Rail against the machine: InterRail round Europe
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Wednesday June 09 2010
Heading off to see Europe by train this summer but not sure how to plan your trip? Fear not – Cormac Murtagh has all the tips you need for a successful InterRail Odyssey right here.
InterRailing is second only to J1 trips to America when it comes to rites of passage for us Irish. Indeed, this type of holiday attracts hoards of young travellers from Ireland each summer. And it's not hard to see why.
InterRailing combines the romance and freedom of train travel with the chance to experience some of Europe’s best cities, all in one trip, and few other types of holiday can come close to it for sheer enjoyment.
If properly planned, your trip will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, leaving you with a host of cherished memories. Equally, however, a badly planned trip can lead to undue stress and worry, ultimately leaving you disappointed and exhausted.
So here for your delectation is an entirely random number of tips, gained through personal (and sometimes painful) experience of holiday by train that should prove invaluable as you prepare your InterRailing trip.
1. Plan Your Route
I can’t stress this one enough. The worst thing you can do on a holiday like this is to cram too many cities into one trip. Believe me, I learnt this the hard way. The temptation to experience as many cities as possible is only natural – that’s part of the appeal of this kind of trip, after all. But it’s not always the best option. A better plan is to carefully consider your budget and the time you have for travelling, figure out where you really want to go and try to come up with a loose travel itinerary. Even if you have a rough idea of where you’re going and how long you’re going to be there, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary stress.
2. Book Ahead
Once you know where you’re going, it’s a good idea to book your accommodation in advance. Even though you can usually find somewhere to stay if you just show up in a city, the only way to guarantee finding the cheapest or best-value hostels is to ring and book before you arrive. This is particularly important if you have a budget to stick to. And don’t forget that many day trains going through Europe are often booked up beforehand. Spending six hours lying on a train floor because you were kicked out of a pre-booked seat is no one’s idea of fun. Which leads us neatly to our next tip?
3. Use Sleeper Trains
Not only are sleeper trains an exciting way to travel, they also act as a handy alternative accommodation option. They are relatively cheap when you consider you’re saving the cost of a night’s stay, and it’s hard to beat the feeling of leaving one city at the end of the day only to wake up refreshed the next morning in your next destination.
4. Know the Name of Your Accommodation
It seems obvious, but taking a note of the name of your hostel or putting a business card in your wallet is a simple way of avoiding a drunken night’s ramble through a strange city, trying to explain to a bemused taxi driver the exact location of your hostel.
5. Know the Name of Your Stop
On some train trips the names of the stations are not announced, and there may be stops where you need to change trains. So make sure you know your stops before getting on your train. For example, if it wasn’t for a group of clued-in travellers from Cork, I could still be stuck in God knows where in Poland today...
6. Bring the Basics
Wet wipes, a padlock for your luggage, something to pass the journey and even toilet paper – you don’t want to get stuck without an essential once you’re on the train. A credit card is always a good idea in case you run out of money, as is a pop-up tent, in case you find yourself well and truly stuck for accommodation.
7. Enjoy Yourself!
Above all, have fun. Fully explore each city on your itinerary, go on pub crawls (highly recommended) and generally let your hair down. It may well be the best holiday you’ll ever have.
THE INTERRAIL PASS – THE BASICS
The InterRail Global Pass is valid for travel in 30 European countries, except the pass holder’s country of residence.
The pass is only available to European residents and those staying in Europe for six months or more. However, non-European residents can avail of the similar EuRail pass.
There is no age limit for purchase of an InterRail pass, but fares vary significantly depending on your age – a Youth fare is available for travellers aged from 12 – 25.
Various ticket options are on offer, ranging from 5 days’ travel to be used within a 10-day period, up to a month’s continuous travel.
Supplements may apply for some special trains.
For more information, check out the comprehensive www.interrail.net website.
- Cormac Murtagh
