Do you know that you can save money by planning well ahead and booking an advance train ticket? Plus, we’d recommend booking travel before you get to the station, as this will shorten your time spent there. For safe, contact-less travel,choose a digital ticket where possible.

What is an advance train ticket?

Advance train tickets are fares that go on sale well before the day of travel. They’re only available as single tickets and are non-refundable (不可退款的). Perfect for those who like to plan their journeys well ahead of time, advance tickets are the best way to be organized when it comes to travel.

Why book train tickets in advance?

Booking train tickets in advance on our app can help you save time at the station. Digital tickets offer you contact-less travel as you scan them directly from your phone, so there’s no need to touch ticket machines either. Although not all train services will let you reserve a seat, you’ll stand a better chance of getting one when booking in advance. Advance train tickets may also be available for first class travel，meaning you can enjoy all the perks (特殊待遇) of a higher standard of train travel at a good price.

When do advance train tickets become available?

Typically, train companies release their advance tickets 12 weeks before the departure date, although some go on sale as far as 24 weeks in advance! Only a limited number of tickets will be available, so be quick to secure yours as the fare can rise as the date of travel gets nearer.

Could you imagine what it would be like if there were no other ways to get around except by using your feet? Not only would you wear out（磨破）a lot of shoes but it would take you a long time to get anywhere.

【小题1】 But that’s just the wheel; did you know that the earliest boats were dugout canoes (独木舟)？People lit a fire on a big log (圆木) and then put the fire out and dug out the burned wood!

Then there were the Egyptians, who invented the sailing boat, but this could only be used in one direction. 【小题2】 Later the clever Romans came along and built their famous network of roads across the Roman Empire. 【小题3】

Some of the roads did not last very long and they soon became dirt tracks (路). People travelled on roads by wagon (马车), but most things would be taken by sea in the 16th century. In the 19th century, some of the forms of transport that you know today were invented—the bike and the car. 【小题4】 The first underground railway in the world was built in London.

As it got easier to travel, people wanted to get to places faster. 【小题5】 It was first used in war, but now it has become an indispensable (不可或缺的) way of transport.

Horses have long pulled tourist carts through Jordan’s ancient city of Petra, but animal rights groups are driving a project to start replacing them with electric vehicles.

A small team of 10 rechargeable e-carts now take visitors through the rose-colored road leading to the famed capital of the Nabateans, which dates back to the first century BC.

“The e-cart produces no pollution or smoke and the change has reduced the cases of animal mistreatment,” said Suleiman Farajat, head of the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority. The new golf buggy-style (马车式) electric vehicles have less impact on the surroundings because the horse cart wheels used to hit the sides of the road. The horse waste also caused a bad smell in the place, and cleaning it was not easy.

Animal rights group PETA, which had blamed the use of the overworking animals, has described the project as a major first step to protect working animals. The group hopes to work with officials toward the day when there will be only animal-free transportation at Petra.

The change has also been well received for another reason — helping to make the UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible to elderly and disabled visitors with the newly designed e-carts. Austrian tourist Rudy, 43, who uses a wheelchair, said he had repeatedly postponed a visit, but was now very happy to have made the trip. “Not only disabled people but also people who have difficulty walking for a long distance now have a chance to see this amazing place,” he said.

For now, the Petra authority says it will keep some of the horses to preserve the character of the place, as it is a world heritage site.