Unbeatable tours at unbeatable prices, with a level of services and standards unsurpassed anywhere in the UK.

One summer Saturday in 1985, a circular was distributed amongst the enthusiasts at Bristol Temple Meads station advertising a coach trip to London by a recently established railway society, the Severnside Travel & Railway Society (STARS). From this modest beginning, the new society went from strength to strength and was soon running two, and sometimes three, trips per month, covering all areas of England, Scotland and Wales. At a committee meeting early in 1988, a suggestion was made that the Society organize a trip to Europe with Paris as the destination. In September of that year, a full coach of British rail enthusiasts crossed the Channel and visited all major Parisian and northern France rail installations.

STARS International was born!

Further trips to Paris were undertaken in 1989 and 1990, again with full coaches. The next country to be visited was Germany which, today, remains a favourite destination for members. Declining access to British Railways installations meant European destinations became more popular and the number of different countries visited soon increased. To date, all Western European countries (with the notable exception of Greece), and most Eastern European countries (including the Baltic states) have been visited by STARS International. However, the adventures did not stop there. In 2003 the continent of Africa joined the portfolio with a visit to Morocco, followed in 2006 with a venture across “The Pond” to the United States for the first of five subsequent visits.

A visit to Brno Malomerice Depot in the Czech Republic during 2008 resulted in a chance meeting with a young lady, who presented a brochure outlining the possible hire of a preserved railcar for private trips in the Czech Republic. The opportunity was not to be missed. A two-day trip was arranged for the following year and was extremely successful. The duration of the tours quickly expanded, now taking place over seven days, with access to depots, works, industrial sites and preservation locations. It quickly become our “Flagship” tour, covering both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The tours have regularly run with a full complement, leading us to graduate from Railcar to preserved locomotives and coaches.

STARS International has developed into a very successful organisation running between twelve and eighteen trips a year. Four categories of trips have been undertaken over the past thirty-three years. Mini-bus weekend tours, coach tours, “Flyers” involving air travel to major cities throughout Europe and rail tours. As many as three individual tours have been linked together to form longer duration visits.

Our success has, however, not been limited to rail tours. In 2013, recognising a growing demand, STARS began to publish stock books covering the lesser visited countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Morocco, and Portugal. The quality of these early publications could, at best, only be described as “adequate”, but it was a start. From 2019 the entire format and layout of the current books changed, being developed into high quality publications which are now also sold by national distributors. 2014 saw the appearance of the first Tram and Light Rail Titles which, again, now cover most European countries.

All of this has been achieved by many individuals past and present, in numbers too great to list, who have afforded a lot of time and expertise, and without whom, STARS would not have reached such a high standard of all-round success.

During the various tours, many friendships have developed, some of which started during that first trip to Paris back in 1988. Unfortunately, from March 2020 and through all of 2021, the worldwide pandemic brought an end to our visits. During this difficult period the membership stayed faithful to STARS and with the resumption of travel, friendships are being reignited.