It started on Thursday when I was planning on leaving Amsterdam and going to London with a stop in The Hague to meet up with Guido, who runs the Happy Hotelier blog and a really, really nice small hotel in The Hague. I figured I have lunch with him, see the sites in the Hague then move on to London.

At no time in my rail travels have I ever had any issues getting tickets or getting a train. A most you have wait an hour, but usually the entire experience is pretty straightforward. When I checked on the price of a ticket to London from The Hague they quoted me a price of €260, which is about $360. Screw that. Discount airlines are plentiful and cheap from Amsterdam to London, so I ended up staying that night in Guido’s hotel.

Researching tickets I found that I could get a ticket to London by train for €100 less if I purchased it online, and when factoring in the taxes and fees, it was close to the same price as getting a discount airline on Friday. Factor in not needing to take a train/bus from Gatwick and the train was probably the better deal. Plus, I also wanted the experience of going through the Chunnel, so I went with the train.

I purchased the train ticket on the EuroStar website from The Hague to London and was given a 6 character code to claim my tickets at the station. Sounded easy enough. I’d have a 50 minute layover in Brussels but the whole thing didn’t sound any more difficult than any other train trip I’ve taken.

Fast forward to Friday. Guido takes me to the train station and I find out that the Dutch system can’t print out tickets which were reserved on the French (Eurostar) website because they have a 7 character code and the French use a 6 character code. Basically, they are letting someone sell tickets on their trains that they cannot process. The guy at the counter just shrugged and told us to talk to the conductor on the train.

It turns out the train going to Brussels was late, so Guido just suggested I take the next train (which was also late) so I have a chance to get to Brussels in time (which turned out to be the right choice). He talked to the train agents for me and I got on board the train….along with everyone else who was waiting for next train. There were no seats available to I had to stand from The Hague to Rotterdam and then had to sit on a small folding seat the rest of the way in the car reserved for bicycles.

When I got to Brussels my 50 minute layover didn’t seem so leisurely anymore. I ran to the ticket counter to get my London ticket, waited in line for 15 minutes to be told to go to another place to get my ticket. I run over to the other counter and (surprise!) they managed to print out my London ticket AND my Brussels ticket with no problem. Of course the Brussels ticket was totally useless as I was already in Brussels, but I guess it is the thought that counts.

Once I had the ticket in hand, I I ran to the train to find out that there was a whole passport/security procedure I had to go through. I didn’t think about it, but I guess it makes sense. It was sort of like going through it at an airport, but it was all done in a very small area and much more efficiently. I got stamped out of the Schengen zone, stamped into the UK and made it to the train with 5 minutes to spare.

I guess the lesson I learned from this is to treat the London to France train more like a flight than a train ride. Don’t show up at the last minute like you can on a train, plan time to go through customs and security, and book ahead of time. In fact, other than the novelty of going under the English Channel, it is probably easier to just avoid the whole thing and just take a cheap flight. If you can get a cheap train ticket, the connivence of showing up in the middle of the city is nice, but might not be worth it if you have to pay full fare.

Walls of Nan Modal, Micronesia

Pyramid at Giza

It is now July which means vacations and road trips. In honor of July I’m giving away five copies of USA 101: A Guide to America’s Iconic Places, Events, and Festivals by Gary McKechnie.

Here is the review of the book from Amazon.com:

Countless travel books display some aspect or region of America, but USA 101 stitches together a whole crazy quilt of iconic places, events, fairs, and festivals that celebrates our country in all its quirky diversity.

Whoever you are, wherever you’re going, whatever you like to do, it’s here somewhere. And if you just stay home and travel armchair-style you’ll still find this guide a vivid, often humorous, always fascinating blend of world-famous and distinctly local places and events that add up to a national portrait.

Here are fivescore and one indelibly American destinations, from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge, from Graceland to Disneyland; perennial sporting rituals like the Army-Navy football game, the Indy 500, the Soap Box Derby, and the Little League World Series; plus dozens more favorite institutions old and new, from Native American powwows to the Miss America Pageant and monster truck rallies.

USA 101 features entertaining descriptive narratives—concise, lively sketches that capture each selection’s history and special appeal—as well as detailed practical advice and essential information for visiting. Well seasoned by eclectic, irresistible sidebars, this guide is a panorama of treasured traditions, favorite pastimes, and beloved national possessions that will surprise, amuse, and inform even the most sophisticated traveler.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment naming anywhere in the United States that you’ve never visited and would love to see. For the purposes of this contest, this will also include territories such as Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marinas Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

After a lengthy delay, I have finally had an afternoon to sit down and pick the five winners of the free copy of “Lost on Planet China” by J. Maarten Troost. There were 118 entries. I selected 5 random numbers from Random.org and these were the winners:

• Travel Business Consulting
• Daniel Sendecki
• bruleeblog
• Rene
• Katey

…..yes, winners also get a free link :)

I’ve sent the email addresses of the winners to the person organizing the contest at Random House and they should be in contact with you after the July 4th holiday.

July 2009 Desktop Wallpaper. Kinderdijk, Holland.

4 mile beach as seen from helicopter. Whitsunday Islands, Queensland.

The Treasury. Petra, Jordan.

Elephant spraying water. Chaing Mai, Thailand

Victoria River, NT, Australia

Dunes of Mui Ne