Interrail Pass

...month of train travel with Interrail and I am bronzed, toned, still in one piece and ready to put you in the picture! Before I went I read every internet article I could get my hands on, they mostly covered the experience and many did it justice. I hope I can convey the fantastic time I had, with a route that defied all logic and convention and involved endless laughter, confusion and foreign officials. However, before you buy Interrail tickets, ...
...has a lot to learn! Interrail gives you the freedom to travel at a reduced rate, it's a massive saving compared to the cost of paying for the individual journeys and it means that you can go somewhere 'just because you like the sound of it'. Every experience will be different and I've tried to include both the pitfalls (in the hope that you can avoid them) and the highlights. The section entitled Train Practicalities is worth reading if your trip ... more

I have just returned from a month of train travel with Interrail and I am bronzed, toned, still in one piece and ready to put you in the picture! Before I went I read every internet article I could get my hands on, they mostly covered the experience and many did it justice. I hope I can convey the fantastic time I had, with a route that defied all logic and convention and involved endless laughter, confusion and foreign officials. However, before you buy Interrail tickets, you need to know what you're getting for your money…

If you have the misfortune to travel on trains in the UK on a regular basis, Interrailing is a stark contrast; even in the darkest corner of Eastern Europe, clean, efficient, well staffed trains run on time. There is always the odd exception, but I think public transport in Britain has a lot to learn! Interrail gives you the freedom to travel at a reduced rate, it's a massive saving compared to the cost of paying for the individual journeys and it means that you can go somewhere 'just because you like the sound of it'. Every experience will be different and I've tried to include both the pitfalls (in the hope that you can avoid them) and the highlights. The section entitled Train Practicalities is worth reading if your trip is imminent. Other than that, please feel free to skip it and just enjoy the section on my expereience.

*****Invaluable Equipment *****

The Thomas Cook Rail Map - for all the times that you can't get a direct train.
The Thomas Cook Rail Timetable - for when there is no train information
Rough Guide / Lonely Planet or Similar
Baby Wipes - instant friend maker on the night train!

***** Accommodation *****

Most of the Hostels are full in high season and they prefer to separate males and females. We stayed in some that were lovely and some that were unfit for human occupation. Where there were problems with hostels, we found that it was often easier and cheaper between the two of us to get a room on hotels.com. There are some great bargains to be found with a bit of patience and reasonable internet access.

We also stayed with the families that wait at the station and offer you rooms. This is often much cheaper than the hostels and the famillies are prepared to help you with timetables and translations. It makes you feel at home and offers the chance to see how real people live rather than just the inside of another chain hostel. In Transylvania we were really lucky and found a woman who couldn't do enough for us - she even did all our washing. Her concern when we drunkenly wanted to use the gas cooker at 1am was more for our safety than that of her house.

In Split we were less fortunate. I think the key is to only agree to view rooms within walking distance and ask to see pictures before you even go that far. If someone drives you to their inconveniently located house an hour down the motorway, you end up taking it just because you can't get back.

***** Train Practicalities *****

I went with the Boyfriend (much persuasion and nagging on my part) and after looking at all the options, we decided on a Global pass. This covers all the zones of Europe and cost £285.00 for me (under 26) and £405.00 for him (over 26). With a total cost of £710.00 including the fee charged by STA travel, this is not a decision to undertake lightly! From what I can work out, the cost varies depending on whether it's high or low season. You should also be aware that these tickets are not covered on most travel insurance, so have a look around before you buy that too.

You can buy one zone or two zone passes as well, but these zones have been decided by Interrail and you can't pick and choose the countries you want to visit. It's not, for example, possible to visit France, Italy and Spain unless you buy the global pass, but with the one zone pass you can visit France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. As the assistant in STA put it to us, Interrail want to get as much money out of you as they can - there's no point in them selling passes with your choice of countries. With the one and two zone passes, if you accidentally cross a border into a country that isn't covered by your pass you have to pay for the train. Also, if you have to cross another zone to get to your chosen one, you'll have to pay (at a discounted rate) for that travel.

We made the rather dangerous assumption that once we had our Interrail tickets, there would be a few negligible charges for seat reservations on the really long distance trains - other than that, we thought we had it covered. Not quite! We found that reservations are almost always compulsory and cost anywhere between 3 Euros and 30 Euros. We ended up spending at least £150 on seat reservations each. Nothing fancy, just the standard second class seats that the Interrail ticket covers. I wouldn't try and get away without paying these either - there are endless ticket inspections and some trains where they won't even let you on without checking your tickets and passports.

The cost of Couchettes and Sleepers is astronomical - normally about 67 Euro on the Trenhotels for a couchette. If you're travelling as a couple, couchettes (at least in the Catholic countries) mean you will be in separate carriages altogether as they don't allow mixed sleeping accomodation. The prohibitive cost and the gender divide meant that we just booked seats when we slept on trains. 2 out of 3 times we ended up sharing with other couples who were backpacking and we were able to arrange the seats in the compartments so that everyone was comfortable. If you make an effort to get on, people don't mind waking up with your foot in their face so much. We met some really cool people and the best advice you'll get is from other backpackers.

