How to Travel Britain With a BritRail Pass

Steps

1. Know the types of BritRail passes available.

   • The BritRail Pass allows unlimited rail travel in England, Scotland and Wales and is available as a consecutive day pass or as a flexipass.
   • The BritRail "England Pass" allows unlimited rail travel in England "only" and is available as a consecutive day pass or as a flexipass.
   • The BritRail "Plus Ireland" Pass allows unlimited rail travel in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland but is available as a flexipass "only".
   • The BritRail "London Plus" Pass allows unlimited rail travel within the southeast of England but is available as a flexipass "only".
   • The BritRail "Freedom of Scotland" Pass allows unlimited rail travel within Scotland but is available as a flexipass "only".
   • The BritRail "Central Scotland" Pass allows unlimited rail travel within the central region of Scotland, primarily between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
2. Know your many discounts on the BritRail Pass. Make sure you check these out before purchasing.

   • The BritRail "Youth" Pass is for those age 16-25 and receive a 20% discount off the regular adult pass.
   • The BritRail "Senior" Pass is for those 60+ and receive up to 15% off the regular adult rate.
   • The BritRail "Group" Pass is 50% off for the 3rd to 9th passenger.
   • The BritRail "Family" Pass is for children age 5-15 travel free with one adult or senior passholder. Children under 4 travel for free and do not need a pass.
3. Know the BritRail Pass Validities. The BritRail Passes come in two forms. The "BritRail Consecutive Pass" and the "BritRail Flexipass". The BritRail Consecutive Pass allows you to purchase 3, 4, 8, 15, 22 days or 1 month of rail travel -- while the Flexipass allows you to purchase 3, 4, 8 or 15 days of rail travel "within a 2 month period". Different validities apply to other passes such as:

   • The BritRail "Plus Ireland" Pass - 5 or 10 days within a 2 month period.
   • The BritRail "London Plus" Pass - 2 days within 8 days, 4 days within 8 days or 7 days within 15 days.
   • The BritRail "Freedom of Scotland" Pass - 4 days within 8 days or 8 days within 15 days.
   • The BritRail "Central Scotland" Pass - 3 days with 7 days.
4. Figure out where you will be traveling. If you plan to travel in England, Scotland and Wales then the BritRail Pass will be what you need. If it is just England, then the BritRail England pass is enough. Smaller passes also exist for different regions such as the BritRail London Plus Pass which allows you to travel in the Southeast of England, the BritRail Freedom Of Scotland Pass for Scotland only and the BritRail Plus Ireland Pass which allows you to travel in England, Scotland, Wales, Rep of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
5. Decide how many days you need. If you are traveling from London to Manchester to Edinburgh to Glasgow for example, a 3 day BritRail Pass will suffice. Don't purchase more days than you need. If you are going to be traveling by for a three day period, then 3 days of rail travel is enough. If your rail travel will be spread out over a number of days within a certain time frame (say three weeks) then the flexipass allows you to choose the number of days to travel over a 2 month period. This will give you the freedom to come and go as you please. The days do not need to be consecutive.
6. Reservations. Reservations can be made before you leave for the UK. But it is quite common to travel without them as most operating companies don't require them. However, it would be wise to make reservations during peak times such as holidays and weekends.
7. Validating your BritRail Pass. Validating your rail pass is quite easy. On your first day of rail travel simply present your rail pass at the ticket window where a rail official will stamp the pass with the date. From here on in you will not need to go to any ticket window. Just board the train you are looking for and you are on your way. A conductor will then ask you to present your pass while on board.