Rail Passes and Reservations

[fs]

Just got my Select Youth Pass from raileurope...
I am still a little clueless about the reservations.

On the trains that do not require reservation, do you just get in and sit in any available seat(in my case 2nd class)? On raileurope.com site it says "with pass or point-to-point ticket you are not guaranteed a seat", so if i arrive earlier will my chances of getting on the train improve? How do i know if i really should buy a reservation versus just getting on without one? Where you ever in a situation when you tried to get on a train(w/o reservation) but couldn't since it was full?

Also, can i purchase a reservation on a future leg of my travel, from a different city. For example i'm about to leave from Zurich to Lucerne and knowing that in a few day i will be making a trip from Lausanne to Paris would i be able to get a Lausanne-Paris reservation from a Zurich train station. If not, how can this be done otherwise? The thing is i will only be connecting in Lausanne i will not be staying there, so i can't really come there a day in advance to get the reservation...

Please give me any info on the Reservation vs No Reservation topic..

Thanx!!!

[nitsansh]

You should be able to make reservation for Lausanne-Paris at any Swiss rail station, or at large station in many other countries in Europe. Also many travel agencies in Europe can handle train reservations for a small fee.

I would normally not bother to make reservations for short journeys, up to 2-3 hours, unless I have to.
The practice is simple: You board a 2nd class car that goes to your destination (the destination is marked on a plate next to the door. make sure of that, as sometimes trains split on course and cars can go in different directions), and look for an empty seat that is NOT marked as reserved (this should be indicated by a slip of paper attached to the seat, or to the compartment's door, indicating the section of the journey that has been reserved).
Also be aware that some trains may require supplement (an additional fee), and are not free for pass holders. These trains are usually marked by coloured text on the timetable.

[nitsansh]

fs said:

Where you ever in a situation when you tried to get on a train(w/o reservation) but couldn't since it was full?

I was very close to that once. I boarded a train that barely had standing room. I was fortunate to travel on that "sardines box" for only half-an-hour, but following that experience I made reservations for my next trip...

On regular trains (not those "elite" trains that require compulsory reservation) you can stand in the corridor if there are no seats available, and it's very rare that the train is so packed that you can not find standing room.