How To Plan For Your Interrail Trip

Hello everyone! I’m officially back at Uni and can finally get stuck into routine and begin my Interrail blog journey! I’m so excited to share my experience with you guys in the hope that it may spark that wanderlust inside you. So, if that wanderlust inside of you is longing for a trip other than sitting in the sun all day drinking cocktails, then you’re in luck. Interrail and EUrail is a fantastic means of backpacking or travelling to beautiful places that you often see on those Pinterest boards. This isn’t a pricey option either, for students, Interrailling can be the most cost-effective way of travelling across Europe. However, there is a catch, this sort of ‘holiday’ of such requires a LOT of planning so be prepared.

Where do you want to go?

There’s an abundance of places to go in Europe that is valid on an Interrail Global Pass. You simply need to ask yourself: would I like to see the tulips of Holland? Would I like to try a stein of beer in Germany? How about the hot baths of Hungary? Whatever it is, write them down, get some inspiration from Instagram or Pinterest and start thinking about where you really want to go. A good way to begin your planning is to start a notebook/journal, this way you can jot all your ideas down and keep everything in one place.

What dates?

Usually, the busiest times to travel is in the summer. If you travel during the summer months, you could find yourself maybe not enjoying it as much due to the masses of tourists. If there is no other option than summer, why not travel away from the tourist traps, outside the big cities. You may discover that going away from “the norm” can be a lot more fun. As a student, most courses don’t begin again until mid to late September, giving you the advantage of quieter cities whilst everyone starts back to school and work.

Which ticket?

So, you’ve decided those all-important dates? Well, the question now is, which Interrail Pass should you get? My boyfriend Josh and myself bought our 7-travel day travel in 1 month (explanation of this a little later) ticket on Cyber Monday and managed to get a pretty good deal. On the website you can enter in your age, if you are below 27 years of age you will be considered as a youth, therefore already giving you discount on all tickets. Black Friday and Cyber Monday will give you additional discounts if you buy on these dates. You will be given the option to chose how many travel days you wish to use. These travel days are simply the days in which you travel by train, bus or boat to your next destination. If you use your Interrail pass to travel on one train to one different stop, this will immediately count as a travel day (so plan wisely!). I suggest you decide how many countries you wish to go to, then work out how many days you want to stay at each place. Once you travel using your pass, consider that a full day of travel and not wandering around sightseeing, as trust me, it is tiring and you will want to just slump on your bed when you arrive at the next destination. We travelled for 20 days, 7 of those were our travel days. We could have chosen to stay for another 10 days as a month is indicated on our pass, however we were glad to get back to Uni and rest after a looooong 3 weeks of traveling. Like I mentioned before, planning for a trip like this is key. We got caught out as for some train services, they require you to make seat reservations, you can do this on the Interrail app or find out more here. This can be avoidable however if you can't work a way around it, most trains don't cost too much.

What now?

After all of these decisions, the rest is up to you! I'm currently writing some awesome travel content for you guys so stay tuned. If you have any suggestions, questions or need advice on anything, feel free to drop me a message on any of my social media (links on main page). Have a lovely week everyone!

Soph x