A year of Interrail

In August 2024, my then employer and I parted ways, and I desperately needed some rest and recreation. For various reasons, I was in no particular rush to find a new job. I had been in constant employment for well over two decades, and I was really unsure how to cope with this free time. All I knew is that I wanted to do something in order to mark a new stage in my life, something that would make me feel like I was definitely off the grind.

Inspired by a recent trip by my friend Ash, I decided to buy an Interrail ticket. For those of you who may not be familiar, Interrail is a consortium made up of most of the major European railway networks that provide a single rail pass that is valid on (nearly) any train in (nearly) all the countries of Europe for a fixed price. The only limitation is the time period you use it in, and that you cannot use it in your country of residence.

Interrail is... fun!

There's something sublime about sitting in a train, with a tablet or laptop in front of you, cup of tea alongside it, watching the scenery go by. It's more exciting when you're barreling along at 300kph, through cuttings and tunnels and over viaducts and bridges on a line that has been carved out of the land in order to bring you to your destination quicker.

And it's pretty. That first train I took on that Wednesday morning took me on a stretch of rail between Perpignan and Narbonne that never fails to amaze me, going as it does on a little spit of land that splits some salt flats and marshes. I’ve been through seemingly impassable mountains, alongside broad, meandering rivers, past cerulean lakes, across wind-swept valleys on mighty viaducts that are decades, if not centuries old, and into sunsets that leave scenery, both natural and manmade, seared into your brain.

Interrail is flexible

I cannot overstate how much these tickets lend themselves to random, ever-changing adventures.

That first day, I started tooting that I was heading out to France, and a friend that I hadn't seen in almost a decade reached out to ask if I was going to Paris. I was originally planning on missing it out, as the Olympic Games were on. But it dawned on me that this sort of thing is exactly the sort of serendipity and fun I was up for, as I was not on that fixed a schedule, and I ended up discovering that there were some routes available in and out of Paris that weekend that I could still take, and there was even an affordable hotel room available in Montmartre. So, obviously, I said yes to them.

Things like these have happened several times. I have been randomly whisked on unplanned side trips to Düsseldorf for some time on a tall tower, to Vienna when I was asked to drop things and go to and see a family member, to Strasbourg when some plans had gone awry due to traveller's belly, to a terrible Christmas Market in an obscure dutch town, to Venice on a whim when an Italian friend reached out for a meet-up, to Mulhouse for a day trip to the largest train museum in Europe, and to a quick few-day stop at Luxembourg because I had some days left to burn on my interrail ticket.

And let's not forget the utter craziness that was playing Jet Lag: The Game - Hide and Seek for a four day weekend in Germany. More on that in upcoming posts.

Interrail is addictive

So, I have had the pleasure of a one year sabbatical. In that time, I've had a number of engagements, both professional and personal to fit round travel. But it has not been far from my mind, and I have in fact managed to go through five passes in that time, taking advantage of the occasional sales that have come up, as well as actually incorporating a conference I wanted to go to into my travel schedule.

The app has a number of fun statistics that help you get a scale of what you've done with the pass. Here's a few aggregated ones:

• Countries: 9 🇪🇸🇫🇷🇳🇱🇱🇺🇩🇪🇮🇹🇦🇹🇨🇭🇩🇰
• Kilometres: 22,357
• Trains: 112
• Stations: 89
• Total time in trains (according to timetable): 10 days, 4 hours, 45 mins (or almost 245 hour, or 14,685 mins)

... and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what there is to be seen in Europe.

Interrail can be a lot of money

Of course, this is not a cheap hobby, in my case. Whilst I don't have any concrete numbers, I can say that I spent over half of those travel days in hotels. Some of them were at the abodes of friends, which helped keep down the cost, but it's probably the single largest expenditure I've had this year, except for my mortgage.

When I did this 20-mumble years ago, I stayed in hostels at 12-15€ a night. Now I go to hotels. And I also have not skimped on sights, and food, and the trappings of tourism. I do try to be a little frugal where I can, but I am also of the opinion that a lot of these experiences are once-in-a-lifetime, and should not be marred by underspending if possible.

I am lucky that my circumstances allow me this level of comfort. But I also know of various people around me who have taken on trips like these on a very tight budget. It's definitely possible and worth it.

Interrail is social

Many of these trips have been centred around visits to friends and family. This is partly because it gives me reasons to go to specific places, and take in stops on the way; it helps me structure my Trip Planning (or Travel Tetris, as it's sometimes called).

In this modern age of constant communication and online parasocial relationships, many of us have online friends scattered all over Europe and elsewhere. This is definitely a fun way to meet up with a bunch of them.

In these trips I met up with three friends from my uni days, one of whom I hadn't seen in almost a decade since their wedding, and also a friend from my secondary school. I also met in person (de-virtualised as the Spanish say) several people who I only knew online previously.

Also, there are a lot of people who are into this, and doing this, and I've made several friends through the travelogues I've posted online, some of whom I've met up with on these trips.

I've also had the company of one of my partners and several of my friends on parts of these journeys. And they have been memorable for many reasons. Getting to spend time with them and know them better is precious.

Interrail is definitely coming up

I still have two Interrail tickets unused, ready for me to take up when I can next travel. And I've already got some plans in mind for how to use them.

I've also got plenty left to explore... I've not touched Eastern Europe, which is a significantly different experience, or so I'm told.

One year ago today, I got on a train to Lyon, not knowing where it would ultimately take me. I am so grateful that I did. It's been an amazing experience.

Welcome to Moof.Space - Follow me: I don't know the way, but I'm certainly having fun finding out how to get there.