Save money by booking your train early
New research out today shows the days of students heaving their washing home from University are fading; this recession-savvy generation is flocking back to mum and dad to keep money in their pockets and stay on the emotional straight and narrow.
According to the poll commissioned by thetrainline.com, students travel home six times during the course of the academic year, with two in five regularly returning to earn some extra cash from a part time job and a fifth popping in to see the parents for a cash top up when they need it.
But emotional support is just as crucial, with more than half of students admitting they find the busy lifestyle stressful and need to visit home to feel sane, often seeking comfort from parents and family after a break up or other emotional upheaval.
The trend for young women escaping the hectic lifestyle of lectures and partying is much more marked than for young men (60% of women compared to 49% of men).
However three quarters of young men wouldn’t miss a family member’s birthday with an even higher number of women heading back for celebrations, proving there is still a strong emotional pull to home.
Thetrainline.com conducted the research ahead of the Easter break, when trains across the country will be filling up with students returning home for the holidays. Students are advised to book their train tickets in advance at thetrainline.com now to make the best savings on travel home for Easter.
Money saving tips for students booking train travel home in Britain
Sign up for Ticket Alert emails and leave the thinking to someone else – if you can’t remember which lecture you’re supposed to be in, never mind anything else, sign up to Ticket Alerts and thetrainline.com will email you as soon as the cheapest tickets for your journey home become available. That way, you can be sure to bag yourself a bargain and have more money left in your pocket for having fun with your friends
Think ahead and book in advance – we know students don’t always think too far ahead and often only decide to go home in the week of travel but if you can, try to think ahead. Our data shows the most popular time for booking is up to three days before travel2 but the cheapest Advance tickets are released twelve weeks ahead, so planning could really help you save!
You can save up to 6pm the day before – it’s okay if you can’t plan ahead, because savings can be made right up until 6pm the day before you travel
Download thetrainline.com FREE mobile app – you can use the free app to search for and book the cheapest tickets for your journey. Once you’ve booked, avoid the ticket office and pick them up from a ticket machine just 10 minutes later
Use our Best Fare Finder tool – if you’re searching nearer the time for the cheapest tickets, head to our Best Fare Finder tool to make sure you’re getting the cheapest tickets for your journey – as long as you can be flexible, it’s a life (and money) saver
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