Beat the train strikes and travel by National Express coach this festive season

Go by National Express coach to visit friends and family, head home from college or university or take trips to Christmas markets or for shopping

Choosing to travel by coach is a great value option to get where you need to be – and it makes more sense than ever this December with RMT strikes affecting rail services in Portsmouth for a total of 27 days.

While other public transport networks shut down, National Express, the UK’s largest coach operator, runs services every day of the year including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Last year, 750,000 journeys were taken across the UK wide network during the festive season with 74,000 passenger journeys on Boxing Day alone, making it the busiest single day for travel in the company’s history.

Beat the train strikes and travel by National Express

Coach is a smart choice that will help you leave the packed carriages and crowded platforms behind, with a guaranteed seat and journey times to London starting at just 1 hour 25 mins.

And if you follow some travel advice from National Express, you’ll be able to get the best possible fares and spend the money you’ve saved on Christmas presents, a great party outfit or a fun night out.

1. Book your tickets in advance

If you book your tickets three days or more before your travel date, you’ll have a better chance of finding the lowest fares. The earlier you can book the more likely you are to bag a bargain. Once you find your fare, snap it up before someone else does.

2. Travel off-peak

If you can travel after 9.30am on weekdays and avoid peak times you’ll usually get the best fares. If you don’t mind travelling later in the evening or early in the morning, there are usually some great fares to be found at these times too. Plus, travelling at a quieter time means you’re less likely to run into a traffic jam!

3. Be flexible

Are you able to start your trip a day before you planned or a few hours later? If you can be flexible with the day and time of your arrival at your destination, you are more likely to find the lower-priced fares.

4. Save on travel with Coachcards

Coachcards give you a 1/3 off Standard and Fully Flexible fares, all year round. There are three Coachcards on offer:

Senior Coachcard for those 60 years or over, which also allows special Tuesday offersYoung Persons Coachcard, offering discounted travel for those aged between 16 and 26Disabled Coachcard for those who are registered as disabled

5. Get special offers delivered straight to your inbox

Sign up for emails and from time to time you’ll receive exclusive special offers and discount codes. You’ll also get a heads up about amazing competitions, cool travel inspiration, and top events from around the UK.

For more information and bookings, go to www.nationalexpress.com