or other trains work. I've only used Italy's inner country rail. Any advice would be great!!! Love your videos!!!!
You have very good intuitive wisdom. Great points as always.
Don't piss and crap in the connector between cars.
Volkier Neigh wait wtf
We're talking about the unwritten rules right?
Also, don't put rifle rounds on train tracks for the lulz.
In Amerika (I was one just decade old) I was on my way to a summer camp with a group of other kids. we were on a train and suddenly I got sick with painful stomach cramps (then as it was summer and warm weather I was wearing short trousers) and I had an unexpected and urgent need to defecate and wound up experiencing a severe explosive diarrhoea attack and it wound up all over the main aisle! Sorry to say this, but like Mark's comments of stinky food, well... this was a stinky diarrhoea accident -- during the heat of summer! (No air con)!
The carriage as a whole really began to really stink something very awful! Sorry, I was only 10 and had a very fast unforewarned urgent call of nature and unfortunately made an unintended mess in our carriage!
I think that would go without saying.
@Nikolaos Peterson "ended up", not "wound up"
I'm pretty sure that there is a written rule to not sit on reserved seats.
The unwritten rule was about not taking any place up for reservation because somebody may turn up, ofc taking somebody's reserved place is forbidden.
I've seen Swiss railways add a display above every seat telling you on which station is the reservation beginning.
In the UK the reservation ticket on the seat shows the points from / to where the seat is reserved so you can sit there until / after those points. This way it doesn't waste valuable seating.
People pay a fee to reserve a seat, so expect some serious grief if you are sitting in someone else's reserved seat.
noxis93 it's there in Germany, too
Fairly good advice. Perhaps concerning the reserved seats: you may well sit down there, but you should be prepared quicky and without hassle (and possibly with two to three friendly words) to leave the seat to the person who reserved it.
Just to make people aware, I know that Virgin trains in the UK used to have a Quiet Zone carriage. I really don't know if perhaps they have the same thing on some of the continental trains in Europe but if you are a person or a family who maybe just prefers or needs that extra bit of peace and quiet you may want to check this out.
If I am wrong and they don't really have such a thing on the mainland Europe trains then I apologise for getting anyone's hopes up unnecessarily.
Mark's hair is on fleek
+jakob2921 mark is enjoying his hair until the last one falls out of my head ;) hehehehehe
Mark, I very much agree with everything you said here, except one thing, provisionally- on putting your own things into the overhead compartments: I am 5'10" and depending on the particular conveyance (train or plane), I have noted that I only have maybe 6 inches to spare in doing this, SO- I believe that few, if any, people under 5'4" can do it at all, and I know plenty of women down around the 5 foot mark. 2nd thing on that is that I am 64 (not ancient, but getting up there a bit) AND have bad shoulders- so I carry as light a bag as possible, and I can still put it up there, BUT: it takes me some positioning- I have to sort of clean and jerk the bag with both hands to put it in the overhead even though it weighs less than 30 pounds. SO- I CAN still put my own bag up, but people need to give me a minute to do it. When everyone is coming down the aisle and I have found my assigned seat and am trying to put the bag up, they always start getting impatient in under a minute, and I mean that literally- less than 60 seconds.
#4 applies to air travel as well. Seat reservations are a great idea, ESPECIALLY, if you are crossing borders.
+woltersworld So many great tips! I loved this and have used them all in my travels. Thank you for the reminders! By the way, how did you work out your travel visas for you and your family? It seems like you guys are in the Schengen more than the typical 90 days for Westerners. I know that as an American, we only get 90 days within 180 days to travel in the Schengen states. Ninety days seems like a long time, but it goes by really fast if you want to really get to know Europe! Do you have a video about this? Thanks again for such awesome videos Wolter!
You didn't mention getting your tickets online and avoiding the lines or machines entirely. I spent 2 weeks this summer seeing Germany by train and reserved and printed out all my tickets before my trip online. One other thing, and I think you mentioned this in previous vids, First Class is rarely worth the premium over Second Class, at least on the ICE trains in Germany was my experience.
In UK first class train is over £300 , second class is now £150, for a national line.
You can also get savers fare if you book ahead, but look at the times, there sometimes a bit funny.
Picking up the ticket might require a chip and pin card (the it was booked on) with a working 4 digit pin.
no it does not you just need to very your identity, even your credit card, ID/drivers license or a BahnCard if you used one.
Not in the UK, where they are usually issued from an unmanned machine.
I always check the journey for the reservation. More than often the person having reserved the seat shows up after I'd have left the train so it is allowed to preheat the seat I guess. At least here in CH they'll only ask you to move when and if someone compains.
+gentuxable I do that one all the time. They get on in Berlin and I get off in Berlin, perfect :)
And if someone surprises you with a supposed Reservation for your Seat: Czech it.
People mess up the Seat or the Carriage all the Time, or just don't care, or may even try to get you up with some completely unrelated or old reservation, or even none.
And once you gave the seat away, you're not getting it back.
