Interrailing: A Guide To The Best Holiday Ever
Interrailing is one of the best experiences ever and I recommend everyone do it at one point in their lives! It gives you the opportunity to see different places, cultures and people all in the one holiday.
Here’s a quick interrailing guide to help you plan and enjoy your trip….
Interrailing Guide
When to go?
Most people tend to take an interrailing trip after their first or second year of college. This would be recommended because at this point you have just a little bit more experience and it won’t be as stressful. I would not recommend your first ever solo holiday to be interrailing, as it is very different from a sun-lounging break.
It’s best to try avoid the peak season in Europe if at all possible. This means going early in the summer or at the start of September. Avoiding the main tourist season means it won’t be scorching hot, which can make sight-seeing an absolute pain. Flights and expenses tend to be cheaper also.
Who to go with?
It isn’t a lie that interrailing can sometimes be a little stressful, there is a lot of planning involved and a lot of long train journeys to take. Therefore, it would be recommended to go with people you’ve possibly gone on a holiday with before or at least have spent a lot of time with. You need to make sure you know that you’re able to be around these people for long periods of time, and that you won’t want to kill them by the end.
What to pack?
Interrailing isn’t a sun holiday where you lounge around. You’ll be constantly traveling and sightseeing to pack in as much as possible. Packing comfortable clothes should be a priority. Bicycle shorts, tank tops and big t-shirts would be ideal. Of course bring a few nice outfits for the nights out, but always remember everything you bring will be on your back, so try to pack lightly.
How to plan?
Plan in stages for interrailing.
- Plan how long you want to go for.
- Plan all the cities you want to visit. If you can’t agree it’s a good idea that everyone gets to pick one city each.
- Book the train ticket that corresponds correctly with how many places you would like to go. You can book from interrail.eu
- Plan the train times and make sure you write them down.
- Afterwards, plan accommodation from booking.com – the app is SO handy for storing all of the details and directions.
- And finally, book any sightseeing that you may want to do in advance to cut down on costs.
Final tips
- Book second class trains, but reserve seats. This will work out cheaper and you will still be guaranteed a seat.
- Make sure to budget your money. Set a limit like 50 euro that you can’t go over for each day. Write down your spending in your notes so you can keep track.
- Bring portable chargers, some trains won’t have plugs.
- Make sure when booking a place to stay that you have made sure that there is air-conditioning. Otherwise it’ll be miserably hot.
- Tell hostels when you’re not going to be on time for check-in times because they will send someone to wait on you.
- Make sure that you keep your safety a top priority at all times. We put together a guide on staying safe on a night out that totally still applies when traveling.
Have you or are you planning an interrail trip? Is there anything that we should add to our interrailing guide?