Changes

In the [[United States of America|United States]], [[train hopping]] is still quite popular. In many states it's easier than hitchhiking.

TGV trains are bestFor non-French citizens fines virtually don't exist. Feel free to give your passport and a fake (or real) address. You can have as many fines as you want. They disappear from their system within two months. Whatever it says on the back of the fine (about fines adding up etc.) might or might not be true, TER trains are but it ONLY applies to French citizens. Sometimes ticket inspectors bluff (a lot) that they will call the worstpolice, others are tolerablewhile trying to get you to pay on spot. You have nothing to worry about. As long as you keep calm and polite they have no legal reason to call the cops. South They just hate writing fines because it is extra work for them and they get to write a lot of Paris the police fines every day. So if you are liberal nice and have a good story, they won't pressure you or try to kick you off, as they sometimes do.  If you don't have an ID the cops will only write down be called and, as the law is in France, you have to prove your identity, which means just giving your name, birth date, address etc., north Unfortunately it is up to the cops' opinion whether you are telling the truth or not and they may arrest you. North of Paris you can expect are more likely to get arrested than to the South. ''Tip: Before getting checked it is best to locate yourself in-between carriages, where there are a few seats, a table and have serious trouble if you really have no IDluggage compartment. Usually nobody stays there. If you When the inspector comes the atmosphere is more informal as they don't mind a fine written have to your name, keep up an image of 'master-of-the conductor will allow -train' in front of other passengers and it goes more smoothly. After you get your fine (which is a valid ticket) feel free to continue your journey sit wherever you like in the train.'' TGV trains are best because they are the fastest and with the same trainleast stops, so in the unlikely event of you getting kicked off, whether on a TGV or a you will still get pretty far. TER traintrains are slower and with more stops.

[[File:HitchingICE.jpg|thumb|220px|right|[[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] hitching ICE near [[Leipzig]]]]Germany is great for riding the trains for free. ICE and IC are the best trains (with fewest stops). There's always two conductors on them. They are pretty pedantic about checking tickets, so it's pretty unavoidable to get caught. Once you're caught, however, you'll simply have to get off at the next stop. Sometimes they'll ask you to show your passport or remind you that you can buy a ticket on the train. They'll never call the police or give you any fines. The regional trains are not that bad too, they are lightly checked. The trains go all night (unless you're somehow stuck in a very bad station), so they're a great option when it's too late to hitchhike. Taking the very small train from Aachen to Liege (Belgium) is a very big mistake, you will get kicked off in a small village far from any main road and you will have problems getting out of there.  On the weekends, it's easy to hitch with other people's group tickets. There's a ticket valid for up to five people on regional trains throught Germany on Saturday and Sunday called the Schoenes Wochenend Ticket, which is generally cheaper than a round trip ticket or two tickets. The result is that any group from two to four people is using one of these tickets, and has a free spot. Simply get on any regional train (not IC or ICE) or walk around the platform before the train arrives. Ask groups of people if they're traveling with a group ticket and if they have a free spot on the ticket. Usually they will let you ride for free, but if not, you can always negotiate (it doesn't cost them any more) or ask more people. On most regional trains, there's someone who will let you ride for free. Beware of rideshares (mitfahrgelegenheit), which always ask for money. Also, when you reach your ticket-holder's destination, ask if they still need the ticket! If they're transferring or taking the S-Bahn, they will probably use the same ticket. But if not, they will probably give you their ticket and you can use it to continue on your way. Take it even if they wrote their name on it, because you will rarely be asked to ID yourself. Questions about this method of travelling can be directed toward [[User talk:Dr.Keith|Dr.Keith]], who has done this extensively throughout Germany. == [[Greece]] ==Greece is a great destination for train hopping. The coductors are asking in the wagon if somebody is new(from the last destination). If you are not getting on in the start(when everybody should be checked), then is quite easy to avoid paying. Wait some minutes before the train arrives, and choose not the first and last wagon. Get in and pack your belongings fastly. Find a place to sit down(better when the both seats are free,as the system prefers to replenish the seats until the end), and then listen to music or pretend that you are sleeping. Preferably trains are the fast ones IC and ICE. You shouldn't try(if possible) to the night train between Athens and Thessaloniki as the coductors are stricter, probably because many people are trying. If they catch you, they will ask you to pay for your trip. The ticket will be then almost the double price. I have no personal experience what will happen if you tell them a story and try to convince them. I suppose that some of them could be convinced. If you don't want to pay, you should get off to the next stop. Then, you can try to the next one.

Edit: ''I'm sorry, the öast last thing is not completely true. In the night train from Munich to Rome I was controlled 5 (!) times, 3 times on the Italian side.'':''Besides, on night trains they DO check regularly. Years ago it was much looser, but not anymore''

The local trains (CFL) have two floors; be aware that there is a ticket booth at the end of the first car - don't accidentially run in it, unless you want to buy a ticket. There are ticket inspectors too. If you want to get out of the country, be aware that the inspector will check tickets on the international train as soon as it departs, so, if the next stop is still in Luxembourg, you're screwed. The cops are not liberal.

