Points for Eurail Passes?
 

I know that United offers points for Amtrak
and Eurostar (Chunnel) tickets. Do any airline or hotel offer points for Eurail Passes?

there is NONE.

If you use Eurail, you don't want points you want paracetamol!
MF

Look at the info for akperry...

It could be a conincidence, but here we have a conference centre manager in Nancy, KY, asking a strange question...

I looked it up on my map software. Nancy, KY is about halfway between Nashville, TN and Lexington, KY. It's a real town.

WOW! Talk about paranoia. The only staight
answer I got was from Rudi ( being the fine Swiss gentleman that he is).
Do you find it strange that a Conference Center Director for the University of Kentucky would travel? Or that I would enjoy
First Class rail travel in Europe?
Sorry Sherlock if you think I'm emmett_s/nancy.
The fact that I could spell and use Caps should have tipped you off that I'm not him/her/it!

I did not write to say that I know that
you, AKPerry are who you say who you are
and not a fool but I didn't want to start
the avalanche of Emmett_Nancy jokes.

You writing is fine. And you know how to
spell words like conference and Chunnel.

So I hope you will stay on board FlyerTalk
and offer us your knowledge on travel.

Happy & Safe Flying! CATMAN

It was a tongue-in-cheek (ie ironic humour) remark akperry - sorry if I offended you. As Catman says, you know how to spell, which means that you definitely aren't the real Nancy/Emmett. Stick around, & ask more interesting questions.... I was just amused by your location.

I find it strange that anyone would enjoy rail travel (First or Cattle class) in Europe!

Get yourself on a lovely boat. Do Scandinavia, then down to Germany, Holland etc.

Much more fun than being stuck on a smelly old train; inhailing the stench of rotting diesel. Yuckkkk
MF
MF

Hi Merry Flyer - it shows that you haven't been on trains for a long time - diesel? (only on privatised english rails).

Western Europe: France/Great Britain/Spain/Germany/Austria/Nederlands/Belgium/Luxembourg/Fuerstentum Liechtenstein/Monaco run to more than 95% on electricity.

And with the trains you get right in the middle of the place (you spare thew transfer time & cost from airports to the heart of the city).

In average in Western-Europe I choose the train if:
- I travel in Switzerland (longest train rides are 4-5 hours from one extreme point to the other and train connections are every hour).
- I don't go (fly) to Great Britain
- I don't have to go on or come from an overseas flight-connection
- if the train journey is under 5 hours (when there are discounted air-fares) otherwise 7 hours. Time-calculation for Zurich-Paris by air: ride from the main station to the airport 30', check-in-boarding 45', average delay in Zurich 21', flight 1'15, waiting for baggage 15', connection to underground/waiting for underground 15', underground 60': adds up to 4 hours and 21 minutes.
- if the train allows me to be home for the night
- if I don't "need" those miles (at the end of the year) to reach my status-goal
- if I don't "need" that flight to meet a (mileage or free ticket) airline promotion.
- if I have a lot of preparation work to do
- if I want to hold a meeting on the way (2-6 people)

I have taken the Chunnel Train twice between
London and Paris and enjoyed it. The staff
was friendly, the ride comfortable and I
don't remember smelling diesel. (Maybe it
was because I was in first class.)

Also took the train between Budapest, Prague
and Vienna for fun. It was hit and miss,
and mostly because of the American tourists
complaining it was not first class.

The WORST Train ride was the ride from Beijing to Shanghai. First class was equivalent to First class on a cattle car.
Th other cars seemed to be for smokers, riders included chickens and other things (This was my friend's idea to take the train... he wanted to see the "Real" China.)

While it was an interesting experience, next
time I will take Cathay Pacific or UA.

And now that I've won the Emmett_Nancy award
for friday... I'll go to Toronto. CATMAN

Merry - this is one area where Sir Richard's trains can't keep up with his planes...

Trains definitely beat buses - how many of you have spent over 24 hours on a greyhound or its equivalent? Trains are incredibly luxurous in comparison.

The European train system is great compared to the rest of the world - it's possible to get almost anywhere using the train, and with train stations commonly integrated with airports it's a lot easier than taking a cab. Rudi is right about the Swiss train system - I used to go to Lausanne every month (from London), & taking the train from Geneva to Lausanne was by far the best part of the journey.

Besides, MF, aren't you in the oil business? - you should enjoy those diesel fumes!

Ok, you have now past the point of no return. I'm rilled, I'm mad...

Oh, what the heck, I'm too tired to bother, I'm waiting for my flight to blighty and I just want to be home.

But listen: Sir Richard!? What, he isn't Knighted!! And if you know how late his trains were getting Her Majesty's Ministers to the Labour Party Conference in Blackpool last week, you will no that are Richard ain't gunna be Knighted this decade!

Bless him Richard (Big Dick to his friends) had to write a letter to the times appologising yesterday, saying Virgin trains are the pits.

OK, I'm not usualy this forthright, but after the wig experience I don't care.

As for me being in the oil business (Rudi) with the price of Brent Crude as low as it is, it makes no difference to me either way - unless things improve soon I will have to travel Economy!

But hay, at least the dollar is so low against sterling that I can enjoy myself in the states.

Let's face it folks, rail travel sucks.

If you want to disagree fine, but I warn you, I will e-mail Nancy/Emmett/Roberto and have them/it/her contribute.

You have been warned!!
MF

I had been reding this postings and can mention that i have taking the train between new york city and chicago once
and it was very nice
Maybe now I will get the emmett/nancy/roberto award

Roberto: the emmett/nancy/roberto will be handed over to Roberto on:

AUGUST-29th-1999 at 0830AM at the Hotel Pierre in New York (at the breakfast-room).

A brunch will then be offered by Rudi.
The Ceremony will be directed by Catman. Honorary guest is Merry Flyer.

Roberto: please send me your "curriculum vitae" by email, so that I can prepare the press/media-material (Catman as an expert* on this will help me).

*on catmans card I read: newsmaker (till now I thought news happens and is reported afterwards - but I should have known better "news is made" by CNN and others ...).