Anywhere, Anytime France

September 15, 2008 By: Jena Tesse Fox Travel Agent

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This innovative program lets visitors to France travel for less

Although flexible and affordable Eurail (or Eurorail) passes may be popular with students backpacking through Europe, the catch-as-catch-can method of train travel can be frustrating to more seasoned travelers with more specific itineraries in mind, or to families and groups who need to ride together.

To balance affordable train travel with planned journeys, Rail Europe has introduced Anywhere Anytime France, a system by which families— or agents— can prepay for train trips to more than 4,000 destinations throughout France. Once purchased, the trip can be redeemed at any time between three months to one hour before the train leaves the station. This allows for flexibility as well as spontaneity, and keeps the overall cost of the trip reasonable with no added fees or surprises.

“Most travelers going to two or more cities would benefit from AAF,” says Libbey Baker, Rail Europe’s account manager at Nike Communications. As rail prices between French cities can vary based on location, distance and time, AAF offers flat rates for travel on any available train. “It’s a great opportunity to explore numerous destinations at a lower cost.”

To book tickets, travel agents can create an Anywhere Anytime France account for their clients online at https://agent.raileurope.com/us/index.htm and purchase prepaid train trips at a flat fee. The first trip costs $199 ($124 for children aged four to 11), and all subsequent train trips in the package cost $50. (Any trips added to the account after the initial purchase cost $70.) Travelers can then use any computer to log onto their account to book seats on the train of their choice.

At the station, they can retrieve and print their tickets at any self-service kiosk— no waiting in line or dealing with a language barrier— up to one hour before the train departs. Groups of up to nine can travel together or individually as needed. If a passenger needs or wants to cancel the trip, he or she can simply log on to the account up to one hour before departure and make any necessary changes without penalties (once the ticket has been printed, however, it cannot be refunded).

The Benefits
Unlike Eurorail passes, Anywhere Anytime France trips include first-class rail accommodations on numerous trains throughout the country, including the high-speed TGV trains. In addition, people with accounts can get discounts of up to 50 percent at stores, special attractions and hotels throughout the country.

“This is the first pre-paid electronic ticketing system for European train travel,” Baker says, and emphasizes the program’s accessibility. “You can change your itinerary with the click of a mouse.” Beyond convenience and value, she adds, there are other benefits to exploring France by rail. For example, train travel is much more eco-friendly than taking an airplane between cities. “In addition to that,” she continues, “you get to really see the destination and the entire country that passes by your window.” Rather than simply moving from city to city, visitors can see smaller towns and landmarks that they would otherwise miss—all from the comfort of a first-class seat. “It’s travel,” Baker says, “but it’s also an experience.”

There are, however, some restrictions to the program: Tickets are not valid on overnight trains, and travelers must use all purchased trips within six months of the time their account is registered. They must also use all purchased trips within one month from the departure date of the first train trip. In addition, Anywhere Anytime France is only available to travelers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America (north of Panama) and the Caribbean. If your clients seem interested, book now: The current prices are only available until the end of 2008.