BritRail Caters to Whims of Youth

Passes for unlimited rail travel are especially attractive to young travelers because they provide the freedom and flexibility to travel at whim and because they are often available at discounted rates to young adventurers willing to be restricted to second-class coaches.

This year BritRail will continue to offer youth versions of its BritRail Passes to travelers age 16-25, for unlimited travel in England, Scotland and Wales; however, the rates did rise slightly Jan. 1.

There are cheaper ways to get around Britain, including a special backpackers’ bus service called Slow Coach, but you are restricted to traveling along a single route and you are limited to departures ranging from every day to every third day.

BritRail Youth Passes allow you to use the coach-class services on any of 15,000 trains daily, which travel between 2,400 stations throughout Britain.

There are two types of BritRail passes. Consecutive day BritRail Youth Passes valid for eight days cost $189; for 15 days it’s $280, for 22 days it’s $355, and for one month it’s $415.

The BritRail Flexipass doesn’t force you to be on the move every day to get the full value from your ticket.

A BritRail Youth Flexipass valid for four days of travel within a one-month period is now $160; for eight days of travel within one month it’s $225 and for 15 days of travel within a two-month period it’s $319.

BritRail Passes must be purchased before you leave North America. For further information, see a travel agent.

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There is now a Russian youth hostel affiliated with the worldwide Hostelling International network and VIP Backpackers Resorts International.

The St. Petersburg International Hostel is a Russian-American joint project that has been operating as an independent hostel for several years.

The staff of the 65-bed facility hopes to hold the nightly rate to $15 (breakfast included) again this year.

The hostel is in a 19th-Century building with high ceilings, parquet floors and modern facilities. Travelers are accommodated in rooms with two to five beds.

There is an English-speaking staff, a cafe, kiosk and library.

It also has a budget travel agency that can help with city tours, ballet and theater tickets, transportation arrangements (including the Trans-Siberian/Mongolian rail routes), and reservations for hostels elsewhere in Russia and the Baltic states.

The hostel is centrally located at 3rd Sovetskaya Ulitsa, 28, near the rail station where trains arrive from Moscow.

You can contact the St. Petersburg International Hostel through Russian Youth Hostels at 409 N. Pacific Coast Highway, No. 106/390, Redondo Beach, Calif. 90277; tel. (310) 379-4316.