The majority of countries have no problem with Interrail tickets, but in Spain they don't cover first class travel and there is no second class option. After queuing up at the ticket office a few times to be told that we had to pay the full price of the ticket, we found an information office where we discovered that we could simply pay for an upgrade at a cost of about 15 euro each.

In Romania, Interrail marks you out as foreign and we met a few unscrupulous ticket inspectors. On the train out of Bucharest, one such inspector chased us along the train to levy his imaginary fine of around £50 (it varied as he tried to bargain the bribe, but it had to be cash). He told us if we wouldn't pay the fine (and we wouldn't - we had legitimate tickets and no money) than we would have to get off the train at a remote station at 3am. We ended up sleeping on the toilet floor amongst bubblegum and cigarette ends to hide from him and luckily we both saw the funny side. As soon as we made it over the border, the Hungarian ticket inspector had no problem with our tickets.

Sometimes there are trains and sometimes there aren't. From Split there are three trains a day at best, the station is rarely open and mostly full of people who have arrived and have nowhere to sleep.
Despite the size of Milan station, there aren't that many trains and it's difficult to leave. There are no night trains to speak of and the information will communicate 'solo italiano' and happily walk off while you are trying to show them maps or names to illustrate a point. Don't let this deter you, we managed to develop a brand of sarcasm where the more unhelpful they were, the more we thanked them.

Very often in high season (June / July / August), you will find that all the trains out are booked up for days in advance. This meant either losing the spontaneity and booking a week in advance or staying in one place a few more days than planned. We opted for the latter and found that we were quite relieved by the break from hardcore sightseeing. If you go outside of high season however, bear in mind that some train services will be unavailable and some attractions will be shut. Whatever happens, leave in the direction of home a good couple of days before your tickets run out.

It probably pays to know about the discounts available on Interrail, the only one we used was the discount on the P&O ferry from Dover to Calais. We looked at the Eurostar discount, but that was still out of our budget. I haven't found a comprehensive list anywhere, but some were listed in the ticket book itself.

Lastly, I hope you have a loving family to come back to - you can't use Interrail in your home country and the only time we were genuinely stranded was when no one would pick us up from the ferry port at Dover.

*****Our Experience *****

Going interrailing meant leaving the job I'd been in for the last 4 years. I didn't have enough holiday to go otherwise and I was starting to think it had to be now or never. (So thanks for the 3p) On top of that, 26 was fast approaching and this would have meant that waiting another year was an expensive decision. If anyone out there is thinking that this might be the right time to go, don't hesitate; next year you might be in a worse place financially, you might have more commitments; carpe diem. I have no regrets about going, even if things don't always go perfectly - well, that's a story to tell when you get back. Even faced with the mountain of washing and unopened letters I am writing this with a smile on my face.

Going for a month seemed a daunting prospect, unlike previous periods spent away from home this was all in different places. You end up feeling like some kind of rail pikey, but the advantage is that if you don't like somewhere, you don't have to stay. I loved the feeling of waking up each morning in a whole new country.

We had no planned route and when western europe started to diminish our rather small savings, we headed east. Eastern europe is one of those places that cause backpackers to cling together for safety. On arriving home, I asked my brother if he could kick open my bedroom door every hour and search my bags 'to give me a sense of normality'. The searches, passport checks and hourly questioning are a very bonding experience and we made some great friends. One piece of advice I would give on this is never, ever, tell them that you've just come from Amsterdam.

One night, just on the border of the Czech Republic, seven young men burst into our carriage. The were dressed in hoodies and rucksacks and were demanding our passports. They turned out to be German customs, but naturally we all thought we were being robbed by Asbos and if you kick off, they empty your bag. Another time, on the train from Budapest, we were evicted from our seats by the police and had to stand for 17 hours. These events sound a little worse than they were, in every case we and our fellow travellers kept up a reasonable party atmosphere.

There were touching times too, when we felt homesick. When someone else arrived home there were mixed feelings of happiness for them and then a while in silence where we missed our own famillies. A Romanian guy, arriving at his home stop after months away, gave a goodbye speech in the aisle which almost moved me to tears.

Seeing the sunset in Madrid and exploring Roman ruins under palm trees in Croatia were fantastic experiences which I hope to have more of. The night trains and ferries were a breeding ground for people who tell you how awful things are in their country and are overawed by the fact that you live in the UK. I've never felt so lucky to have been born British. There are few experiences as humbling as sleeping on floors and being afraid to speak English and I feel enriched for all of it. The advice we were given and the help we received in so many places have given me faith in human nature.

*****Top 5 Sightseeing Highlights*****

A Roman Party in Trier, Germany

The Alhambra, Granada, Spain

Bran Castle (Dracula's), Bran, Transylvania

The Buda Labyrinth, Budapest, Hungary

Diocletian's Palace, Split, Croatia 

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