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Find free train seats from every stop

@alecwilcock reports that after being forced back to their original seat, they had Instinct pretend to book the same train from every stop and read the seat map, finding train seats free all the way to Paris. This page shows the request, its limits and the ethics caveat the author raises.

What you can get

Illustration — suggested task flow, not an execution result
  1. Prepare

    Train, date, origin, destination and coach or class

  2. Ask and review

    Note your train, date, current stop and destination, and check whether your ticket is for an assigned seat or any unreserved seat.

  3. Check the result

    A list of seats that stay free from each boarding stop to your destination, read from the booking seat map; availability can change and nothing is reserved.

The source case

@alecwilcock reports a train trip where two women opposite talked non-stop, so they moved seats, only to be asked to go back when people boarded at the next stop. To avoid repeating that, they say they had Instinct pretend to book the same train from every stop and read the seat map, and it found seats free all the way to Paris. The author calls it a not-so-ethical life hack. The post does not name the operator or route beyond Paris, does not show how the agent handled the booking pages, and does not say whether the seats stayed free.

A public report by someone outside this library. Not independently reproduced here.

From the source

Source excerpt

so I had Instinct pretend to book the same train from every stop and read the seat map.

@alecwilcock · Read it at the source · checked

Quoted from the original posts. Not written by this guide, and not a result produced here.

Suggested prompt

Bring Train, date, origin, destination and coach or class, The operator's booking page that shows a seat map, Your own judgement on whether your ticket allows moving seats. Source community report, checked 2026-10-16.

Written by this guide as a starting point, not quoted from the source. Your edits stay in this browser.

What you need

You supply

  • Train, date, origin, destination and coach or class
  • The operator's booking page that shows a seat map
  • Your own judgement on whether your ticket allows moving seats

How to try it

Editorial, not from the source

  1. Note your train, date, current stop and destination, and check whether your ticket is for an assigned seat or any unreserved seat.
  2. Ask the agent to open the operator's own booking page for each later boarding stop and read the seat map, stopping before payment.
  3. Have it list seats that are free from the next stop through to your destination, and say when each map was read.
  4. Look at the result yourself before moving; a free seat can be sold at the next stop.
  5. If your ticket carries a reservation, check the operator's rules before sitting in a different seat.
  6. If you board and the seat is taken, move back to your assigned seat rather than arguing about it.

The seat problem

@alecwilcock sat opposite two women who talked without pause, so they changed seats. Passengers boarded at the next stop and they had to go back. The next time, per their post, they asked Instinct to pretend to book the same train starting from every stop and to read the seat map, and it reported seats free all the way to Paris.

The post gives that one outcome. It doesn't say whether the seats stayed free or whether the move went smoothly.

Why a booking trial is the part to watch

Starting a booking can place a temporary hold on a seat on some systems, and checking many origin stops in a row may look unusual to an operator's site. The source doesn't say either happened. This guide's prompt therefore tells the agent never to continue past the payment page.

Also consider the neighbours: if your ticket assigns you a seat, another passenger may have been given the one you are moving to.

Open Instinct to try it. That is the product's own site; this guide is not part of it.

Limits and confirmation points

  • The operator, route and train are not named beyond the final stop, Paris.
  • The post does not show what the agent did on the booking pages or whether any hold was created.
  • The author calls the method "not so ethical"; it may conflict with an operator's terms, and the post does not say it did not.
  • This is an attributed community report, not reproduced by this guide. The suggested workflow and checks are editorial guidance, not a recovered conversation or guaranteed product capability.

Editorial, not from the source

The booking page asks you to log in or pay to show the seat map
Stop there; do not buy anything. Use the seat map on the operator's app or ask staff on board.
The agent reports free seats but the seat is occupied when you arrive
Return to your assigned seat or ask the conductor, who can see the current reservations.

Common questions

Can Instinct read a train seat map?

One user reports it did, by pretending to book the same train from each stop. The post gives no detail on the booking site and this guide has not reproduced it.

Is it okay to move to a free seat?

The author calls it not so ethical. Whether it is allowed depends on your ticket and the operator's rules, which this guide cannot check for you.

Will the free seats stay free?

Not necessarily. A seat map is a snapshot, and later bookings can take any seat.

Next

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