In the last week I had the pleasure of going on the train twice outside of London. It was a nice change, to see something else and to get away from the concrete jungle. Since I don’t normally travelling around the United Kingdom by train, I found myself ill prepared for the journey. Everyone else around me pulled out reading books and magazines while others were tapping away on their laptops. After reading my very thin newspaper I decided to stare out of the window for the remaining part of the journey. It hit me then and there that I had no clue what to expect when I boarded the train in London.

There are a lot of railway companies in the United Kingdom that are responsible for a different part of the railway network which is why you’ll always have different trains coming in and out of London. Most of the trains have the seat setting the same allowing people with laptops to plug in their power cable or their mobile phone charger whilst on the train. More and more train companies are providing free wireless access on their trains, which is a nifty feature I only discovered on my way back.

Travelling around the United Kingdom by rail is quite exciting but very expensive for some bizarre reason. Avoid travelling early morning as it tends to be double the amount than what you normally pay for in the afternoon. There are plenty of websites that will help you with discount tickets and remember that it is always best to book in advance as you will get some sort of discount. The advantage of trains are that there’s no baggage check in and you can take a seat anywhere on the train except first class, unless you forked out a fortune for that. Plus, you will see a different side to the United Kingdom other than London for a change.

A word of caution though, get your own snacks before boarding the train as they tend to be unbelievably expensive on the train and very limited. Own entertainment is a must, unless you want to sit there and count your teeth.