A railpass if extensive travel during the period it is valid for. Not necessarily (probably not) for a single journey.
There is a lot of travel during summer vacation in Europe. As the vacation time is longer in Europe (people have more vacation + different regions have different vacation periods) public transport can be quite full. One can in some instances have a valid ticket as such and not be able to go on the train as it is full, if you do not have a reserved seat. Mostly not, but having a reserved seat can be important.
Buses are also reasonable good quality (I prefer trains, but have done long distance buses also). Flixbus is a company that has many border-crossing lines.
From England to France/ Belgium, the train Eurostar is a nice and fast connection.
I also prefer trains, but I have done some buses in Europe. I took the Flixbus from Zagreb to Ljubljana and it was an easy, comfortable ride. I took a National Express bus in the UK during a rail strike and it was good too (and really inexpensive). There are some great options for getting around Europe. I did the overnight ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam a few months ago and it was a fun, different way to get across the channel.
I live in a town with a lot of US military, and from what they say about driving - be ready for the tight country roads! If you aren’t confident - then make sure on Google Maps or Waze you get it to prioritise dual carriageways and motorways! Otherwise you will be going down lots of narrow, windy backroads for the sake of saving two minutes driving!
For sure. In my part of the world, relying too much on GPS without checking routes could lead you in to the yard of a farm or a ski slope, if you opt for the shortest route. And the farmer has probably a history of such… «visits».
I’d be a bit wary about making plans based on driving if it’s your first time out of the US. It’s very crowded this side of the pond and some drivers make poor decisions because they are stressed/are late for an appointment/because they interpret the Highway Code differently in that country (Italy, I’m looking at you!) I live in the UK and have been driving for 45 years and yesterday I saw some truly shocking drving just to get ahead at a busy roundabout. I was glad I had eyes in the back of my head and I heeded my sixth sense!
In the UK definitely buy train tickets in advance online and poke around for the best fare e.g. off peak day return tickets, advance tickets for specific trains or split fare tickets. Turn up and go prices for distances over 10 miles can be eye-watering.
If you’re booking well in advance then it’s worth looking at the first class options on western and northern trains longer journeys as they can be a steal on advance buys (they feed you, have a drinks trolley, better loos, bigger seats and free wifi). I could do Hereford to London which is 4 hours for £21 some days!! (its £160 peak times). #worthalook
Train fares are way cheaper if you use Trainline to book tickets and don’t book last minute for longer distances as they’re usually the most expensive.
And the farmer has probably a history of such… «visits».