As we all know, travel has exploded over the last few years. Once upon a time the thought of hopping between destinations every couple of days may have been unheard of – but now it’s completely normal.
In Europe, one of the main reasons this is now the case is because of the Interrail system. As the name might suggest, this basically allows tourists to hop around the continent after buying a rail pass for a set amount of time.
Without a doubt, it’s opened up a lot of doors for travellers. However, to ensure that you get the very best out of it in terms of enjoyment and cost, we have put together today’s guide which mulls over the ins and outs.
Planning rules go out of the window
Nowadays, there is a lot of emphasis on planning when it comes to travel – and this is usually for good reason. As you take to your Interrailing trip, we would advise you not to be quite as strict with your schedule though.
For example, if you happen to be traveling to Croatia and haven’t checked out this Croatia travel guide, there’s every chance that you’ll probably want to spend longer than you have initially budgeted for. This commonly happens and rather than buying your hotels and hostels a long time in advance, take advantage of the flexible nature of the interrail system to “plan as you go”, so to speak.
Study the rules on tickets
It could be argued that one of the most difficult elements of the Interrail system are the tickets. Unfortunately, not all are equal, and this is crucial to know as you start your journey.
Firstly, while you can buy a standard Interrail ticket, on certain trips this will need to be accompanied by a seat reservation. They’re not expensive, but without one you run the risk of not having a space for your desired journey.
Then, there are the other ticket varieties. For example, some are based on continuous travel, and allow you to travel as much as you want up until a certain date.
If you are looking to save a little capital to begin with, you can buy tickets that allow you ‘x’ days of travel within a timeframe. Sure, your number of trips is restricted, but this shouldn’t prove too troublesome for most of you.
Keep on top of the currencies
This next point might sound ridiculously obvious, but trust us, a lot of travellers fall victim to currency mistakes. A lot of people automatically think that because the interrail is based through Europe, the Euro is all that is required.
In reality, this isn’t the case in the slightest. There are umpteen currencies in this continent, so keep this in mind as you plan your trip.
The wonders of night trains
Finally, we really can’t preach how beneficial night trains can be. Not only is it a memorable experience, but this is also the time where you can save on accommodation. When you also factor in the added time you will have during the day at your destinations, it really becomes a no-brainer.