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By Will Hawkes WASHINGTON POST NEWS SERVICE he day before our vacation in France, I asked my three chil- dren what they were most look- ing forward to. Was it the swim- ming, the sunshine, the beach or and I would have bet my house on this eating ice cream every day? sleeper said the oldest. His brother quickly concurred. And the 3-year-old? Yep. In this, model Europeans.

Ac- cording to European Union statistics, rail use grew for the sixth consecutive year in 2018, the most recent year for which fig- ures are available. The Eurostar which links London to Paris, Brussels, and Am- sterdam recorded a year-on-year rise in passenger numbers in 2018. Growing public awareness of air trav- environmental cost is clearly a factor, but more important is the extent of Eu- rail network. The continent is a complex tangle of train tracks. Among the very best services, in my view, are those that are genuinely slow.

Trundling across Europe at a pace offers many simple pleasures: the land- scape gradually opening up in front of you, a warm summer breeze blowing through an open window, and clocking each sleepy provincial station as they come and go. I been on all of rail lines, but experienced enough to know what a pleasure it can be. Here are 10 of my favorite slow-train journeys through Europe: Bilbao to San Sebastian, Spain. When you go online to book transport between Bilbao and San Sebastian, two of the Basque major cities, you will be directed toward a coach that takes just over an hour. tempting more time in San Sebastian means more pintxos, tastiest tapas but you should resist.

Rail (about $7.20 each way) takes the best part of three hours, but time well spent. The service is a simple commuter shut- tle that dives southward out of Bilbao into the lush, deep-green mountains of the Basque Country, before turning north to run along the coast toward San Sebas- tian. The highlight comes after Deba, where the train nears the water for a few miles. On one side, deep blue; on the other, steep descending Basque hills. Ceske Budejovice to Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic has a comprehensive and inexpensive rail network. From Prague, you can reach much of the country, but have to change if you want to take one of its most charming journeys (about $1.75 one way, for a 45-minute trip). Ceske Budejovice is the home of Czech- var the Czechs call it Budweiser, though different from Budweiser in the United States one of the most famous beers, and Cesky Krumlov is among its most beautiful towns. The gently rolling south Bohemian landscape, with its low-slung farmsteads and for- ests, is equally beguiling. Copenhagen, Denmark, to Malmo, Sweden.

something thrilling about a bridge that not only crosses a huge expanse of water but also connects two nations. Copenhagen, the Danish cap- ital, has been linked to Malmo in Sweden by the Bridge since 2000. (The 40-minute journey costs about $13.) The train descends into a tunnel after Copenhagen Airport station, emerging on Peberholm island, where the five-mile bridge begins. You can see Malmo in the distance, particularly the 623-foot-tall Turning Torso, biggest sky- scraper. In summer, sailboats skip and race across the water; in the colder months, there are miles of foam-flecked gray-blue ocean to admire.

Glacier Express, Switzerland. Most of the trips on this list are ordinary passen- ger services, but the Glacier Express is a tourist train, with a commensurate price. Sometimes billed as the express train in the it runs between St. Moritz and Zermatt in Switzerland. Pric- es start around $155, one-way, plus a seat reservation fee, for the journey, but the traveling conditions are superb: huge windows, plenty of space, and good food for purchase.

Watch for the six-arch, 213-foot-high Landwasser Viaduct, which curves across the Landwasser river; the ascent from Chur up the Rhine Valley to the highest point, at 6,673 feet above sea lev- el; and the steep rock walls of the Matter Valley, before you arrive in Zermatt. Lille, France, to Roeselare, Belgium. One of the beauties of Europe is that some- times not quite sure which country in. Traveling from Lille, the capital of French Flanders, into Belgian Flanders (about $13.70 one way; change at Courtrai) can be like that, particularly if you take the wrong train, as I and a group of friends did a few years back. We found ourselves on the desolate con- crete platform at Froyennes, in French- speaking Wallonia rather than Flemish- speaking Flanders.

No matter: There was a connecting train heading north, toward Roeselare, arriving on the other plat- form. A one-hour journey took two, but no one cared. Marktredwitz to Regensburg, Germa- ny. The Upper Palatinate, north- eastern corner, is perhaps sleepiest region. served by hourly trains that run from Marktredwitz in the north down to Regensburg.

(A Bayern Ticket, which allows 24 hours of unlimited travel on all except high-speed trains in the state of Bavaria, costs about $27.50.) The trains themselves are sparklingly modern, but everything else has a time- less charm: the stations at Marktredwitz and Windischeschenbach; the soft, heavi- ly wooded countryside; and the fact that the line hugs the gently flowing river Naab for much of the journey. Paris, France, to Portbou, Spain. This de Nuit sleeper service starts with a typically unruly French line at Gare but soon for- gotten. The bunks are comfortable (though not plush), and prices are low (singles from about $38.50, with an additional fee if you want the compartment to yourself). The train pulls out of Paris at just after 10 p.m.

and the first stop, announced over the loudspeaker, is Toulouse at 6 a.m. From there, the train heads down the Mediterranean coast, skirting the de Leucate, a huge and placid la- goon, and ends in the cavernous termi- nus in the border town of Portbou, a relic of a time when this was the main route from France to Spain. Rhondda Line, Wales. cause to pity regular travelers on the Rhondda Line between the Rhondda Valley town of Treherbert and the Welsh capital, Cardiff. The Pacer trains that serve this route are outdated, cramped, and noisy.

