I took a $257 first-class train from Scotland to England and a month later, took the same journey with a $65 standard ticket. Here's how they compared.

In June, I took an Avanti West Coast train from Glasgow, Scotland, to London, England, with a first-class ticket. Then in July, I took the same train journey using a standard ticket.

In June, I had to travel from my home in Glasgow, Scotland, to London, England, for work, and decided I'd take the train. Since I had never traveled first class before, I thought it would be interesting to book a ticket on Avanti West Coast's first-class carriage and write about the experience for Insider. It cost $257, or around £216, and took just over five hours.

A month later, I took another work trip to London and booked the same Avanti West Coast service to London Euston with a standard ticket. It was $65, or around £54, and the journey took around the same length of time. 

Insider paid for both trips, in accordance with our editorial policies for expenses and gifts. 

Avanti West Coast is a UK-based train operator that took over Virgin Trains in 2019.

Avanti West Coast runs services between 50 different stations across Scotland, England, and north Wales, according to its website. The operator has been running services since 2019 when it took over Virgin Trains, The Independent reported at the time.

Ticket types include first class, standard premium, and standard class.

I started my journey at Glasgow Central Station, and when I traveled in June I got to enter the first-class lounge ahead of departure.

When I traveled in June, I could access Avanti West Coast's first-class lounge in Glasgow. The lounge was nicely decorated and had a cozy, quiet feel to it since there weren't many passengers there. 

It had a kitchen area, where guests were invited to help themselves to snacks including fruit, oatmeal, muesli bars, and muffins, as well as hot and cold beverages. It was nice, but the selection didn't blow me away and I didn't think it was worth the $257 price tag. 

When I traveled in July, I waited for my train in the general waiting area, which had departure boards, seats, and a couple of shops and cafes; I enjoyed the bustling atmosphere. I also spent £10, or around $11, on a selection of snacks and a croissant for the journey at one of the shops.

When it was time to board my respective trains, I noticed that there was more space in the first-class carriage.

When I boarded the first-class carriage in June, I noticed there was plenty of space as most seats had large tables which allowed for extra leg room.

There also seemed to be fewer passengers than I had previously encountered when traveling in standard carriages. I was seated at a table, and there was only one other passenger who sat across from me for the duration of the journey. 

Meanwhile, when I traveled on the same service in July I noticed the standard carriage was extremely busy. I had a single window seat and there weren't as many tables.

There also seemed to be more storage space in the first-class carriage compared to the standard carriage.

In June, I noticed there was plenty of space in the overhead storage racks, mostly because there weren't many passengers competing for space. There was also a luggage holder for larger suitcases and bags at the end of the carriage, which is something I couldn't see when traveling in one of the standard carriages in July. 

In the standard carriage, I noticed some passengers put their luggage at the back of the seats because there was no space in the overhead racks. 

My first-class seat had a table where I could place my belongings, whereas in the standard carriage I had to put my laptop on my lap.

In the first-class carriage, I had a window seat with a large table and an outlet for charging my devices. It meant I could enjoy the scenic views while using the space in front of me for my laptop, food, and beverages. 

When I traveled with a standard ticket in July, I was seated in a single window seat with no table and no outlet. I was taken by surprise, as there wasn't even a small pull-out tray table that I'd been given previously when traveling in standard carriages. It meant I had to place my laptop on my lap, which wasn't the most comfortable. 

The train operator offered complimentary WiFi, however, there was a weak connection in both first-class and standard class. This wasn't a major issue for me, as I've never been on a train with good WiFi.

The bathrooms were the same in both carriages.

The bathrooms in the first class and standard carriages seemed to be identical, as both were clean and had a full-length mirror, a sink area, a smaller mirror, a toilet, and a hand dryer. There were no special touches or luxury items that made the bathroom in first-class any more superior to the bathroom in the other carriages. 

Guests in first class were given a complimentary meal, however, this was not the case in standard class.

A drink and meal were included as part of my first-class ticket. I wasn't given a physical menu but was verbally asked to choose between ravioli, a toastie, or afternoon tea.

I chose afternoon tea, which was served by a member of staff and consisted of four sandwiches: ham and cheese, cheese and onion, chicken, and egg. There was also a scone with two individual pots of jam and cream. It was delicious, but I wouldn't pay $257 for it in a restaurant.

In comparison, food was not included as part of the standard ticket, though guests could purchase food and beverages on the train at an additional cost. I opted not to do this, considering that I'd already purchased my $11 worth of food and snacks before the journey. 

While I'm glad I got to experience first class, I'd much rather save money with a standard ticket in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in first class, especially the extra luxury perks including the food and access to the lounge.

That being said, I didn't think they were worth the additional cost. At $257, my first-class ticket was $192 more than my $65 standard ticket.

While the standard carriage didn't have as much leg room or storage space, this wasn't a big deal to me since the journey was short. I'd much rather pay for a cheaper ticket and buy my $11 snacks from the train station. It's the ideal option for passengers who travel often on relatively short journeys.