Kids are 2 and 4, so can travel for free. If we want cheap tickets, we have to book in advance of course, and that means seat allocations.

However, on the FGW website it says that your kids can only have a seat if there’s a spare one available. So, since they usually put the booked seats all together, our reserved seats will be surrounded by other reserved seats. Not very useful!

Anyone managed to make it work without having to stand and leave your kids on their own?

You can get even cheaper tickets if you get a family and friends railcard – then you have to pay for the kids but you get a third off or thereabouts so not only do you all get seats but the journey costs less too. You are allowed to use it if the kids are still valid for free travel, we use one with our 3 yr old.

You don’t have to sit in your reserved seats, they just allocate you a seat on advanced tickets for your convenience.

Put the kids in the reserved seats, then go sit somewhere quiet. Everyone’s a winner! 🙂

Njee, I didn’t know that, that’s very interesting.

I’m considering upgrading to first, since it’s still fairly cheap and there’s usually tons of space.

then you have to pay for the kids but you get a third off or thereabouts so not only do you all get seats but the journey costs less too.

Still cheaper to have them free isn’t it?

Edit: actually no.. cos we’d be going to pick people up, so coming back with four adults.. hmm..

Still cheaper to have them free isn’t it?

No, it really isn’t, child tickets are peanuts. You save way more off the adult ticket than you have to shell out for the child.

It doesn’t seem to work with the cheap 1st class tickets tho..

Family railcard and a seat for the kids makes life really easy, and is usually quite a bit cheaper too (we sometimes save the cost of the railcard on one trip down to London).

In theory you have to sit in your allocated seat. Sometimes they moan at you if you don’t, but that is all.

Could the adults you’re picking up not travel up by themselves?

Family & friends railcard is the way forward 🙂

Drac, could you not post things I have blatantly obviously already thought of? 🙂

Ah sorry.

Sorry Drac I thought you were being deliberately facetious..

No I was just making suggestion as it seems a real ball ache to take the whole family when the adults could just travel themselves.

Well of course, but we all like to travel, kids included.

Why not just buy some tickets for your kids? At least then you’ll be able to book seats for them.

Ive travelled a lot with little ‘uns on trains

Its really very simple as has been suggested

If the trains likely to be quiet I didnt buy them a ticket so got it cheap
Theres usually loads of spare seats to freeload

If the trains likely to be busy I bought them a ticket and reserved them a seat
Even at the age of 2-3

If I messed up and the train was unusually busy which only ever happened once they had to alternate between my lap and us all walking around

Cheers

hmm – wasn’t aware of the family and friends railcard. This seems to be the way to go.

However, my daughter has a voice like Kate Bush has swallowed a foghorn, so this usually creates sufficient seats for all of us if the train is busy as folk seem really keen to move to other carriages 🙂