On this page...
European
train operators, A-Z by country
Worldwide train operators, A-Z by country
Passenger travel by cargo ship
Useful general travel links
Foreign office travel advice
For advice on travelling to countries which might be affected by conflicts, security problems, or other dangers, check the Foreign Office travel advice pages: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. The advice for each country is updated daily as situations change. It tends to err on the safe (that is to say, paranoid) side, although it is not as paranoid as its US State department equivalent, so bear this in mind.
Passports & visas
For UK passport applications and renewals, the UK Passport Agency website is www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office.
For information on visa requirements for visiting most world countries, and for help in obtaining visas, try http://uk.cibt.com/.
Tourist information & hotels
Many countries have National Tourist Offices in key countries around the world. There's no central list, so Google to see if there's a National Tourist Office in your home country for the country you want to visit. They can often be a good source of information & inspiration.
It's worth investing in a good guidebook, and I recommend the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides series. You can buy Lonely Planets from Amazon.co.uk.
I use booking.com for hotels - they usually allow you to book with free cancellation, and any hotel with a review score over 8.0 is unlikely to disappoint.
www.hostelworld.com for ultra-cheap backpacker hostels worldwide.
Travel insurance, health & vaccinations
Always take out decent travel insurance, it's a necessity not an extra. If you live in the UK, try www.staysure.co.uk.
If you're travel to Africa, Asia or some other parts of the world, you may need vaccinations and/or to take malaria precautions. To check on which vaccinations or precautions are required for which countries, see one of two websites, www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk or www.nathnac.org. Both are publicly-funded, so aren't trying to sell you anything, just make sure people get the right jabs.
Currency converter
www.xe.com is arguably the best online currency converter.
See the train tickets by phone page for a list of UK agencies who sell European train tickets. To see which website to use to buy tickets online for any given journey, see the how to buy train tickets online page.
Overseas agencies selling European Rail tickets
The train travel to Europe page will also link you to agencies selling European train tickets in the USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Singapore, South Africa, India, Hong Kong and so on.
European train times online
For up-to-date train times for almost any train journey in Europe, see int.bahn.de. For more about this system, how to use it and its limitations, see the Train Travel in Europe page.
For UK train times, fares & online booking see the UK train travel page.
For times and fares within individual countries, see the individual country websites listed below.
Rail maps
For online map of the European railway network, see the maps section of the Train Travel in Europe page.
For the best online map of the UK rail network, see the Train Travel in Britain page.
Ferry services from the UK
Most of these UK-based ferry services can be booked online at the Seat61 Ferry Shop:
Other European ferry services
Many of these European ferry services can be booked online at the Seat61 Ferry Shop.
Other worldwide shipping & ferry services
Passenger travel by freighter
Air travel has more or less destroyed long distance passenger shipping, except for irregular cruises and some regular cargo ship lines that carry a limited number of passengers - usually 12 or less per voyage, as more than this requires the vessel to carry a ship's doctor. Freighter travel can be very civilised and comfortable, but it's usually expensive. At perhaps £70 a day it may be good value as it includes travel, board and lodging, but if a voyage takes 10-20 days it will soon cost a lot more than the air fare!
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For general info on long-distance passenger travel by cargo ship, visit www.freightertrips.com.
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US agencies booking passenger travel on cargo ships: www.freightercruises.com.
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UK agencies booking passenger travel on cargo ships: thecruisepeople.wordpress.com, +44 (0) 20 7723 2450.
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New Zealand agency booking freighter travel: www.freightertravel.co.nz.