Over the last 5 weeks, my cousin Brodi and I have been travelling around Europe (You will know this if you’ve read my previous posts). There are a few transport options throughout Europe, but the main three are flights, buses and trains. We opted for interrailing because it seemed to be the most convenient. Our pass allowed us 15 ‘travel days’ within two months (travel days mean you can take as many trains as you want during that day). For anyone who doesn’t know what interrailing is… essentially it is buying a train pass, the most common being ‘Eurail’. This is a popular mode of transport for travellers since flights and buses can have restrictions or be inconvenient. There are many budget airlines, however, you can typically only have carry-on luggage. On top of that, airports are rarely in the actual city so you would need to get additional transport. Overall, we found it relatively reliable. However, going back these are some things I would have loved to know before we started.
1. Please reserve seats (in advance)
Eurail passes are expensive as it is and the company expects you to pay additional for reserving seats. There are usually trains which don’t require reservations (only at certain times/days). However, if you don’t reserve your seats it can stuff you over. During the train to Prague, we had a very awkward interaction with some people who claimed they reserved our seats. Much to our surprise because when I planned that train it specifically said you didn’t need any. Make sure to check the fine print on the Eurail app and book those reservations! There were a few times when we tried booking a train for a few days away and the tickets were sold out. I hate to think how busy it would be in peak season. So book your tickets as far in advance as you can. Additionally, always check if trains are running before you book any accommodation in your next city.
2. Check where your hostel is in comparison to the station
The proximity of the place you're staying to your station is very important. Especially if you’re backpacking, you do not want to be carrying around your luggage for kilometres. So, if you can make sure your accommodation is as close as possible to the station your future self will thank you. This will not always be feasible but try your hardest to make it easy to get to where you’re staying, whether that's by metro, walking or sometimes a cheap uber.
3. Don’t buy first-class tickets
We brought the first-class ticket for a little extra comfort. Although, 50% of our trains ended up being second class anyway. This was mostly due to availability in particular countries and between certain cities. In hindsight, we probably wasted money having a first-class ticket in comparison to the amount of comfort it brought us. As long as you book in advance, second-class tickets will often be readily available compared to first-class tickets. Additionally, I personally think the difference in comfort between the classes isn’t enough to validate the price difference.
4. There will not always be wifi
Out of the 18 trains we took, maybe two or three of them had wifi (and these were first-class trains). We learned quickly to download things on our devices and bring some stuff to do that doesn’t involve the internet. All I’m saying is don’t expect there to be an internet connection for most of your train rides.
5. Pack more snacks than you need
This may sound stupid but initially I did not appropriately pack snacks. We would be travelling for 5+ hours and I thought I’d be “fine” till we got to our next destination. Silly. Don’t make the mistake I did and pack some snacks for yourself (or a whole meal)
I’d love to know if these tips were helpful for you. Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more!
Thank you, love Amy ♡
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