You would think a full month (near enough) of travelling Europe by train would be as simple as it sounds. Hop on a train, end up in a city, find somewhere to stay, and Bobâs your Uncle; I never did meet Bob. Pints all round and before you know it youâre a local.
You believe youâll be thinking,
What even is a tourist, OMG.
First up, DO NOT GET TOO CONFIDENT
Our first mistake when booking the Interrailing was to leave looking into it and booking our trains as late as possible. We bought our pass literally two weeks before we were due to leave as we wanted to accumulate enough money as possible so we could essentially do the whole thing correctly and take our time over it, to ensure that we did everything the way WE wanted to. Booking our journeys about 6 days before we left however was never going to be a good idea; is that a surprise though?
You see, through the website portal once you order your pass there is an area where you can literally plan all your train journeys and free of charge (I KNOW RIGHT). While some may be too far in advance, you can reserve seats on these (which is usually all that is needed to be eligible to make a journey) through their actual portal to save yourself stressing whether you can get on that train that will get you to Rome in time to check into your hostel etc.
Exhibit A: A Free service helps you plan out what type of trains you will need and when, down to the exact minute, SO MAKE THE MOST OF IT.
However, you need to book your journey far enough in advance for this to be possible. If your journey is two weeks after you try to do this, there is no chance you are doing it this wayâŠ
BUT FEAR NOT, DO NOT PANIC. Although at this point you are left with the challenging and frustrating task of visiting German, Swiss, Italian etc. rail websites and trying to reserve your train through translating them, it is possible. May I add, a lot of them genuinely do not have that oh-so-helpful âtranslateâ button, so you have to Google Translate EVERY SINGLE WORD on that page, and lemme tell ya, THAT. IS. NOT. FUN. But, itâs possible.
There are resources and ways to help you plan your journey out. If it is easier for you to know where you are on what days and what you have time to do, then print a calendar out.
Almost better than an Advent Calendar⊠Minus the chocolate of course: This technique will do you wonders when booking your travelling and accommodation.
Organisation never hurt anybody! Keeping a folder to put all your train reservations and hostel bookings in together is super helpful and definitely recommended.
Keeping everything together makes each journey stress-free. Pink folders are also cool, donât judge.
Hostels are your best friend
Prices, comfort (mainly, I mean it beats a cold hard floor), the possibility to meet people you would never have met otherwise. In a hostel you share rooms with strangers but itâs really not as bad as it sounds. The inhabitants are usually in the same boat as you. They want to see a city, they want to sleep inside for minimal price and, on the most part, usually to make friends. I mentioned in a previous post my past fears of hostels but I could not have been more wrong. Hostels are well and truly a travellers best friend, and I donât say that lightly.
The only example I have (legally) since taking pictures of rooms isnât usually my thing, this is CityStay Mitte in Berlin. A good nightâs sleep in a fabulous city for on average âŹ23.8 p/night in the middle of August is something you just canât argue with.
Usually hostels will have games areas, bars, and even kitchens that not only save you money but help you decide the quality of your own food. Furthermore, some even offer free breakfast and the opportunity to have dinner with a group who necessarily maybe donât want to cook themselves and save those pennies (or cents). Some even have nightclubs attached to them (Try Generator in Paris) and others are in the middle of nowhere (Innsbruck comes to mind), some are even like an actual hotel (Wombats at the Naschmarkt) however, youâre treated the same way that you would be in a hotel. Sharing a bathroom and communal area is really not that bad and if you really cannot go without your own space, many offer private rooms but these are much more pricey.
Hostelworld.com, Kayak, and even Booking.com are the usual booking suspects, but I thoroughly recommend Hostelworld. The ease of booking, the range of hostels that they have available and even the prices, (hostels are so much cheaper than hotels itâs crazy) you would be a fool to ignore how helpful they are.
Airbnb is another option too. The places available are actual homes, definitely like nothing you have ever stayed in abroad before. Iâve heard nothing but great things from people I know who have used it, so it is another option.
Disclaimer: I really make no money whatsoever from hostelworld.com for saying this, so really take my word for it, they made this trip a hell of a lot easier.
Research the cities a little (But surprise yourself a little too)
Correction, surprise yourself A LOT. But, researching a little so that you can utilise your time in each city is certainly a smart way to go about things. You see, travelling for a month will mean that at some point youâll probably want a little resting time, yâknow, the occasional morning where you wonât be getting up at 6am; not that we did that every morning but emphasis always helps my point. While youâre doing this to explore, itâs like a holiday so embrace that factor too.
Planning (even slightly) pays off: Knowing that in Milan we wanted to visit the San Siro, evaluating how much time we had there meant that not only did we get to tour the world famous stadium, but catching a game there was possible too, something we would not have been able to do if we didnât consider it already.
So, planning pays off. It leaves you with no worries and the freedom to know that you can do what you like when youâre not doing what you planned. Honestly, surprising yourself is even better though, but you still have to get the amount of time you have free correct as well. While you may not be planning to visit 14 different cities in 30 days, having a little idea of what you want to do where youâre going, knowing why you are going there more than that it âlooks prettyâ, helps. FACTOR IN TRAIN TRAVEL TIME AS WELL. One thing we got wrong was the complete utilisation of our time in Vienna. We did our research while we were IN the city, and that was ultimately our downfall. We had about an hour at the funfair/theme park Prater which we were gutted about because it was somewhere we could have dedicated a whole day to. It happens.
We planned our trip to Pisa and took a Flixbus which, for the record, is another method of travel I would recommend. Another way that you can travel Europe and for a decent rate, with chargers and Wifi on their buses, there are many ways to make your trip less stressful. The issue with our Pisa trip however was that it left us with such little time in Florence that we never really got a feel of the city. Planning IS KEY.
