Bakpapier

I don't think you understand, again.

Trains in Europe run very frequently. For example in Holland all trains run at least once per hour, and most run even way more often than that.

In countries that are a bit less densely populated, once per two hours is usually the minimum frequency.

Odds that you have to wait hours at a train station, then, are very very slim.

It's not like the US where you have maybe three amtrak trains a day.

Bakpapier

You know, I agree with you that toilets should be free if possible. Especially for those with children and for the disabled. I would never pay for a toilet in a club or something like that, as that's especially a place where you will have to go to the toilet more often. And I also think that at large public festivals there should be portable toilets places in the streets/at the venue, because what you will otherwise get is people pissing in the streets or, in holland, in the canals.

However, having a very clean toilet costs money, and in europe at least you often directly pay the lady that is cleaning the toilets, so you know where the money is going. In Germany they now have this annoying 'sanifair' system everywhere which I don't like as you have to pay as much as 75 cents (!) and you get a 50 cent voucher back. However I have lots of these vouchers stacked up somewhere and I never get around to using them. I would much prefer to just pay 25 cents instead.

And I will be much more ready to pay for a crisp clean toilet than for a filthy one. The ones at the stations in europe are usually pretty clean especially if they are paid; the free ones in the trains are usually very filthy.

cbn42

But is it really that critical to have this service? What did people do before the internet era? I've traveled all over the world and there have been many countries where I didn't have internet access upon landing. There are usually payphones in international terminals and there are information desks that can help direct you to hotels or taxi services or whatever you need. As long as people plan in advance, I don't see any pressing need for internet access.

WorldLux

Internet access is not a human right. If the provider decides to make it a pay-to-use service, bypassing the paywall is considered theft. And before you ask: Using power outlets without authorisation is technically speaking theft as well.

Ehhh what. 60 minutes waiting is a substantial amount of time if you are desperate for #2.

Bakpapier

That would be the very worst-case scenario. In fact there is only a small handful of regional trains in the Netherlands that only run once per hour anymore, and even then only late at night or in the weekends. And they would stop at stations that have no toilet anyway, so you couldn't even pay 50 cents. You would have to do it in the bushes if you were stuck at such a small station in a village. Or just ring a door bell and politely ask usually people will understand if it is urgent, especially in the villages (would be a bit creepy to do that in a large city though haha).

Bakpapier

Now all this talking about numberr one and number two makes me have to go myself guys

danielonn

I'll just pay the cost for Delta Comfort+ or head the the airline club for booze/food. Free WiFi Password yea thats great but 99 percent of the airports I go to have free WiFI.

CabinChief

I needed to carry on a container of soup from a special diner back home. TSA let it through frozen.

ryanbryan

Ehm, you have no basis for that comparison seeing costs are highly variable.

Also, I'm not American. Now who can't read?

pinniped

In the parts of America where trains are the most efficient means of travel, there are a lot more than three Amtraks per day. NYC, Philly, Boston, DC, etc. have many trains per day...not too dissimilar to the British Rail schedule I remember from 25 years ago when I lived there and used that system all the time. If you know the schedule, you never wait in the station for more than 30-45 minutes unless the train is seriously late.

My $0.02: any decent developed-world train station or airport should, in my opinion, provide decent toilets, drinking water (tap), seats, Wifi, heating/cooling, and lighting. I'd also add basic first-aid equipment and staffing/security for any sizable facility (not counting small-town depots that are basically one platform and no human presence). That said, the pay toilets and pay Wifi are less IME in 2016 than they once were...but I can't begrudge someone for trying to find a workaround to get these things.

sethb

I have several nameless credit cards. A couple of them, I got from Delta for VDB.

Carl Johnson

My last trip was OK, but I was in China in June and a couple times I was all the way in the terminal before I got my phone connected. Anybody who travels overseas a lot should get a t-mobile phone, or cellular tablet. They data roaming and free SMS. You can also set up a Google Voice number and install Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer and make regular voice calls at cheaper rates, usually, than the cellular service.

They have a new unlimited plan called t-mobile one, which I don't like, but the Simple Choice plans are still available, you just do a search on Simple Choice and you can find it. A good option if you just want something to roam with is a cellular unlocked or t-mobile tablet from ebay, and then pay $20 per month for service.

No, I don't work for them, but I have just LOVED the roaming, and where I live the coverage is generally very good (although with some irritating gaps).

YuropFlyer

T-Mobile is only a solution for people from Trump-country, though Though most providers across the globe do offer one kind of a solution for extensive travellers..

Unless you travel extremely heavily to many different countries (ie, 3 nights here, 2 nights there, a week on a 3rd place etc.) a local SIM, especially in combination with a Dual Sim Phone (very common in Asia..) will easily beat such a solution.

Carl Johnson

Or a portable wifi that works in multiple countries - I rented one in 2013, before US t-mobile started the free roaming, and it worked in the Czech Republic and Hungary (but not Austria, which was the third country I visited). The one I got (whose name I don't even remember now) isn't the only multi-country portable wifi either, and I expect that coverage has gotten more complete in general since 2013.

BRITINJAPAN3

Unless you phone was sold in japan where they are all Sim Lock, although that will be changing soon