Europe on a shoestring? Try dental floss!

Last week, as I was packing bags for Chamonix, my classmates decided to head to Switzerland on an impulse (my wicked influence at work???). Which is all very good, except that Switzerland is expensive to begin with, and last minute bookings = no savings.

A ticket for a 3 hour train journey from Milan to Geneva (19 EUR each way if you book a couple of weeks in advance) costs 45 EUR if you book a day before leaving. And, not being price-watching Sindhis, my friends went ahead and booked too!

Add to this a Swiss Pass (EUR 141 for 4 days unlimited travel by train, boat, and bus), and food and stay, and these guys were all set for atleast a 300 Euro phatka.

Enter yours truly.

I love picking up anything in print, and end up saving it like a pack-rat, so I had a zillion SBB brochures from the May trip.

Hidden deep in a corner of a map was a funny bit of info. SBB has two panoramic trains (covered in the Swiss Pass) that don't quite end in Switzerland. The Glacier Express that ends in Chamonix Mont Blanc (France), and the William Tell Express that ends in Chiasso, Italy.

As it happens, Chiasso is an hour (and a mere 4.2 Euros) away by regional train from Milan. So, if you're buying a Swiss Pass anyway, it technically kicks in from Chiasso.

It sounds too good to be true, but my friends tried it (and saved 90% on tickets!).

Now I'm thinking... I saved 240 ( 3 * 2 * 40) Euros by reading a brochure... I would do well in the travel business, what say?