Donât formulate expectations
Prague, I underestimated you ever so much. From somehow ending up in a gay club (AND HAVING ONE OF MY FAV NIGHTS EVER, MAY I ADD) to meeting literally some of the best people, I'll never forget your ability to amaze me; that, and how cheap things are here. You're way more than absinthe and cheap booze. You make me more thankful than I already am. #Prague #CzechRepublic #Travel #Interrailing #CharlesBridge #StudentNomad
A post shared by C (@thelostenglishman) on Aug 13, 2017 at 2:09am PDT
Long story short, my opinions of Prague were formulated by the gov.uk page on the city (yes, yes, I know!) but in a way this helped it blow me away. The beauty that the city breathed, the prices, the people and the sense of freedom we felt when we were there made it an easy top 3 destination for us.
Rome failed to live up to expectations
Rome on the other hand was not comfortable for either of us. Aside from my stupidity in nearly being run over by a bus (story for another day) the Colosseum and Pantheon were breathtaking landmarks, simply unbelievable to see in person, but even they failed to balance the city for us. The hype we built beforehand was clearly too much as we never felt safe there. Again, expectations.
Budget (Know your limits unless money grows on trees you grow in your garden)
Youâre gonna have to sacrifice some things, inevitably. Know how much money you have free (after you book your trains and hostels and even work out food costs). I ended up budgeting on ÂŁ20 for the last 2 days, did I mention that that was not including food.
Some places will be more expensive than others (Switzerland). To say that it was worth it would really be the biggest understatement (regarding Switzerland anyway) EVER. It was incredible there and it was easy to make exceptions for how expensive it was there, because it was that pretty, however, we made incorrect estimations and money spent exceeded our budgeting. REMEMBER, RESEARCH.
Eating out is expensive â Iâm not going to lie to you, we ate out everyday until our 9th city, thatâs 17 days into the trip⊠RESTAURANT FOOD IS GOOD, OK. We were lazy, inconsiderate of the money we took and ultimately paid the price at the end. Buying food in and using the kitchens available to you is a valuable tool my friend, so utilise it while itâs there.
Conversion rates â learn before you go, and maybe take a bit of everything whether it be Euros, Kuna, Franc etc. many of them are different, make it easier on yourself. The rates were fluctuating while we were travelling so buying a little before you go does not do you any harm.
*If you budget correctly, activities such as Disneyland at the end of your trip can be made with no worries. Truthfully, as previously mentioned, my £20 p/day budgeting for the last 5 days of the trip meant I could not afford my ticket. So I gave my buddy a full weeks wage of mine when we got back so I could go⊠Not everyone has this freedom!*
YOU DONâT NEED TO TAKE YOUR WHOLE WARDROBE â Essentials
(An idea of what to take for a month):
1-2 pairs of long trousers
Girls â Makeup ofc, donât go overboard â youâre gonna be walking with your bag a lot â be kind to your back.
A charging pack and your charger â this will be important since some hostels have a limitation on plug sockets (yes, I know)
Just over a weekâs worth of underwear â THERE ARE WASHING MACHINES. UTILISE.
CORRECT PLUGS â Despite being in the same continent, some nations need different plug adaptors, double check this before you go.
SUNCREAM. IT GETS HOT. BE CAREFUL. You can buy this in shops if you forget.
SHOWER GEL/SHAMPOO. You can buy this in shops too.
Books (a few of these) â Travelling alone? Itâs good company. Travelling with someone? Sometimes on the train journeys you just want a break from each others voices, work that brain even whilst travelling.
Headphones â a saviour for when youâve read way too much
Notepad and pen â if you come across something you have to remember or you like writingâŠ
Playing Cards â Something you and your travel companion can interact over.
Travel Insurance â Just in case something happens, be careful homies.
A helpful travel bag â This is key as you will be walking A LOT to hostels and on your final day in cities when you have to hand back your room key because check out is early.
The North Face Base Camp Duffel Bag does not come cheap (we payed at least ÂŁ90 for ours each) but the freedom to carry it or use it as a backpack made our lives SO much easier with all that walking, SO. MUCH. WALKING. There are many bags like this so choose what one suits you best, whether it be North Face or not, whatever caters to your travel needs.
Fanny Pack (yes, I know) or Waist Wallet â This is so much more important than you think. Keeping your passport and money in a save place on you at all times is important. You might think that it is not fashionable; bear in mind that it goes under your clothes, that it is an inconvenient object, but it proved me wrong and put me at ease even on nights when my paranoia sky rocketed.
The Hydroseal Waterproof Waist Wallet is cheap, has enough space for your cards, passport, and money and is the safest option when it comes to carrying your valuables on you.
I likely forgot something here, but it happens, these are ESSENTIALS.
GET IN THERE BEFORE YOU NEED VISAâS FOR EACH COUNTRY (Post-Brexit life nears⊠DUN DUN DUN)
You knew the Brexit talk was coming, câmon, you shouldâve prepared for this badboy.
As the UK slowly edges towards no longer being a member of the EU, we start to reminisce about all the things we are going to miss like the freedom to travel to other European countries without having to apply for Visaâs. Once we exit, it is likely that you will need to apply for EVERY country, making interrailing a nightmare, and possibly more expensive too.
The new passports are meant to be blue (WHY BLUE, WHY) and this makes us feel blue, because, just why? Oh politics. Anyway, utilise being part of the EU while you can, cause once itâs gone, itâs gone.
There are likely so many other things on here I have not mentioned, but as I always say, any questions, queries or a general interest in things that happened on our journey, hit me up and Iâll be only too happy to enlighten you. Happy Travels! đ
It''s been a while, let's kick off that talk about Inetrrailing yeah? You would think a full month (near enough) of travelling Europe by train would be as simple as it sounds.
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