January 2017 marks twelve months since I jetted off across the Atlantic for a short New York city break and six months since I set off on an incredible solo Interrail adventure of a lifetime, so naturally, I'm feeling all kinds of nostalgia and wanderlust and just plain sadness that I'm currently a bit stuck in the dreary routine of university, work, cold weather and dark evenings. Despite how much time has now passed since I arrived back at home, I still have so much left to say about what proved itself to be such a valuable and enriching experience out in Europe over summer.
I present you with a basic list of reasons why you ABSOLUTELY should take the plunge and book yourself an Interrail ticket straight away. This is a blog post for anyone who is tempted to fill their summer with long train journeys and new places but just needs an extra push, or for anyone who would NEVER DREAM of setting off with just one bag of belongings and no fixed abode for such a long period of time - because there's absolutely no reason why you can't do it too. Let's get stuck in...
You'll be out of your comfort zone the entire time
I never truly knew how much I was capable of until I went interrailing and I can't even begin to describe how much confidence its given me in my everyday life now. I don't even know what a comfort zone is anymore! I definitely don't live in it these days. It literally did change my life to make such a bold and brave decision, and then to put that decision into action for everyday that I spent abroad. If you're looking to do something totally 'unlike you' or try something new that you've never done before, I just can't recommend this enough as a way to finally push yourself into doing something a bit more daring.
It gives you an incentive to save
I can't think of anything more satisfying than saving up for an Interrail holiday because you're literally saving up for the experience of a lifetime which (in my opinion) beats a package holiday hands down - mainly because it gives you so much more freedom to personalise your experience in every possible way. A great thing about Interrail is the fact that anybody can afford it and you can make it exactly the type of getaway you want based on the type of accommodation you stay in and the type of food you eat - be it mixed communal hostels and packed lunches consisting of supermarket-bought ingredients, or fancy apartments and expensive restaurants. I think I found a comfortable middle ground: my hostels cost on average about €12 per night but they were all very safe and clean and I cut down the cost of food by utilising the hostel's all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets where possible (and sneaking out a sandwich for lunch too) as well as packing plenty of cereal bars to snack on throughout the month.
Without sounding cliché, you'll learn a lot about yourself
I learnt that I can cope really well in quite bizarre situations and even when faced with challenging language barriers, I can muddle through alright. I spent 75% of my time completely lost but I'd estimate that I was only ever genuinely concerned about it maybe 2% of the time. I also learnt, reeeaally surprisingly, that I love being active and walking non-stop. I know right, crazy. I always knew that I would love travelling. It had held my attention for so many years and it still does today. Actually doing it for real just reaffirmed it all for me. It's given my life another layer of purpose and meaning that I'd probably be quite lost without, ironically.
You'll make friends all over the world
I snapchat girls from the Netherlands and I keep up with others from Taiwan on Instagram. I went to a bar in Prague with some girls from Iceland and spent a day at the beach with another group in Barcelona. In just a few short weeks, I met people from different parts of Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, South Africa and so much more. I even had a brief argument with one Spanish girl who WRONGLY accused me (quite aggressively) of moving her things - haha! One of the many benefits of interrailing alone is definitely how much more approachable it makes you to other solo travellers or small groups. OBVIOUSLY safety comes first so I was always cautious and never 100% trusting of anyone - but I still find it cool that I had so many conversations with countless different people from all over the world.
Getting there is half the fun
I visited nine cities over the course of the month but I also saw so many hours of gorgeous countryside and European towns across the continent from my train carriages! My train from Berlin to Prague followed alongside the most beautiful Bavarian-style village nestled by a river in between mountains and it was just so lovely. I spent a maximum of four days in every city I visited and during that time I did and saw everything I possibly could, but the few hours that I spent watching the world go by during the train journeys was the most welcome respite both mentally and physically.
It gives you a powerful voice
I looked to the internet to provide me with other people's accounts of their experiences, so it excites me that I could be a contributing factor behind someone else's travel inspiration. The Interrail website itself provides an absolute wealth of information about train times and tickets, routes, packing essentials, insurance etc. etc. etc. and this is the first place I'd direct anybody to as they start to put their plans together. Getting to hear personally about other people's trips does make your own plans feel all the more real, however, and it's always useful to get an insider's view about hidden gems and cheap eats!