G+1121494 At least in Switzerland and Germany there are two parts to that. 1st there is a yellow ticket at the window indicating on which route the seat is reserved and the 2nd is the person holding the reservation. if there was no yellow on that seat send the guy claiming zo have the seat to a ticket checker for clarification if there is a yellow ticket you know you'd be giving up that seat anyway.
The little white Tickets showing Reservations have long been replaced by electronic Displays above the seats in Germany. (So long in fact, they are still fed by Floppy Disk at Train Preperation.)
People do try to make false Reservation Claims, so ask to see the Reservation and check it.
Deutsche Bahn states they don't do double reservations of one seat on the same route, and claim that it was technically impossible and has never happened so far.
So if you are sure it's your reserved seat, tell claimants to do get a train crew member to check.
Deutsche Bahn does sometime put your reservation on a wagon that is regularly not even attached. (In my case, it was a night train and the train was totally underbooked, so it was not any kind of issue, but it is a bit confusing when you enter the last wagon and are supposed to go one further) Either-way: Getting a train crew member is a good default.
Love your channel! Greetings from Karlsruhe, Germany.
These rules are generally true in Australia too.
Some areas have "quiet carriages" which are signed. If you're in a quiet carriage, put your phone on silent, keep your mouth shut and don't play music (especially your saxophone).
Generally cities here don't have reserved seats but inter-city trains only have reserved seats.
When boarding, stand to the sides (either left or right) of the doors leaving the area directly in front of the door clear so that people alighting the train can step straight off without bumping into you. Some major stations even have markings on the platform to indicate this.
If you see a woman with child, an elderly person or someone with mobility difficulties, let that person have your seat, especially if it's one of the signed seats near the door intended for such people.
Clean up your mess when you leave: There are little and large trashbins all over the train.
Bring your own food and drink. Things are really expensive at the diner car. I usually make myself a sandwich before I leave.
What a relief to know we're not so bad here in Holland. Years ago, we had our big Push & Shove trainwars but nowadays, whenever you're trying to get off a train, you will see the passengers waiting to get on, make a hole 1.5 passengers wide to let you (though sometimes reluctantly) pass before they can get in. Sometimes, when I'm on the other side, waiting to board a train, you will see one man or woman position himself exactly in the middle of the hole then looking very surprised when passengers getting off the train try to shove past him or her. One thing that is incredibly
In the Netherlands with the NS (The Dutch Railways) it is permitted to talk in a train. BUT you have some zones in the train where you’re not allowed to talk: the ‘’stiltecoupes’’. The zones are clear: you see symbols for meeting (where you can talk) & symbols where you need to be silent (the working zones).
Ticket machines are fast, yes, but international tickets from one country to another very often cannot be bought at such machines.
+unnerum Sometimes they don't take bills, only coins or credit.
KevinPDX1
I never came across a vending machine that did not take bills.
All the public transit machines in Nice did not take bills.
+unnerum The ones in France are debit/credit card only (and only accept the ones with chips).
+unnerum In Germany they just take the next higher bill.
So if your ticket costs 7€ you just can pay with a 5€ or 10€ bill, not with a 20€ bill. If your ticket costs more then 10€ you can buy with a 20€ bill, but not with a 50€-bill. If it's more than 20€, a 50€-bill gets accepted. And so on.
Note: They will give you coins back. I once got more than 10 2€ coins, when I paid with a 50€ bill
Aren't most of these just common courtesy all over the world? I mean not entertaining the whole compartment with your life story or not bringing smelly food ... are people just not bothered by that outside of Europe or...? :D
Phelie315 In normal Chinese trains you can talk with strangers and eat whatever you want. Nobody dare to say shut up to you. You are freedom. But in bullet train better keep the rules as Europeans.
Phelie315 it's not as common outside of Germany already.
On a British train, especially a regional service (i. e. those going to Cardiff through local stations) never fully fill the luggage rack or bike storage, or leave your luggage in the disabled seating area. As on weekends they become very crowded and people often have to sit in all of those to be able to sit and stand in the door sections.
In general for Germany. when you plan a trip - you can book train tickets 3 month in advance, but keep an eye on coupon offers... - And in general travel the highest class you can afford to make sure others know etiquette guides.
And if you travel first class - make sure to find some irregular trains - so if a train leaves x:15 and x:57 there could be one or two trains a day probably leaving at 6:32 pm - catch that train if you want to have a quiet ride in higher classes...
OH MY GOD Keep your feet under your own seat when facing the other people... XD
when your sitting in a 4 seat compartment with only one other person. sit crosswise
Wolter you have an phantastic channel and i enjoy it really to see.
I'm from the UK...you are correct on all 6 counts. My husband and I travel by train quite regularly...we always prebook and there is nothing worse than random people sitting in your reserved seat! We've had and witnessed some interesting experiences with people stealing seats over the years...
Number 5 is so right...I cannot stand it when occasionally people try to board the train before I've had chance to alight it!
I work in Edinburgh so I get no. 5 a lot but just walk into them lmao
@okok72277 I like your energy. Coincidently, I'm on holiday in Edinburgh right now. Typing this comment in The Advocate.