<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Trains are a great way to get around Europe.Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>I've been riding trains <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-places-to-go-in-europe-travel-planner-favorite-destinations-2024-10">all around Europe</a> for the past 15 years.</li><li>There are usually great deals on tickets if you look early and dig around for them.</li></ul><p>I'm American but also have citizenship in Poland and Portugal, so I <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-lesser-known-european-travel-destinations-from-frequent-traveler">travel to Europe</a> frequently.</p><p>Taking the train is my favorite way to get around the continent. After all, it's home to some of the largest train networks in the world. As demand grows, <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=31defcead678733757fb5122fb82f1319c1113212b14ed5f35cc53afa26cdf8b&postID=67116cb6e5b54083005d6424&postSlug=europe-trains-mistakes-stop-doing-frequent-rider&site=bi&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.com%2Ftravel%2Farticle%2Feuropes-new-age-of-high-speed-train-travel">new high-speed lines</a> seem to pop up every year.</p><p>But I'll admit that there is a bit of a learning curve to making rail trips go as smoothly as possible. </p><p>Here are the most common mistakes I see people making on European trains — and what to do instead. </p>