A great way to find adventure on a budget is to go interrailing across Europe. Interrailing allows you to see many countries in one trip, travelling from country to country via train – with just one ticket! If you plan your trip beforehand and take note of our following hints and tips, you will be sure to have the time of your life whilst ticking many countries off your bucket list.
Try Not to Pack Too Much
When preparing for a month away it can be easy to overpack and fill your backpack full of everything you can imagine you might need. However, you will be lugging that backpack everywhere with you, on and off trains and around cities, so you don’t want it to weigh a ton. Remember that if you really need something or you forgot to pack one of your essentials that it will be likely that you can buy it in one of the many cities you are visiting.
Keep Your Belongings Secure
Whether you’re staying in shared rooms in hostels or sleeping on night trains, you will want to make sure that your bags and belongings are properly secured. Look for padlocks which will reliably secure your backpack, try not to carry much cash on your person and be discreet with your valuables.
Take Public Transport When You Can
It can be tempting to just quickly jump in a taxi for convenience or to use Uber to get from one location to another quickly; however tempting this can be, the cost of taxis can quickly eat into your budget and make it harder to do all the things you’d like to do as you travel from country to country.
Make Friends Wherever Possible
Travelling from country to country can be an amazing, albeit lonely, experience – especially if you are travelling alone. Push yourself out your comfort zone and strike up conversations with like-minded travellers and locals where possible. Meeting people from all over the world will not only make your trip that much more interesting but will also potentially open you up to experiences you might otherwise not have had.
Attempt the Language
Before you arrive at your next destination, why not attempt to learn a few key phrases? Not only will knowing phrases like ‘Can you speak English?’ prove helpful, speaking to locals can help you feel more immersed in the culture. You might also find that you have a way with languages and be encouraged to properly learn one when you get home.
Take Advantage of the Cloud
Using cloud storage can be a great way to store your travel documents, photos and videos from your trip, meaning that if you lose your devices you will still be able to access them. Another great advantage of the cloud is that you can share your photos and videos easily with family and friends, allowing them to be able to access them from anywhere in the world. There have been concerns raised around the security of the cloud in recent years, with individuals worried about who might be able to access their personal documents and photos.
However, with large companies like Microsoft and Apple investing large sums of money into their cloud security, the infrastructure has been safer than ever. Recently, Andre Pienaar, the owner of C5 Capital – a cloud investment company – said in a panel interview, “…when we started investing in cloud-based companies at C5 many people saw the cloud as a blocker for cybersecurity. Now we say that the cloud is part of the solution.”
