So, if you've stumbled across this post, then chances are you're planning an Interrail trip. Interrailing is an incredible experience that everyone should try at least once in their life. If it's your first time (check out my beginner's guide here) then I'm sure you'll want to plan the perfect trip and here's how...

1. Work out Your Budget

One of the most important things to consider before travelling is your budget. You'll need to make sure you have enough money to cover the entirety of your trip, plus a little extra in case things go wrong. This needs to include things like food, excursions, train reservations, accommodation and any additional travel not included in the pass. This is so important as your budget will affect what excursions you do, how long you travel for and where you stay.

2. Decide who you're travelling with

Most people choose to travel with friends/family; however, I chose to travel solo, which I can't recommend enough, especially if you want to develop as a person on your travels. The main benefit of travelling solo is that you can choose to do whatever you want when you want, without being limited by other people. You're also more approachable, so are more likely to make new friends. Solo travel is not for everyone but if you travel with friends I'd recommend only going in a small group as this makes reserving trains and accommodation easier.

Travelling solo isn't so bad when you've got views like this to keep you company!

3. Choose when you're going and how long for

Now that you know who you're going with, you need to decide when you're going and how long for. This will help you to decide on which Interrail pass to purchase. In order to purchase a pass, you'll need to state your departure date, so make sure you've agreed on a specific date to start your travels. It's also important to consider the time of year you want to travel as this may affect which countries you visit.

Passes vary from Global Passes (allowing you to travel within multiple countries) to One-Country Passes (only allow you to travel within a single country). These also vary in duration with varying numbers of travel days available depending on the pass. You can learn more about that here. In general, most people choose the Global Pass for up to 1 month of travel but obviously it's up to you and depends on how much time you have. I had the 7 days in 1 month pass but only travelled for 3 weeks.

Another thing to consider is whether you need an Interrail pass or Eurail pass. Both passes provide the same service; however, Interrail passes are for European citizens, whereas Eurail passes are for non-Europeans. This is important as your ticket may be invalid if you purchase the wrong one!

4. Choose Which countries You Want to Visit

This point links to the previous one as now you need to decide which country/countries you want to go to. This will also help you decide whether to purchase a Global Pass or One-Country Pass. For me, I knew I wanted to visit as many countries as possible during my 3 weeks Interrailing. Initially, I looked at the Interrail website to see which destinations looked the most interesting and based my choices on what I'd heard from other people and researched online.

The Island of Procida near Naples, Italy (the island is not covered by Interrail but Naples is)

Five things worth considering are:

(1) What are the rail networks like in each country? Despite participating in the Interrail scheme, some countries have poor rail networks, especially in eastern European countries, such as North Macedonia and Croatia. Therefore, you may want to check if buses are covered in the scheme or if you're willing to pay to visit these countries at your own expense.

(2) If you're on a tight budget, this may affect which countries you choose to visit. Countries, such as Switzerland, are known to be expensive, so may be best avoided if you're on a tight budget. When I was in Switzerland, accommodation was twice as expensive as everywhere else I stayed in Europe.

(3) Make sure these countries are participating in the Interrail scheme. Only 33 of Europe's 44 countries are involved in the scheme.

(4) Decide where you're starting from. The Global Pass only covers one inbound and one outbound from your home country, whereas the One-Country Pass only allows travel within your chosen country and not to/from it. Therefore, you may want to plan your route around your home country if you want to travel from it. Alternatively, I chose to fly to Poland and start there (rather than the UK) and that way I saved myself two travel days on my pass and it allowed me to visit more countries.

(5) Consider visiting a less well-known country. I think travellers often get sucked up in visiting the most popular destinations but some beautiful countries are often overlooked. For my trip I chose to visit Slovenia, which is still a fairly underrated destination, despite it gaining traction in the last few years. It was less crowded than the other countries I'd visited and so beautiful! It was definitely the highlight of my trip! If I were to Interrail again, I'd love to visit some other less well-known countries, such as Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

5. Plan Your Route

Now you've decided which countries you want to go to, you need to plan your route. I did this by looking at the Interrail map provided with the pass and looking at the different train routes available to various cities I wanted to go to. It's best to plan a route where you stop in neighbouring countries to avoid very long and exhausting travel days. This may also help you narrow down the list of countries you wish to visit.

The Interrail website also helped as this provides a brief guide for each country with recommended places to visit in each. Research is key for this. You'll need to consider things such as how to get to each place, train times, any train changes, whether trains need reservations and whether this falls inside your budget.

Part of my Interrail route through Italy

6. Plan an Itinerary

Once you've decided which specific cities you want to stop off at, then you'll need to plan an itinerary. This doesn't have to be super detailed but should include the dates for which you plan to travel, the trains you plan to take (see #7) and where you hope to stay (see #8). I planned my route in Excel and also included a column for a rough estimate of the cost for each day (the more detailed your itinerary, the more accurate this value will be), which allowed me to estimate how much my trip would cost in total.

I'd also recommend jotting down a few places you'd like to visit whilst in each city, so you have some things to do and don't forget them by the time you travel. Make sure to check these with your budget, especially if you want to do some more expensive activities - I set a aside enough money to go skydiving in Switzerland.

I'd also recommend setting aside rest days, where you don't spend the whole day exploring because travel fatigue is a thing! As fun as it was, I explored so much in the first two weeks of my trip that I felt so exhausted by the end of it. If I'd taken a couple of rest days, I would have felt more rejuvenated by the end!

The itinerary itself is just a useful way for you to keep track of your travels but it's not for everyone. Some people love travelling spontaneously without a plan. However, I personally found I preferred having a more structured travel plan even if I changed my plans on the day.

7. Book Any Trains

In general only overnight and high-speed trains require reservations but some countries, such as Italy, require all trains to be reserved at your own expense. Make sure to check this beforehand. I recommend downloading Interrail's Rail Planner App to find out train times, any changes and whether they need a reservation or not. This app saved me multiple times when I had a last minute change of plans or when a connecting train was delayed. Find out more about reserving trains here.

Salzburg, Austria

8. Book Accommodation

I highly recommend booking accommodation in advance, especially if you travelling during peak times (July-August). Chances are accommodation will still be available but it may not be ideal. It's also best to book cancellable and refundable accommodation (even if it costs a little extra) in case you make a last minute change of plans. I stayed in hostels for the duration of my trip and surprisingly enjoyed it. I made sure all my accommodation was cancellable and refundable as I was so indecisive about my route and changed my plans a week before travelling. Booking.Com, AirBnB and HostelWorld are probably your best bets for cheap accommodation.

9. Check All of This with your budget

As with #1, make sure everything fits comfortably within your budget! Chances are you'll spend more than you realise.

10. Don't be afraid to replan

As the heading says don't be afraid to replan your route! I replanned my trip at least 5 times as I couldn't decide which countries I wanted to go to. As a result, I ended up booking my train reservations and some accommodation only a couple of weeks before I set off. However, it was worth it and I loved it!

My Interrail route, journal and pass

11. Make sure you understand the Interrail rules

Before you set off you'll need to make sure you understand Interrail's rules. They're quite strict about it and if you do something wrong your pass could become invalid or you could be fined, but don't let this put you off! Find out more about the Interrail rules here.

12. Have fun!

As with any trip, the most important thing is to have fun! Ultimately, it's not just the countries you visit that will make it special, it's the people you meet and the new memories you collect along the way.

Skydiving in Interlaken, Switzerland (photo by Skydive Switzerland)

Next time... Interrail Packing Guide

[All photos and opinions are my own unless stated otherwise. All links are non-affiliated.]