The latest possible start date is normally 11.4.23 (11 months after purchase). That is also the latest day on which you can activate the pass. The validity period is 1/2/3 months from that date, depending on the pass you bought, so until 10.5.23 or 10.6.23 or 10.7.23, depending on the pass.

If you live in the UK, you can use the pass to get to France. You can use the pass in the UK on 2 of your travel days; that includes any domestic train to get to/from London (for Eurostar) or any port or airport.

If you need a delay because of treatments, it's best to contact customer support:

https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001/requests/new

As a couple who found ourselves in your situation a year ago here are a few answers.

Your passes can be started up to 11 months after the date of issue. The specific date will show on your pass when added to a device but will be 10 or 11th April 2023.

You will then need to complete your journeys by the end of the duration you purchased. 

You can use the pass to travel from the UK by Eurostar, subject to a reservation fee of between £ 30 and £40 depending on your class.

You can also realistically pre-buy your Eurostar tickets if there are no suitable pass reservations available - we have just bought 2 for next Easter (just on the 11 months of the 50% passes) for £69 each. We will use our passes to get from Leeds to London in the morning for a lunchtime E* and than an onward journey to Munich.

You could contact the customer services about an extension.

https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001/requests/new?

Did you buy a flexi pass or a continuous one? 

Whichever you bought here is a little advice on travelling after your treatment.

Always make reservations for trains allowing it - you will need a seat.

Allow plenty of time between connections.

Get hotels near stations - preferably in easy walking distance - Public transport can be tiring and stressful.

Choose destinations with easy walking and plenty of resting points. e,g, Monte Carlo is a nightmare of hills and lack of affordable bars. We found Bologna a good choice. Nuremberg is another good place with plenty of nice towns nearby with good rail links.

We flew out and used our pass for a return.

Consider Lille as your Eurostar station. It is a lovely city for an overnight and part day visit. It has nearby hotels and the centre is about 30 mins easy walk.

Any further questions feel free to ask.

One other point that just comes to mind - We planned to use our 10 day 2 month pass for 2 ambitious journeys. The first went well but we were forced to revise the second only a few weeks before travel.

We replanned and saved the prepaid flight and had a few days in the South of France, and then used our last days to TGV to Paris, TGV to Lille and managed to get a E* pass booking.

The point was other than a few reservations and the return flight (from Prague), all the hotels were on late cancellation bookings. It costs a few pounds more per night but worth its weight if we have to cancel.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. My advice is to always buy travel insurance as soon as you purchase your first ticket. If unsure buy an annual policy. Most policies would cover you for cancellation in these circumstances. It may be that your home contents policy offers travel insurance as well. Now you have a diagnosis you will have a lot of trouble getting insurance depending on your condition. There are many possible itineraries and people in the community can advise on suitability. I’d recommend Italy as a wonderful destination which is similar in price to UK. There’s no need to go to the tourist traps. There are dozens of wonderful towns to visit. 

Thank you all for your advice. I’m hoping we will be able to use our passes. We had initially thought of trying to go as far north in Scandinavia as possible but we might try and stay a bit nearer to the uk. 

We would be very grateful for any advice on where and how to travel. We’re not teenagers any more and we indulged in first class 2 month passes.

I would like to try an overnight train too but I’m unsure which rail networks offer the best sleepers. It would be great to have any advice on these?

Has everyone really enjoyed using the passes?
 

kindest regards,

Alison

During the next few months you will need things to look forward to as you convalesce. I suggest you get a copy of 

Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide for Independent Travellers

Book by Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries

You can then look at all the possible routings for your adventures.

Based on our recent journeys, 12 months after diagnosis and treatment for OC, you will be very fortunate to be able to do one or two extended journeys, not least because you will probably still be having monthly review meetings. Little and often is my advice, with at least a couple of weeks between each journey.

Since you have the continuous pass I would advise you to plan 2 or 3 breaks of up to 7 day breaks, probably flying out to a base and returning by train, using the 2 In/out days for your returns. 

You could then find an aparthotel for your stay and do day trips, e,g, We were going to stay near Vienna station in an apartment and do day trips to Budapest, Linz, Salzburg .

Nuremberg, Bologna and Berlin or Hamburg are other choices, Another option would be the Black Forest region and the Rhine Valley (Cologne - Frankfurt)

We also managed the Cote D’azur but that is a bit boring in that there is only a few rail lines in the region and many of the towns are quite hilly or along the Menton - Cannes line.

You really need a rail hub with several routes in/out.

Remember that in Germany and Austria there are many express trains that can cover 50 to 100 km in an hour and easy and cheap to reserve. 

Also be sure there are a range of trains to return to base in case you weary. 

If you want to do the full land cruise approach then I suggest a 1 day travel, 1 day stay itinerary.

