Bored of Bristol? Start planning your dream vacation
It may only be March, but summer is slowly creeping up. The old question “Any summer plans?” it’s slipping into the conversation, and you might not have an exciting answer to wow your colleagues with. Fear not, the Bristol tab has you covered.
If you like train travel, expensive Mcdonalds and sharing a room, just you and a 45-year-old Spaniard, why not go on an interrail this summer? Interrailing is a great way to see the sights of Europe on a budget, making it perfect for those who can’t really afford a holiday but really want one.
To make the experience of planning and executing an interrailing trip a little easier, we’ve put together some tips on how to have the best interrailing vacation ever.
1. Decide who you want to go with
I would say that the best way to interrail is in pairs. You have the flexibility to do whatever you want, which is amazing and leads to fewer arguments. It’s also much easier to book accommodation as you’re just one booking two beds in a hostel.
Traveling in a large group is completely possible, and I’m sure a lot of fun, but just make sure everyone is on a similar wavelength in terms of what they want to do on the trip.
Another option, if you’re confident in your ability to entertain yourself, is to go solo. Cruise through Europe at your own pace and “discover” something about yourself in the process.
2. Decide how much time you want to spend
The beauty of college life is the ridiculously long summers. Depending on how many places you want to visit, you need to decide how long you will be traveling. You can go as long or as short as you like, thanks to a variety of interrail passes on offer.
You should consider your budget when assessing how long you will be traveling. Obviously, the shorter the trip, the cheaper, but why not cross out a month on the calendar and see it all?
3. Buy a pass
The interrail pass comes in 10 different formats. This allows you to choose exactly how long you want to travel and find a pass that reflects that.
You can choose between a certain number of travel days within a month, or you can choose the pass that gives you a certain number of travel days. A travel day allows you to take as many trains as you need to get from A to B. So if you choose the most popular pass, 7 days in a month, you can travel to 7 different places on the day you specify.
4. Choose your destinations
The fun part of the planning process is choosing where to visit. There are the obvious big European cities to choose from, but also a host of hidden gems accessible by train. Think about what you want to do while traveling and choose your destinations accordingly.
When you choose your destinations, the Interrail Planner The website is amazing at ensuring your route makes sense and also provides the timing of your individual train journeys.
5. Look at the accommodation
Once you know where you will be visiting, you can start booking hostels. If you book in advance, you can take advantage of some great deals. Hostelworld is a really great website to find the cheapest hostels. If you feel like it, you can splash out on one Airbnb as a treat to one of your destinations, as prices can be similar to a hostel price when you split the price between your group.
The best part about hostels is the social element. It’s very easy to strike up conversations with young travelers in hostels, so use this to your advantage. Pub crawls organized by your hostel are a great way to meet other people and find things to do in your city.
Hostels are also a great option as they usually have kitchens, so you can save money by not eating out and instead cooking basic food bought from a local supermarket. Much cheaper.
6. Create a budget
Once you’ve created a plan for your trip, you can tackle the somewhat daunting task of adding up how much it will all cost. You can use the Interrail Planner website’s trip cost estimate feature to give you an idea of how much you’ll spend in total. Another trick is to look up the average daily expenditure in each city you are going to visit; this makes your budget estimate more accurate.
7. Make a list of things to do in each destination
Do some research online and talk to people you know who have visited before and get an idea of things to do while visiting. Interrailing is a very popular holiday option, so talking to other people who have been before is a great way to find different and exciting things to do in the cities of your choice.
8. Pack efficiently
A good bag for interrailing is a bag suitable for outdoor walking between 30-60L. Make sure it weighs less than 20kg and is of high quality; your back will thank you later.
Some key things to bring with you are a padlock, shower shoes, a sports towel and a neck pillow. These items will make your life much easier. Trust me.
9. Keep calm and behave
The most important advice you can receive before embarking on an interrailing adventure is to stay calm and be confident. For some, the thought of traveling around Europe and using foreign public transport is daunting. Is. This is so normal and so understandable. But, you’re more than capable of taking yours wherever you go. Take the time to understand the rules and culture of the destination.
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