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Eurail Trouble
 
EURAIL TROUBLE Submit a Tale here | More Tales
Hi there, I have a warning for fellow backpackers. It's a lesson I learned the hard way while on my backpacking trip to Europe this past September.

Nightmare on the Train in Spain!

For first-timers on the trains in Europe - after you finally manage to find a seat on your train - make sure you watch what happens to your Eurail pass! While on my way to Barcelona from Nice, France the conductor came by and punched a hole in my pass. This normally happens, but the problems began because I didn't look closely enough at my pass right afterwards.

The conductor had punched a hole in the next square over - not the square in which I had written my current travel date! (I had one of those 5-day, use-anytime-you-want passes.) The next square was empty, so I figured the next time I used my pass (3 days later) the conductor would realize that the previous conductor made a mistake.

Well... it was my last day in Spain and I was almost TOTALLY out of money. I got on the train from Barcelona and when it came time to show my pass, the conductor told me (in Spanish or Catalan, I'm not sure which) that my pass wasn't valid! Then he told me I'd have to pay $30 on the spot for my ticket to Madrid! I didn't even have that much money left!

I started trying to explain (in Spanish) that the previous conductor made a mistake when he punched my pass and that my ticket WAS valid. I was so frustrated and scared they'd throw me off the train I started crying, which made the conductor scoff and accuse me of trying to manipulate him! Then he took down my passport number and told me I'd have to go to the office in Madrid when we arrived.

I guess there are a lot of students who travel around Europe and use eraseable pens to get more mileage out of their tickets, and he thought I was lying and trying to take advantage of the rail system. Anyway, it was an overnight trip, and I stayed awake the whole night worrying that at every stop they would throw me off. The conductor came back and asked if I had the money for a ticket again (as if it had magically appeared) and when I told him no he rolled his eyes and left again.

Finally, when we arrived in Madrid the conductor was nowhere to be found. I actually waited for him to get off the train because I didn't want him to think I was running away or lying. When he walked by, I asked him where I needed to go and that I was telling the truth. He said something along the lines of, "Well, you're here now so don't worry about it." He didn't even seem to care!

As we were getting off the train, I heard another American girl telling a guy next to her that HER ticket was valid and the conductor didn't know what he was talking about. This makes me think the conductor harasses people on a regular basis, coming up with stupid reasons why their ticket isn't valid. Then he makes a quick $30 - which goes a LONG way in Spain, believe me. I'm not sure if it's a scam or if they're just really strict, but everyone should make sure the conductor punches or stamps ONLY the square with the day you're travelling. Not noticing it can cost you needless anxiety and a lot of sleep!

Nicole