Do not try travel and sightsee on the same day then move on the next day. That is for real train lovers.

Personally I think sleeper trains are probably the worst idea for us seniors who like the comforts of life.

They often don’t leave till near midnight, arrive by 8, stop and start all night and so you are woken up early. All are tiny and cramped, few offer decent catering and even with a rail pass the supplements for a private cabin are at least as much as a decent hotel and often far more. Also you don’t get the pleasure of the views from your lovely first class seat. Overnight seat and shared couchette berths are definitely not for us.

A good night in a reasonable hotel and a sensible start time for your train is much better for us Crinklies.

Thank you very much for this very pragmatic advice.

Kindest regards,

Alison

The Nightjet offer (most nighttrains in Europe) are very convenient for a long weekend somewhere, but it isn’t super comfortable. Also often delayed.

If you really want to try a sleeper train, the most enjoyable, in my opinion, can be found in Norway.

The carriages are a bit wider, there’s decent catering and you get the possibility to shower and have breakfast in a hotel once arrived. But! You’ll miss out on all the good scenery…

Wishing you all the best, and a speedy recovery!

We’re in our sixties and have travelled together for forty years. We still do sleepers but we’d echo the advice that they’re best avoided. One of you will have to climb up into the upper bunk unless you splash out on two single sleepers. Only a small number have private shower and toilet. Spend the money on a decent hotel or apartment. If you want to try one for novelty value we agree the Scandinavian ones are the best. Fly to Oslo and take the Trondheim one and return on the day train. Unfortunately about the only accommodation that is cheap in Norway are the sleepers. Norway is eye wateringly expensive but we enjoyed three weeks there earlier this year.

Good morning,

                      I am so glad that I managed to stumble across this chat ‘thingy’. What fantastic advice from everyone. Thank you all.

                     I bought the book but haven’t opened it yet because I’m still waiting on results and a treatment plan if any.

                     What a great thing to look forward to - even if only in my dreams.

Kindest regards,

Alison

Although everybody has their own treatment regime and reactions, I can assure you that your IR pass should be usable in some way before next spring. It will though be an interesting dynamic planning process.

We had exactly the same events of recently retired couple given the diagnosis and with a pass that had to be used by a specific date about 8 months in the future.

Before diagnosis we had been planning a full itinerary as a relatively fit couple. Then the bombshell and treatment. So we parked our plans and put efforts into the 4 months of treatment. Post treatment it became obvious our previous travels would need rolling back so, with the doctor’s blessing, we had a “trial” package holiday to recuperate in Majorca. Gentle and relaxed was the order of the day, but all went well. 

First advice - ask for special assistance on all travels, .especially airports. - do not be bothered about what people might say or being self-conscious in a wheelchair. You will need all your energy and walking distances and standing are a no-no, even if you can walk short distances.

Being confident we then addressed the IR pass. We split into 2 adventures of fly-train with care about walking distances, good hotels, B&Bs or apartments near stations and definitely first class. No short stressful connections, nice scenic journeys, overnights in places easy to get round without excessive walking, steps or hills.

The first went well and 4 weeks later we planned a similar fly out to A/ trains/fly back from B journey around a different series of cities, with the same criteria.

Circumstances changed this and we had to change at late notice, but still managed a long weekend.

We are now looking at the same situation as you. We have a continuous pass bought in the sale, currently undergoing a new round of treatment and looking at using them next spring.

Provisionally we will use some of the pass to get us to Rome from the UK for a cruise, then the return from Sicily to a suitable airport. We hope to use the 3 month pass for a couple of other adventures, possibly around the Black Forest, which has an extensive network of local trains so we can hop on hop  off without too much walking to the nearest tourist attraction/restaurant/hostelty.

So make your plans and adjust as needed.

Thankyou very much for this pragmatic advice. I’ve just managed to an art gallery but have realised I can’t stand for long yet. I’m sorry to hear about your setback and hope quality of life is  good. You mention 8 months to use your pass. Was this because diagnosis came a couple of months after purchasing your passes? My husband thought we had to use ours 8 months from purchase because we had bought them in the sale.

kindest regards , alison

I'm not sure why he would think that. The conditions are clear in that respect and are as I mentioned before: the latest possible start date is exactly 11 months after purchase.

In our case the first pass was one we bought before covid and had been extended to be used by the middle of 2022, which was about 8 months from diagnosis/treatment.

Once over the surprise we had to be very adaptive, as I am sure you are now realising.

Our setback was less of a surprise, but none the less a disappointment. The hospital has been fantastic in both the treatment and the monitoring, which means this time we are much sooner in getting treatment so the effects so far are a bit easier, and the wig is ready. 

From the beginning my Alison has been determined and insists on keeping friends, family and all the support providers in the circle, and not insular. That is as much for my support as well as hers.