Clever method to get best seat on the train for free – ‘it works’

Four essential train hacks to save time and money

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Always buy food and drinks at the station

One of the top essential tips, especially for a long train ride, is to always buy your food at the station. Train food, just like plane meals, is always bad and very unhealthy.

Train stations usually have a great selection of restaurants and supermarkets. For this exclusive Express.co.uk article, I followed this tip and bought a healthy yoghurt with fruit at Pret a Manger before getting on the train.

Snacks and drinks, such as bottles of water or crisps, are also worth buying at the station as they will always be cheaper than purchasing them on the train.

Bring your own food and drinks to save time and money

Alternatively, you can always bring your own food and drinks to save even more. I did so and brought a delicious chorizo sandwich from home.

Wear something warm and comfy

It is also key to wear warm and comfortable clothes, especially on long journeys, as the train can get very cold. I wore leggings, boots and a very comfy sweater.

Always get the window seat

My last top tip is to always get the window seat, especially if you get bored easily. I brought a book but I soon got tired of reading and sitting by the window made the journey way more entertaining.

Another useful recommendation is to always book a seat, if you can, as there is nothing worse than having to stand for a long journey.

If you don’t want to pay extra for a seat, apps like BusyBot on the Trainline can let passengers know if they are more likely to find a seat at the front, middle or end of a train.

If the train is full, travellers can always sit in first class for free as the ticket inspectors normally allow it.

If they refuse to let you sit there, you can always ask them where there is a free seat on the train. 

Luckily for those travellers who want to get the best seat without paying extra, there is a life-changing app that can help with that.

Travel expert Chelsea shared the clever trick on her site Cheapholidayexp and said that this is her “most used travel hack”.

According to the expert, an app called Realtimetrains can help travellers beat the crowd and be the first ones on the platform before the train arrives, which can help them get the best seat available.

The app tells you what platform the train will be on before it shows on the station screens.

The travel guru explained this is great “when you’re due to get a busy train and you don’t have seat reservations”.

She said: “So you have to beat all these people to get to the platform first, there’s this website which will tell you which platform before it departs.

“I would say it works about 95 percent of the time, but please keep refreshing to make sure it doesn’t change.

“I’ve lost count of how many times this has helped – it’s probably my most used travel hack. It’s the hack that no one wants you to know. I almost didn’t want to tell you!”

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