I have found that pay toilets are much more common overseas than they are here in the States (or at least the parts I’ve visited), but even the European press originally thought this concept was a joke. But so far, it looks like this may happen.

With the way the airline industry is suffering these days, I wonder if any American carriers would go this route. I’m sure there will be more than one executive keeping watch on how this story develops. Me, I just feel for the flight attendants, because you know there will be some cheap folks who will try to come up with their own in-flight toilet solutions.

The so-to-be traveler had mentioned that she wanted to do a couple of train trips while on the continent. I suggested a Eurail pass; she said she was already planning to get one. Good.

On her way out, I mentioned that she may want to talk to the folks at Rail Europe before she left to get some help with hotel questions and bookings, as well as her Eurail pass – since she had to get that before she left the country anyway. Which caught her by surprise; she had assumed – incorrectly – that she could buy the pass once she got to Europe.

Eurail passes are for international visitors, not those already living on the continent. Even if you produce a passport, plane tickets, birth certificate, or any other form of documentation you can think of, you won’t be able to buy a pass once you arrive in Europe. And don’t put it off until the last minute, since you’ll need to be sent the paper ticket; to my knowledge, there isn’t any kind of electronic option available.

And by the way, I do highly recommend getting a Eurail pass for travel within Europe (with the exception of Ireland). You can get to most everywhere pretty easily (except in Ireland, unless you want to stay in Dublin and do day trips out), and you get to look at the scenery while doing so.