Christmas is just around the corner, but before turning your attention to ensuring you get your fair share of pigs in blankets or how to win a festive game of charades, it is worth considering how you will make that journey home...
Travelling is not always easy, particularly at Christmas, so preparing yourself as best you can should give you the best chance of a smooth journey ho-ho-home.
So please find below some tips to hopefully help you out:
1. Check for strikes
A train strike always seems to be around the corner, so we strongly recommend checking to see if any industrial action is taking place around the time you plan to travel.
There is set to be some disruption between Saturday, December 2nd and Friday, December 8th, as things stand. You can keep up to date with disruptions, ticket availability, and refund information here.
We would also suggest you look up your journey on a live route planner on the day of your travels, as that will inform you of any unforeseen service delays.
2. Save yourself some money
We all know that trains aren’t cheap, so you need to do all you can to knock as much off the cost as you possibly can.
While spending a little bit of money on a railcard can seem like a pain, now could be an excellent time to get one if you haven't already done so. If you are likely to use the train a lot, whether that is to go back home to visit family or friends for festive fun or just to explore, a16-25 railcard will save you plenty of coins.
A 16-25 railcard costs £30 for one year or £70 for three years, and you will get 1/3 off of rail travel each and every time you purchase a ticket. Despite the cards being named 16-25, mature students can also apply for them. You can see more about them here.
3. Timing matters
If you have the luxury of being a little more flexible with your travel times, it is worth comparing different days and times. Travelling at peak hours can make your journey much more expensive, so it is always worth researching and considering when you set off.
Aside from saving some much-needed Christmas funds, travelling outside peak times can also prove to be a less stressful operation when travelling with a fair amount of luggage. You never know; you might even find room for your case in a case rack; miracles do happen!
4. A splitting headache...
As ridiculous as it sounds, splitting your train ticket can actually be a much cheaper way to travel. Whilst you would hope we lived in a world where travelling from Plymouth to your destination would be the same price no matter how the ticket was purchased, no such perfection exists.
We would advise you to look at the following website: Split my Fare
Splitting your ticket does not necessarily mean you have to change trains, although you are more likely to have to change seats. But what is a few steps if it saves you some money that can be spent on that last-minute gift you need to grab for that relative you forgot was coming?
5. Hit the road!
Whilst travelling by train can be quite a nice experience, it is certainly not always the cheapest. It is worth shopping around and considering other methods of transport, such as coaches.
Megabus can be a fairly cheap option, particularly if you are willing to travel at some less popular times. They also give a 10% discount with a TOTUM card, which you can read more about here.
And if like Chris Rea, you are driving home for Christmas, then it is worth planning where you will stop for petrol so you don’t have to pay astronomical service station prices. Topping up before you leave is always a good idea, but knowing where a few supermarket petrol stations are on your route can also save you a decent amount of cash.
For example, Morrisons at Cribbs Causeway is only just off the M5 and can be a great place to refill and grab some refreshments that don’t require you to take out a loan!
We hope these tips help you, and from everyone in the Advice Team at the SU, we wish you a fantastic and relaxing break. Merry Christmas!