TRAIN IN JANUARY!

[nitsansh]

I forgot to credit the source... the shopping info is from LP guide...

Basically, your plan is good... can't think of a new idea at this moment...
I still wait for clarification about the Swiss leg... do you have further info on that?

Oh.. a new idea just popped up in my mind... if you have a spare day in Barcelona, I suggest you take a trip to Montserrat!

[georgemmj]

I am sure we will have extra time in Barcelona. Now I have a question I have probably asked before. My travel agent found us train tickets, and we are PRETTY sure we know what cities we want/need to be in and when.....BUT do want to have FREEDOM just in case....when purchasing train tickets....are they non-refundable and only good for THAT time/date??? Wondering if we purchased tickets if they are flexible at all?? Thanks for helping the no good traveler! Thanks Georgie

[nitsansh]

It depends on the type of tickets.
Regular train tickets are good for most trains between the 2 cities, but if you don't make reservation you're not guarantied a seat. As far as I know, reservations made outside Europe are no-refund and no-exchange. If you want to change the date or time of travel, the ticket is still valid but the reservation isn't - if you want a reserved seat you must make (and pay for) a new reservation. This is also the case in most night trains.
Some trains require that you make (compulsory) reservation. These trains are marked with R inside a box in the timetable.
Some trains require that you make reservation at the time you purchase the ticket. The Thalys (on Amsterdam-Paris route, for example) has several ticket types that vary by their degree of flexibility. If you buy ticket for this train you should inquire which type is it. Business type is the most flexible and the most expensive... Mini type is the most restrictive - no refund and no exchange - and the most cheap. Cheap ticket types are quote-controlled, which means they could be sold out while more expensive tickets are still available.
In some countries, tickets are cheaper if you buy them some time in advance. But if you buy from a travel agent abroad, you allways pay the full price.

[nitsansh]

georgemmj said:

I am sure we will have extra time in Barcelona

What makes you sure about that? 3 days are not a long time for Barcelona...

[georgemmj]

I AM SOOOO SORRY........about having enough time for Barcelona. I realize we don't have enough time for most of the cities, but that gives us a good reason to come back in the summer....thanks for the train info...now my question is............the relative I am going to see in Barcelona plays for the Joventut Badalona Basketball team in the ACB league.....and is playing the Caja San Fernando team the weekend we are there...Jan 18, 2003. Wondering if anyone knows where the Caja San Fernando team is located, since I don't know if they are in Barcelona or far away? I know I can ask my cousin, but we don't talk too often and I want to know now if I could................THANKS

www.eurobasket.com/ESPteam.asp?TEAM=95

This is the website of my cousins team........I guess I just can't figure out where any team is located because I can't read Spanish................if no one feels like looking up basketball stuff in Europe.........I completely understand.................I am just really bored right now...Talk to ya'll later..........Georgie

[nitsansh]

The site is in English...
Caja San Fernando is a team from Sevilla in southern Spain... it's about 1000KM from Barcelona... and this game is at Sevilla, so he'll probably be away the whole day (you need to fly there!).
Sevilla is a very nice city... if you can travel there I think it would be worth it...

[georgemmj]

Do you have any idea how much a flight would be and if we could do it in one day? Where would I book a flight from Barcelona to Sevilla and back? Thanks for all of your help, I realize you can get that website in english, my computer wasn't allowing it last night for that site for some reason So anywho, talk to you later.

Georgie

[nitsansh]

On Air-Europe site I found they have an offer of 99$ return Barcelona-Sevilla...
but if you fly out of Barcelona on Jan 19.... do you really want to spend the previous day in Sevilla?

[georgemmj]

Well if it means getting to see him play, we'll have to see. But I am unsure of the $99. fare you found. Was this a round trip or one-way? Not like I would have to pay for it anyway, but just curious? Thanks for your input......talk to you later.

Georgie

[nitsansh]

You mean... do you expect your relative basketball player to pay for it? So why do you care...
The important question is if you'll have a flight back to Barcelona in time to catch your flight to USA...
If you want to travel with the team to Barcelona, you'll have to ask him... I have no idea what are the team's travel arrangements... maybe they fly by charter? And if they do so, maybe they have vacant seats?
I know that sport teams that fly on charters often sell vacant seats to relatives and fans at bargain prices...
But I don't know what time the match is... and it may be on Saturday instead of Sunday...
Another way to travel to Sevilla is by train or bus... but if the flight is really 99E return, I don't think train will be cheaper... unless you have an unused travel day on a pass...
Many unknown factors at this moment make it hard to make a smart decision...

[nitsansh]

I must be confused... January 18 IS Saturday...

I just found another good offer, but it has a catch...
Iberia has an offer of 105E for Barcelona-Sevilla return, but...
1. You must purchase 30 days in advance (you still got 13 days...)
2. You must stay Saturday night, so your return flight should be on Sunday morning... the earliest flight land in Barcelona at 9AM... will you get to your homebound flight on time?
3. That's the catch... the ticket must be purchased in Spain... you must pick up the ticket within 72 hours of reservation at Iberia office or a travel agency, or ask to send it to an adress within Spain (for extra 6E)... someone in Spain should pick it up for you...

[georgemmj]

This is way too much for me to try and figure out in 13 days. His NEXTEL isn't working right now and I don't think I will talk to him until after the holidays, so if he wants me to go to the game, he will figure things out, thanks for those details, I will keep them in mind. We leave very early Sunday morning, so I might have to figure out a different date within my trip! Thanks though, you are so much help and so quick with great advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

GEORGIE

[nitsansh]

This fare is available only if you stay Saturday night away. If you can't do that, it will be much more expensive... also, if the game is on Saturday evening, you will be late for the last flight or the night train... IIRC, Iberia's latest flight is at 21.30...
BTW... which airline do you fly from Barcelona? Maybe they have code-sharing with Iberia (or maybe it's Iberia itself) and you can get a good price for a domestic flight? It's worth to ask your travel agent... (hey... what I do is a travel agent's job, but I don't have access to the reservation system...)
Also... I found that the Despegue online fare is available on December 7... so perhaps there's no 30-days advanced purchase limit...
Anyway... you can't get away with the local purchase restriction unless someone pick up the ticket for you in Spain or you ask Iberia to send it to someone's adress in Spain...