One-way vs. Round Trip ticket prices (revisited)

coach fares in britain aren't that expensive you could get cheap coach or train tickets up to newcastle from london might save you a bit.

Return for two adults and one child to london and back only cost us fifty quid

Newcastle is a bit further though but shouldn't cost that much extra.

The coach drivers will load all your baggage for you as well but temember to check baggage allowance

Love pads x

coach fares in britain aren't that expensive you could get cheap coach or train tickets up to newcastle from london might save you a bit.

Return for two adults and one child to london and back only cost us fifty quid

Newcastle is a bit further though but shouldn't cost that much extra.

The coach drivers will load all your baggage for you as well but temember to check baggage allowance

Love pads x

£12 for a one way ticket to Newcastle if booked about 60 days in advance.  You'd have to get the tube to Kings Cross though too for about £5.

Hey everyone, I spoke to my boyfriend (he's a Brit and lives in the UK) about this particular post and he said there's a thing called the Oyster Card.. Apparently it's good for just about every means of public transport in and around London. Here's a couple of links https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/link/0005.do   http://www.raileurope.com/activities/visitor-oyster-card/index.html?WT.mc_id=google.Addons.cpc&WT.campaign=1843&WT.term=oyster+card&WT.content=AsGt86w9&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&WT.srch=1

The thing is, we'll also be transporting 9-12 GIANT storage bins with our worldly possessions, in addition to our hand luggage. I can't imagine getting all that on a train, along with a 4- year old boy

I'd much rather have the airline baggage people wrestle it all from one plane to the other, as we clear Customs.

however, once we're settled into this great country, I'm SO looking forward to good, reliable train travel. compared to the US it'll be a refreshing way to see the country. We're already planning on taking the train down to York to see the Railway museum, which I hear is wonderful.

however, once we're settled into this great country, I'm SO looking forward to good, reliable train travel. compared to the US it'll be a refreshing way to see the country.

Ha, well compared to the US, yes, the train travel is great. Compared to the rest of Europe and say, Japan, its rubbish!!   

What's wrong with U.S. train travel? I've done Amtrak cross country and up and down the Eastern Seaboard, it's great!

What's wrong with U.S. train travel? I've done Amtrak cross country and up and down the Eastern Seaboard, it's great!

I have always loved the Amtrak- but due to line sharing with freight trains, its slow (well the same could be said for the lines up to the north of Scotland), and can be off schedule as such.  However, I think the Amtrak trains are as nice as can be!

It's 13 hours, but NYC to Montreal in the winter is LUSH...such a beautiful trip through the forests and lakes in the snow.

I love the dining cars, always meet interesting cats there!

Hey everyone, I spoke to my boyfriend (he's a Brit and lives in the UK) about this particular post and he said there's a thing called the Oyster Card.. Apparently it's good for just about every means of public transport in and around London. Here's a couple of links https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/link/0005.do   http://www.raileurope.com/activities/visitor-oyster-card/index.html?WT.mc_id=google.Addons.cpc&WT.campaign=1843&WT.term=oyster+card&WT.content=AsGt86w9&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&WT.srch=1

Oyster cards are great for getting around London itself, bu nursefoxfire is trying to get to Newcastle, which is 300 miles north of London... and an Oyster card only covers about a 12-mile radius around Central London .

What's wrong with U.S. train travel? I've done Amtrak cross country and up and down the Eastern Seaboard, it's great!

US train travel is cheap compared to the UK (and the trains are nice), but there aren't many routes or trains running.

I used to live in Albuquerque, NM, and my relatives live in Little Rock, AR. If I had wanted to get the train to see them I would have had to go from Albuquerque to Chicago, then Chicago to Little Rock, taking about 3 days in total... and there was only 1 train running per day, with only one possible route (or I could just fly there in about 4 hours (with a layover) or drive it in 14 hours).

In comparison, in the UK, I can get to any city in the country in less than about 12 hours, with trains leaving every few minutes and with several different companies/routes available. The drawback is the cost though - I wanted to go from Bristol to London round trip once (a 90 minute journey (120 miles) each way) and the cheapest ticket that came up was £153. In the US I took the train from Los Angeles to New York one-way (3 days of travel, 3000 miles) for $120.

Yeah that's true, the cost is a ginormous difference (is that a result of Thatcher privatizing the trains?).

Also the sheer size of the U.S. makes it impossible to link every city, so I could see how it would be an ordeal to go all the way from Albuquerque to Little Rock.

Frequently travelled corridors like NYC-Philly/DC, SF-LA, etc. are very fast and efficient.

Frequently travelled corridors like NYC-Philly/DC, SF-LA, etc. are very fast and efficient.

I'm about to take my first Amtrak journey in the US next week. I've heard mostly bad things about it, but it's a third of the price of renting a car, so I'm going for it. I'll be travelling first from EWR to NY Penn Station, then to Albany/Renssalaer, so hopefully it won't be too rough compared to the UK's rail service...

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I never went to Albany, but it might be the same line that continues onto Montreal.

I'm about to take my first Amtrak journey in the US next week. I've heard mostly bad things about it, but it's a third of the price of renting a car, so I'm going for it. I'll be travelling first from EWR to NY Penn Station, then to Albany/Renssalaer, so hopefully it won't be too rough compared to the UK's rail service...

I've done the Penn Station to Albany (and beyond) and back many times.  It's usually fairly straight forward, and people actually use it to commute.  There aren't the usual delays that sometimes hit Amtrak in other areas.  Also, the trains themselves are actually more comfortable than most British trains if a little dated.  They were built for long trips.  You can get into comfort issues when the train uses freight rails in other areas of the country, but the trip between NY and Albany is pretty smooth.  Also, if you were travelling for a longer period, I'd advise an upgrade to business if it is your budget (usually not that much provided it's business and not First).  But the short trip you're talking about, it wouldn't be worth it.

Bring a snack or drink if you tend to get hungry because I think they no longer have a snack car on that route.  Albany/Ren station is nice.  They've built a new station in the past decade or so.  

The station you need to try to avoid is Schenectady.  We were stuck there for 7 hours waiting for a connection for us to cross the state.  It's seedy and there are crazy people who like to hang out there.  There's like one room, so you can't escape them.  I've done a lot of travel by train, and I have to say that Schenectady is one of the worst "larger" stations I've encountered.  I really advise anyone who has a connection through Schenectady to try to change it to Albany/Rensselaer.

Hi All,

The reason for this is as follows : the airline charges more for a one way ticket because they no you need to get there and will pay any price possible to get there. Also they presume you will not be travelling again for along time as you have just booked a one way ticket to another country meaning you must be planning on staying there along time or thinking you can get a cheaper one way ticket back

Where on a return ticket they presume it is just a holiday and will get your return custom on the next holiday if they offer you a cheaper flight.

so basically it is all down to assumtions buy a return ticket especially if your only visiting as no return ticket will more than likely you'll be going home that day

Icelandair is the key!! The cost of a one-way ticket is half the cost of RT.

Usually...but that's been my experience. Great airline.