13-07-18

Hello again my fellow wanderlusters,

I’ve had a brilliant break being back home and had some time thinking about what I can now write about for you all. I thought I’d write a blog post that I would have been so grateful for before I started my Interrail trip! I thought I would write about all the tips I would now offer after being through the whole whirlwind adventure! Grab a snack and a cup of tea and enjoy!

1.Go to the middle of nowhere

Both mine and Ben’s favourite place on our trip was when we were in the middle of nowhere. If you’re interested that place was Bohinj in Slovenia. The trains to the destination are either empty or filled with locals and views out the window are simply breathtaking as you leave the city life for the countryside. Although I do not regret going to the capital cities, many of them contain the greatest highlights of my trip, as neither of us had visited the majority of them. It was the lesser populated destinations that really showed you the true culture for the country and how Europe has such incredible hidden gems that many of us do not know about. When we visited Plitvice National Park for the first time, the views were uncanny to those I have seen in Thailand. When we visited Bohinj, we were the only tourists cycling through a valley of mountains past locals whom were tending to their pet cows in their gardens. Utterly insane.

2.Pack light

This tip is so vital when you are packing your backpack up again every few days and having to put it back on in those early hours of the morning to catch your next train. You can get anything you don’t need while you’re out there. I smashed my phone screen on Day 1 of the trip and got it fixed the next hour at the Apple Store in the Louvre Museum – anything is do-able. To help give you some context, I packed 2 dresses, 3 t-shirts, 3 vests, 2 jeans and 3 shorts. This was plenty and enough to not feel like I was wearing the same clothes everyday. I’ll hopefully be doing a blog post on the backpack I used and tips on how to pack efficiently so look out for that!

3.Comfort clothes

If you’re like me then you still want to look stylish while travelling which doesn’t seem easy when it comes to comfort. However, it is super do-able! First of all, I’d suggest either picking brightly coloured or patterned tops or bottoms. I went for bottoms and then packed a lot of plain tops knowing for well that everything I packed went together. The second part of this tip is TRY EVERYTHING ON BEFOREHAND. The end of that sentence makes me look really pushy haha – but its soooo true! I did do this before I left but only in front of my mirror, I didn’t wear them out and walk around to test comfort. Consequently, there was one pair of shorts that were silk (I thought they’d be super comfy) however it was the total opposite. They would ride up whenever I walked so kept having to pull them down. I think Amsterdam was the last stop I wore them on because of how annoying it was and that was stop 3 out of 19!

4.Eat away from tourist spots

If you’re an absolute foodie like Ben and I then this tip is essential for finding the best possible meal experiences. Of course there will be times when you’re in the heart of a famous landmark and you’re hot and hungry so you will have to pay a tourist price and not as great quality. Therefore, when you can decide where you want to eat, supposedly for dinner, then eat as far away from busy areas and the tourist hot spots as you can. The further you get the more homemade and better quality the food becomes. For example, in Rome all of the hot spots are on the East side of the river so we would always head over the river for dinner and the food was amazing and restaurants were full of locals

5.Be careful with foreign exchange booths

This is a tricky one because although you want to pick the best money exchange shop with the least commission, at the same time, you need some cash in hand of the new currency you’re in. The best way to get around this is to ask each exchange how much commission they charge as this is where the poor deals are made. If you can’t find any that give a fair deal then there is always ATMs dotted about the cities where the commission isn’t as bad and gets you your cash instantly.

6.Always check the train board

This is a great tip if you’re on an early train so maybe not as alert from your ridiculous alarm that morning. It only happened once or twice for us on our trip but when trains are delayed, either yours or others in the station, it is possible for you train to change platforms and they don’t always make announcements for them. Make sure you always keep your eye on the board above each platform to double check you’re getting on the right train. Trains also tend to arrive at platforms sometimes 20 minutes before the departure time, even if your station isn’t its beginning station, so always be alert for your train.

7.Book accommodation in advance

I know this sounds as though it takes the spontaneity out of the trip but you have to book your train reservations anyway with Interrail therefore you should take full advantage of this and get your hotels booked before you leave for your trip. We booked all of our accommodation through trivago, making sure we got all the best deals. We managed to spend on average £40 a night which for two people is not bad going at all for Europe.

8.Talk to the locals

Similar to tip #4, the locals will tell you all the hot spots of wherever you are staying. From must dos of the city to the quirky places tourist books do not know about. A lot of time, locals want to brag about their city and talk about it with such love so they will always be happy to help you whether you need directions or help at the underground stations. It’s a great way to get to know the area – get to know the locals.

9.Walk everywhere

Of course this is great for fitness, especially when you are walking all day everyday for over 6 weeks! More importantly, its the best way to see your destinations. It never felt boring constantly walking because you’re in a place you’ve never visited before so everything is new and exciting. We walked an hour in Budapest to see the hot baths and it felt like a 15 minute walk. Time just flies by whilst you’re out and about and particularly if you are in good company there is always lots to talk about.

10.Don’t worry about the train journeys

This was something I definitely threat about before we left as a lot of our trains were 3-4 hours+. Our longest train journey was 6 1/2 hours from Budapest to Zagreb and then a 2 hour car journey to Plitvice Lakes. I thought I would be so bored and tactically thought I could try and sleep through the journey or read a book or listen to music but I could not have been more wrong. A lot of the times I didn’t want the train journeys to end! They absolutely fly by and I can only assume its because you have so much scenery to gaze at out the window. The train journeys in themselves are a true experience and I was always so excited to get on the next one. Therefore, I advice you to not let daunting long hour trains frighten you before your trip because they are one of the highlights on Interrailing – I mean it says it in the name – Interrailing

And lastly, I’d most crucially like to say:

Enjoy every moment

Make every single moment last. I know it sounds so cliche and even everyone said to me before we left, ‘it will fly by’, but trust me, it really does fly by! Looking back now, I really can’t believe how quickly our trip was over. I think because you’re always on the go to the next place and next train before you know it, you look up and you’re almost home. Make the most of it because it will be one, if not the, best experience of your life and it will stick with you forever.

I hope this helps some of you out as I know it would sure help me before I left for our adventure!

Peace and love,

Yasmin xo