But then, they have the Rhondda Valley to enjoy. Earlier this year, I took a late- morning train from Cardiff to Treorchy, one stop short of Treherbert (about $10.80 round-trip; trains every half-hour; trip time just over an hour). Brooding gray summer clouds hung over hills of a hundred shades of green; at Treorchy, where the line is single-track, grass was sprouting long and green between the cars. (Additional pleasure: The Rhondda Valley accent, soft and mellifluous, is Brit- loveliest.) Tren de Mallorca, Spain. To take the train from Palma de Mallorca to on the north coast of this Mediterra- nean island, is to travel into the past.

The wooden electric trains, built in the 1920s, glide through the backstreets of Palma and then past orange and lemon groves before climbing via tunnels, bridges, and switchbacks up and down the Sier- ra de Alfabia mountain range en route to a beautiful seaside town on Mallor- north coast (about $27.50 round-trip, cash only, purchased on day of travel). West Highland Line, Scotland. The West Highland Line (about $52 round- trip, five hours), which connects Glasgow with Mallaig in the Western Highlands, is memorable in two ways: for the views, from bleak Rannoch Moor to the elegant arches of Glenfinnan Viaduct (recogniz- able to fans of the Harry Potter films), and for the people on board. a socia- ble ride, partly because conditions are cramped and partly because the locals love a chat. On my most recent trip, a conductor sat down for a 10-minute talk with some regular customers, and a fellow passen- ger recommended the best station to get off for a smoke.

(I smoke, but the thought that counts.) RailEurope.com is a good resource for buying tickets on all but the Tren de where tickets must be bought at the station in Palma before boarding. For in-depth information on rail travel in Eu- rope, the comprehensive website seat61.com is regularly updated. By Christopher Elliott WASHINGTON POST NEWS SERVICE anks and their airline partnersare slowly and quietly remov-ing credit card benefits that travelers rely on. If planning a trip soon, you might want to read your cardmember agreement careful- ly otherwise, you could find your- self without important perks you thought you had. Among the biggest recent cuts: Discover deleted several key benefits for travelers, including pur- chase protection, auto rental insur- ance, and flight accident insurance.

Chase cut its lost-luggage pro- tection, travel-accident insurance, and trip-cancellation and trip-inter- ruption coverage from some of its cards. Citi eliminated purchase protec- tion, lost-baggage protection, and trip-cancellation and trip-interrup- tion insurance. confident that changes to the programs are motivated by attempts to increase profits of the card issu- says Chester Spatt, professor of finance at Carnegie Mellon Universi- Tepper School of Business. The travelers who know about the changes are trying to decide what to do. Should they cancel their cards or stay and buy the benefits elsewhere? Travelers who know about the changes may find out the hard way this summer when they take va- cations with the assumption that their cards cover them.

why so important to check your card benefits now. Some cardholders are already un- happy. Lynda Condie, a retired mid- wife from Mendham, N.J., says she was when her Chase United MileagePlus credit card stopped providing travel insurance benefits. had used that benefit twice once when my father died and anoth- er time for a she says. was great for peace of mind and saved a lot of She plans to cancel her United Air- lines-affiliated card and says enjoying the freedom to book any air- line she wants, independent of point or status considerations.

she says, card was a bit of a millstone around our Jen Kelley, a part-time accountant from Atlantis, has used the bene- fits on her Citi-American Airlines World Elite Mastercard several times, including when she broke her ankle last year before a vacation. pay attention to the benefits, es- pecially the insurance she says. be renewing the For years, these cards were pro- moted as a boon for people who trav- el, with opportunities for earning points toward airline tickets and with insurance coverage that protect- ed their vacations. Credit card com- panies and airlines strongly implied that these benefits were essential parts of the product. How do you know if holding a devalued credit card? Your credit card company must disclose the terms of the credit card agreement in writing, and you can find the lat- est version on the credit card issu- website.

(Your credit card compa- ny must also disclose any changes to your cardmember agreement, but many consumers see these notices as junk mail and throw them away.) also find important informa- tion such as the annual interest rate and minimum monthly payment and can get information about such bene- fits as insurance and lost-luggage coverage. If unsure about a perk, call your credit card company. what I did before a recent trip to Europe. Concerned that I might get hit with a foreign exchange fee, I checked my cardmember agreement. Sure enough, my credit card charged a fee.

Time to switch cards? I called my bank to check my options. After a few transfers, a representative agreed to waive the fee. Problem solved. If you find yourself without the cov- erage you expected, consider a travel- insurance policy that will cover you for as long as needed, and then switch cards. Networks such as Visa and Master- card require that participating cards provide certain benefits.

For exam- ple, standards include zero fraud liability and emergency card replacement. The networks may step in to fix the problem of benefit ero- sion, predicts Cyndie Martini, chief executive of Member Access Process- ing, which provides Visa card servic- es for credit unions. expect to see more mandatory benefits from brand networks to maintain Martini said. Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate, journalist, and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. Contact him at chriselliotts.com.

Credit card benefits for travelers vanishing Find more travel stories online at inquirer.com/travel. Slow rewards just outside window massive rail network offers many simple pleasures. In Mallorca, Spain, the wooden trains glide through the streets of Palma before climbing up and down a mountain range. MARC RYCKAERT TRAVEL TRAVEL NAVIGATOR The West Highland Line connects Glasgow with Mallaig. The trip is memorable in two ways: for the views and for the chatty locals on board.

The arches of Glenfinnan Viaduct are recognizable to fans. Wikimedia H14 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER SUNDAY, FEB. 16, 2020 INQUIRER.COM.