*****/*****

My fitness photoshoot was located in Nottingham, England. Of course when I first start planning this trip I assumed Nottingham was like a suburb of London as in the movies it usually took Robin Hood 15 minutes or so to gallop from one to the other. Much to my dismay Nottingham is almost a 3 hour drive away from London and renting a car and driving on the other side of the road was not happening. My options were a private taxi or a train. The three-hour taxi ride was a fortune (250 USD)  but the first class East Midland 90 minute train ride was only 33 (USD) as compared to 21 (USD) for a standard ticket. Since 12 dollars more for luxury is practically the pinnacle of this blog’s existence, how could I refuse!

Overall, this is the way to travel as the trip was an absolute delight between convenience, service and comfort.

Booking and Boarding

East Midlands Railway (EMR) tickets are cheaper if you book on their website and you get the benefit of picking a specific seat. Signs at Kings Cross station for EMR trains are easy to follow and sure enough about 10 minutes before departure our track was listed. I made it to the first class car and my name was flashing on the monitor above my seat indicating it was my reserved spot. Easy Peesy!

Seat

The first class seat was quite a bit wider with a table and charging ports for electronics. It was quite a comfortable way to travel and far superior to a cramp car.

Service

Truthfully this is where I saw a lot of value for the 12 dollar more first class ticket. The basic ticket price just includes a more standard seat with less space, while drinks/food were additional charges. For first class passengers drinks and food were included and I was shocked for such a short trip how much was offered. The drink trolly came around several times offering coffee, tea, juices, sodas, and water. Crackers, biscuits, and additional snack items were also offered. I figured that was it until the attendant came around taking breakfast sandwich choices too! I declined since I was in starvation mode for the shoot, but I got to say the breakfast sandwiches looked much more appetizing than the trash domestic airline first class offers these days.

Overall

For my extensive list of readers who are frequently traveling between London and Nottingham, EMR first class is the way to go. The seats were comfortable, the service was excellent and the price could not be beat. The 90 minute journey was quite pleasant and 12 dollars for unlimited drinks, snacks, sandwiches, wifi and more comfortable seats is a great way to travel luxuriously on a budget. Amtrack can learn a thing or two from EMR

Bon Voyage,

Andrew