Pasadena travel bookstore Distant Lands puts trains, ships at your fingertips

Sure, you can buy books, maps, luggage and other travel gear at Distant Lands in Pasadena, but why stop at that? Now you can book your trip and get rail tickets for Europe too.

The travel bookstore recently began marketing Rail Europe tickets and passes and also added an American Express travel agency outlet, which sells tours, cruises and customized itinerary planning.

“We wanted to make a commitment to be a one-stop travel shop,” said Angel Castellanos, manager of the nearly 20-year-old store.

And do the additions help the bottom line?

“You betcha,” said Castellanos, explaining that it gets people in the door.

The Rail Europe service, where staff help customers decipher the dozens of rail-pass options, is available any time the store is open: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

The American Express outlet, which is closed Sundays, has more limited hours. For details, call the outlet at (626) 578-0114. Note: Unlike some American Express offices, it does not offer financial services such as currency exchange and travelers checks.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

[Photo: ICE train; RailEurope.com]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 10:28 am by Jane Engle and is filed under Airline travel, Arts & Culture, California, Europe, France, Frequent Flier, Germany, Great Britain, Hotels, Italy, Luxury Travel, News, Tips & Advice, Rail Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.