Towards the end of this month, thousands of students will be trundling off to university for the first time. But, what about when they want to travel back for a few home comforts (y’know, like clean sheets and underwear, or an evening meal that doesn’t consist of pot noodle and pick’n’mix from the nearest newsagent)? According to news stories earlier this year, train travel in the UK is the most expensive in Europe.

And to make matters worse, a recent report found that poor advice from staff at stations means passengers are often paying more than twice the cost of the cheapest available fares. It sounds like a headache, but there are ways to save. You just have to know where to look.

First of all, the obvious advice: book as early as you can for the cheapest tickets, and if at all possible, avoid peak times like the plague. Travelling before 9.30am, or between 4.30pm – 6.30pm can add hundreds of pounds to the price of your ticket, so for a better deal check for tickets outside these times. If you’re eligible for one, invest in a railcard. You’ll make the money back in no time. But again, be careful of peak time travel, as most railcards aren’t valid at rush hour.

Next, do your homework. It’s tedious, but if you want to make a saving, it’s worth shopping around. Contrary to popular belief, TheTrainline usually isn’t cheapest option, especially because it now charges for postage and credit card transactions. The best rule of thumb is that whichever train operator you’re travelling with, you’ll be able to get the cheapest tickets by booking directly through them. Use TheTrainline or National Rail to check which operator you need, and then hotfoot it to their site to get the cheapest deals straight from the source. Avoid sites like RailEasy, which seem to be winning a war on search engine rankings but have had horrendous reviews, but do check Megatrain, as their budget services won’t show up in searches on any other sites.

If you’ve done all that but you’re still stuck: there are entire websites dedicated to discount codes and vouchers to get cheaper train travel. MoneySavingExpert’s public transport forums have saved my bacon on several occasions, and are well worth checking before you make your booking.

Alternatively, Megabus and National Express coach services are usually much cheaper than the train, although of course they can add hours onto your journey so time your movements with traffic in mind. But for shorter journeys between cities, the coach often takes the same amount of time and costs much less. For instance, although both journeys take around an hour, coach services between Leeds and Manchester can cost as little as £2, as opposed to £15.50 for the same trip by train.

We might have the most expensive rail network in Europe, but by shopping around and taking advantage of discounts, you’ll be able to get around the UK for less.

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