Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Kerry　　　What was the best part of your trip?
Louise　　 The trains really gave us the freedom to plan our own holiday. We went to lots of places
　　　　　 which were out-of-the-way and met lots of local people-you know, small rural towns
　　　　　 where trains are still an important form of transport.
Kerry　　　We’d like to meet the local people-did you do that easily?
Louise　　 Yes, the trains in Europe aren’t like the commuter trains in London. People like to
　　　　　 talk and have a chat on trains in Europe.
Kerry　　　That’s nice.
Louise　　 Yes. The train times were OK as well. Sometimes we had to get up early to catch
　　　　　 the trains which were crossing into another country but most of the time, we were
　　　　　 satisfied with the timetables. Very punctual.
Kerry　　　Should we take an alarm clock?
Louise　　 Well, I would. Having an alarm clock made us sleep more comfortably. We knew
　　　　　 that we’d wake up on time.
Kerry　　　And were the trains safe-did you travel at night?
Louise　　 Lots of students travelled at night because it saved having to pay for accommodation.
Kerry　　　I hadn’t thought of that.
Louise　　 Well, lots of others have thought of it. We preferred to stay in local pubs or student
　　　　　 hostels because you could mix with the locals. The night trains were filled with
　　　　　 British students!
Kerry　　　It sounds as if you had a very positive experience. Is there anything you’d
　　　　　 recommend we take or do?
Louise　　 Let me see-I can certainly tell you what not to take or do. Don’t take much
　　　　　 luggage. There just isn’t very much room in the trains for big suitcases. A backpack
　　　　　 or two small bags is better than one big bag. That way you can also get on and off
　　　　　 the trains easily too.
Kerry　　　I’ll remember that. My mother always says to pack one week before you go on
　　　　　 vacation and then take half of it out the night before you leave.
Louise　　 That’s good advice-especially when you’re tiding on cramped trains. The other
　　　　　 thing is to be careful with your valuables. Lots of students had money and passports
　　　　　 stolen-especially at night.
Kerry　　　Did you have anything stolen?
Louise　　 No but we met lots of people who did have things stolen. We all had money belts
　　　　　 under our jackets.
Kerry　　　I’ll have to buy one of those.
Louise　　 Yes, you should-or you can borrow mine if you like.
Kerry　　　Oh thanks-that’d be good.
Louise　　 The only other thing I’d advise you to do is to make sure you spend a reasonable
　　　　　 amount of time in each country. We found that lots of students travelled too quickly
　　　　　 and they didn’t have enough time to meet the locals and enjoy the food and the
　　　　　 culture.
Kerry　　　How long do you think you need in each country?
Louise　　 I can’t say-it’ll depend on who you meet and what you like to do and of course, the
　　　　　 weather. It was so warm and sunny in some beach-side places that we stayed for four
　　　　　 or five days. In other towns, if it was very quiet or boring, we just stayed overnight.
Kerry　　　I guess that’s what’s great about the train. You can come and go as you please.
Louise　　 Exactly-and it’s cheaper and much more relaxing-not to mention safer-I don’t
　　　　　 think I could get used to driving on the tight-hand-side of the road!