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Maja Lie

October 30th, 2022

Travelling with the Eurostar

0 comments | 5 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Maja Lie

October 30th, 2022

Travelling with the Eurostar

0 comments | 5 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

I find travel by train much more enjoyable than flying. Although it’s usually longer, you get to witness the scenery along the way and, personally, I find it much less stressful than going to the airport. You can use the Eurostar to travel to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam currently, but they are also thinking of adding new routes in the future. I recently used the Eurostar to visit my grandmother in the Netherlands. 

The first thing to remember when traveling, whether it is by plane or train, is to book ahead of time. You don’t want to wait last minute to book Eurostar tickets because they will get more expensive the more time you wait. You should arrive with plenty of time before your departure at St. Pancras train station. Make sure you check what you are and are not allowed to bring across borders as you will need to go through customs and border control before boarding. The boarding at St. Pancras opens up only 20 minutes before departure, so you may have to stay in the waiting area for a bit. Once on the train, there’s chargers for your laptop or other devices. You can watch a movie or get some work done on the trip. There is an area on the train where you can get food and drink, but I recommend bringing your own snacks. Make sure to look outside every once in a while as well!

View from the Eurostar

Coming back into the UK, there is one additional bit of information to remember which I found out this time. I am an EU citizen, and I received my pre-settled status in the UK in January of 2019. I recently renewed my EU passport, which means I received a new passport number. I forgot that I had applied for my pre-settled status under my old passport number and didn’t realise that this status is tied to the document number, not my name. The border patrol officer in the Netherlands kindly reminded me that I need to update this number every time I get a new passport. Luckily, I was given the benefit of the doubt by the border police and there were no problems. It’s a good reminder that if you possess pre-settled/settled status, you need to remember to keep this information up to date when you travel. On your return trip, also remember to check what goods you are allowed to bring back with you. Travelling by train, you are allowed to take much more with you than on a plane, but not everything is permitted of course!

Enjoy a break from London by visiting the Netherlands or other Eurostar destinations

About the author

Maja Lie

I am both an alum and a current student at the LSE having studied Mathematics with Economics for my undergraduate degree and continuing to study Applicable Mathematics as a postgrad. I love learning languages, whether spoken or programmed, and am addicted to traveling. I am also not-so-secretly a huge nerd and Marvel fan.

Posted In: Travel

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