French trains are some of the fastest and most comfortable you will ever travel in. Some routes use double-decker trains and they certainly put British trains to shame. In many countries once you have bought a ticket you can sit back and relax, but in France they have a sneaky extra step that the traveller needs to complete. Buy a ticket French stations are full of ticket machines, so as long as you recognise the words, you can buy your ticket without generating a huge queue and embarrassing yourself at the ticket office. Validate your ticket Once you have bought your ticket (billet) you need to validate it at one…