Interailing: Survival Tips

Interrailing. The perfect student experience. Total freedom on the cheap, amazing places and really cool people - who could ask for more? sUK member jane_01 is a 'veteran' and spent four weeks spent railing round Italy, France and Slovenia this summer. Here's here handy guide to doing it right.

"What I wish I'd known before I started travelling..."



Travel light

Chuck out the teddy bear, the hair straighteners and that stash of make-up large enough to do up a drag queen for a year - you have to carry it all. There is no other time it will seem so heavy as when you have to drag yourself out of bed at some ungodly hour in order to catch a train. Specifically, if (as in my case) it's July in Southern Europe, ditch the sleeping bag in favour of a sheet; it takes up loads of space and you don't need it. Do take flip flops however; they take up hardly any space, and most hostel bathroom floors are minging.

Make friends with the locals

You'll strike up so many conversations; on trains, in youth hostels, pretty much anywhere, and, particularly in mediterranean countries, the people are some of the friendliest and most welcoming you'll ever come across. However, it pays to be cautious, particularly if you're female. Beware of guys you meet who use their 'religion' as a reason why you should accept their offer of a lift home...at two am.

Plan ahead

The first night we were away, Kate and I arrived in Paris at 6:30 pm (in high season) with nowhere to stay, which I wouldn't recommend. In fact, we didn't book anywhere in advance, which meant moving around a lot and getting up very early. If you're dead set on being spontaneous, it can be done, but be prepared to pay more, and panic a lot, in a "we're doomed!/gonna be sleeping on the streets" way.

Otherwise use a credit card and book over the internet before you go, or as far in advance as you can. With regard to trains, get the Thomas Cook train timetable; it'll prevent you having to get up three hours before the train leaves in order that you don't miss it.

Occupy your mind

Take something to do during the inevitable periods of waiting around for trains and the like. In the 2000 km or so that Kate and I travelled by train I got through more books than I do normally (not difficult). If that's your sort of thing, know that most European cities have at least one English language bookshop. Alternatively, do embroidery/crossword puzzles/write a novel - whatever takes your fancy, and emerge a more cultured individual at the end of it.

Budget for food

And take vitamin pills. Seriously, we hardly ate at all in the first week because we were overspending by so much on accommodation. Make sure you can afford to do so. Also, some hostels have kitchens, which makes it a bit cheaper - buy raw ingredients and transform into something tasty to impress your newly made hostel friends. Also on the subject of food, take your phrasebook to restaurants so you know what you've ordered - I won't forget soon the time in a Slovenian bar when one of our group ordered what they thought was a cocktail. Unfortunately, when it came, it wasn't even any sort of drink. It was a ham sandwich.

Be open to new experiences

Sounds cheesy, but the unpredictability is half the fun. Case in point; the Belgian guy who approached us outside the Louvre avec camera crew and asked us to play a part in his indie film project, by swearing at him and being generally abusive as he (on camera) pretended to chat us up. Moments like these, along with the people you meet, are what make it so memorable. It really won't be the buildings that form the basis of most of your anecdotes, however beautiful they are. On that note, the only problem with interrailing is exactly how addictive it is – much to the delight of my bank manager, I'm already making plans for next summer...