Where there's a will, there's a way. If setting up residency abroad allows cheaper travel then why not research a legitimate way to qualify and use the Interrail pass?
As time goes on I've often wondered about the value of the ALR for leisure travellers. I'm the type of person to take completely capricious trips around the UK from time to time, sometimes without even knowing where I intend to stay until the evening (4/5* hotels come at zero cost). I kill a few birds with one zone, remote working, visiting people, visiting towns and covering lines I haven't done. I can't justify buying an ALR at all. Buying normal tickets, Advance fares and other regional tickets works out a
lot cheaper than an ALR.
I suspect a lot of people who buy ALRs either put a massive value on flexibility or simply don't mind spending on things that offer poor value for money, which is an individual choice. Even being a rail enthusiast, how many people
really want to spend 7 or 14 days straight travelling on intercity trains just to say they got value out of an ALR? If you are wanting to cover lines then better value fares are available, without the pressure of having to do it over such a long continuous time period.
How many people using an ALR for business will find it useful with the 10am London and Birmingham restrictions? If avoiding those places there are probably better value fares available. That said I'm sure there are a handful of people who will get genuine value because the only other tickets that suit their needs are expensive SOS and SOR fares.
I did a couple of First Class ALRs a few years back but looking back, I'm not sure I'd buy one again for a few reasons;
- The differential between the First Class and Standard Class hard products has decreased with time
- Standard Class has improved with much wider availability of plug sockets and tables than there once was
- Large parts of the UK have limited or no First Class availability. Scotland and Wales for example. First Class with catering is more limited still.
- The reliability of First Class catering - the "complimentary not meaning guaranteed" trope is trotted out to customers a bit too often. Some TOCs struggle with providing a consistent service
- The "you don't belong here" attitude some staff take when you sit in, or attempt to enter First Class. On some occasions it was so bad I took my things and sat in Standard
- Poor or non-existent policing of First Class accommodation on commuter TOCs leading to issues with anti-social behaviour and the compartments being abused
As for the loophole, I did it under the old NRCoC 19c rule, not that anybody was enforcing the time restrictions anyway. The issue of familiarity with the validity of uncommon tickets cuts both ways. If the RDG said it still applies under NRCoT 14.2 fair enough and good luck to anyone who does bother with an ALR!