:''It's insanely easy to hop trains in Norway. When I went to Norway I found it rather difficult to hitchhike, so instead I resorted to abusing Norway's "Ubjent" train system to get me around the country. I managed to train hop from Vestfold (south west Norway) to the Swedish border using just free trains! Go to whatever train station, even if it's Oslo central station, size doesn't matter, and look for trains which are going local. For example, Oslo - Ljan (a tiny village not far from Oslo). These trains will usually be red and old looking, and every 2nd carriage will have "Ubjent" written on the outside doors with a small message (in English) saying that you must have a validated ticket before entering as there is not a ticket inspector (!). This essentially means buy a ticket and get it electronically stamped before entering, but of course, no one ever does this. Just hop on to this carriage and keep going with it until the line runs out. From there, you can get another local Ubjent train until that line runs out again! Keep doing this until your destination. Like I said, I managed to travel from Tonsberg to Holden, about 250km, using this method.''

The regional train (S-Bahn) is great (it even goes out of the country), it has A LOT of stops, which means that you can easily jump off. If it has only one floor then you can see the inspector from a large distance, which is helpful. Sometimes there's only one inspector, or, if you get less lucky, several. Other Some of the newer regional trains have 2 floors. As per the busses, most of the public bus drivers don't pay much attention. It is easy to get onto the bus whilst no one is looking, or through the back door. If you are bad; stopped however, often you can get your way out of paying very easily, because the inspector checks tickets drivers are payed by the kilometer and not passenger.  InterRegional trains often have inspectors that check several times during the trip -- by memory or, sometimesoccasionally, by asking out loud who just got on the train. The cops If caught without a ticket, you'll usually be asked to pay a 90 CHF fine (~110$), as well as the cost of the ticket. There is a bit of wiggle room with this fine, so if you see a controller, your best bet is to go towards the end of the train and buy a ticket on your phone (using the SBB Mobile app, all you need is a credit card - works on iPhones and Androids). Even though you bought the ticket after you left the platform, the controller wouldn't mind seeing as many people do so - just pretend that you care when he lectures you, and explain that their system is very slow (it is). On the Inter City trains (the newer, high speed trains with restaurants), there are ''always'' at least 2 inspectors, usually 4 during peak times and on the last train. If only two are present, they start at the end of the train each time, and work up all the way to the front. It is often possible to avoid the inspectors on short trips during the day if you sit right up against the front. At each station, they usually just go back to the back again, so you may never even be controlled. It is best not liberalto run or act suspiciously when in front of the inspectors, as they can add a penalty of up to 200 CHF for disrespecting the conductor. Contrary to popular belief, there are railway police agents, and the come to the train station in extreme situations. It is very hard to avoid these fines, however there is one loophole in the system: whenever you see a controller, go to the front of the train, and there should be a kids compartment. In that kids compartment, there is a slide, and under the slide, there is a fairly large area which is big enough to hide a person, yet very hard to spot when walking past. Nevertheless, if you do get caught in this space, the penalties can be quite severe. Seeing as most trains have 2 floors, you could just walk down the stairs (calmly), however, this can arouse suspicion, and the inspector can decide to cut you off on the other side of the wagon.

For short journeys, the UK is fairly good for fare-dodging. Quite a few young people get away with not paying fares, partcularly particularly when the trains are busy (e.g. at rush hour). Many trains have no inspectors, and rely on entry/exit barriers to validate tickets. Often these are unmonitored, so a quick hop can get you in. They are often open after 9pm(ish).It is increasingly popular for train operators to have standard fines for people caught sans-ticket. These vary from £10 to double the full adult fare (which is a lot!). A good tip is to look out for 'Permit to Travel' machines. These are designed for people who for whatever reason can't but a normal ticket - the idea is that you buy a Permit to Travel with whatever money you have, then pay the difference later. It shows a general willingness to pay for a ticket - this means that you can escape any fine, so long as you have ample money to pay for a full ticket if caught. The minimum you can put into a machine and get a Permit to Travel is 5p, which is a pretty cheap price to avoid a fine. Also, if you board a train without a ticket and show willingness to pay but just by far not enough money when caught, some inspectors will let you ride for free or be satisfied with your pennies. Permit to travel machines are largely being phased out by train operators. Those remaining are centred around London and the South East. Locations where some machines are still known to be operating are: London, Thameslink, Kent Coast, Great Northern, Great Eastern, South Western, West Anglia, West Yorkshire, Certain routes around Birmingham. Ticket inspectors are '''not''' allowed, legally, to touch you to wake you up. So put your headphones on and fall asleep. They'll loose interest fast. Be aware some inspectors will try to bump you awake with their ticket machines, or ask the passenger next to you if they could wake you. For destinations with barriers get off at stop before and buy a low cost ticket to the next stop.