Wondering how to interrail solo? Solo traveling can be intimidating. However, it can also be the experience of a lifetime. As a solo traveler myself, I’ve had the opportunity to experience this style of traveling multiple times before. And I can say confidently that it is absolutely worth it. One of the best ways to solo travel has to be interrailing. Train travel is an amazing way to truly be spontaneous and discover places at your own pace. In this article, you will get all the info you need to interrail on your own.
Why you should interrail solo without a plan in mind
Solo traveler on the road
Yes, you read that right. One of the best ways to use your interrail pass is to head out into the world without having planned an itinerary. To explore the world without the limitation of your own expectations is truly amazing. Of course, you can plan on visiting specific locations during your trip. But deciding to travel a carefully planned route will very likely end up being limiting. Especially since you will have to pass on opportunities to spontaneously join other travelers during your trip, or follow a recommendation that someone told you about, all because you already have bookings in a different place.
Beyond this, the feeling of being completely alone and without any idea of where to go can be an amazing experience that will teach you so much more about travel, life, and people than any precisely planned journey ever could. And if you are not confident to socialize with strangers it will help you step out of your comfort zone, and expand it in an amazing way.
But how do you interrail solo in this way?
How to be Spontaneous when you interrail solo?
Busy train station
When traveling we often tend to get very worried about what to pack, where to go, how to get to our destination, and such. When talking about interrailing specifically the best option to remove some of these worries while remaining spontaneous is to get a travel pass with unlimited travel days for a specific time frame. This type of pass will allow you to just take any train you want to, whenever you want to. This gives you the ability to just explore without having to plan. The next step would be to book accommodations while you are on your way to your destination. The best way to do this is through hostels as this will likely be one of the few affordable solutions to travel this way.
Being flexible and not having any expectations can certainly help too. This way you will be more likely to experience all kinds of adventures. To be flexible you should be open to diverting from the path or plan you are making for yourself. Having no Itinerary opens you up to a different type of travel, and lets you truly experience the world for what it is. It is about moving away from that typical tourist theme park experience and truly diving into the culture of a place.
Meeting people when you interrail solo
Two travelers enjoying a drink!
Solo traveling does not refer to always being alone. In fact, during a solo trip, you will very likely meet, many different people. The only thing that solo traveling describes is the act of going on a journey on your own, you will still meet and maybe even travel with newfound friends for a few days or even weeks. However, at the end of the day, you are not bound to any type of group, it is absolute freedom. But how do you make these experiences happen when you have no idea how to, well just like with everything else, socializing requires practice. Keep on reading to find out more.
How to start conversations with people when you interrail solo?
Travelers hanging out
Having mentioned all of this you may not be used to just approaching strangers or hanging out with them. And for this the best thing to tell you is this quote: “A stranger is just a friend you have not met yet”. Being comfortable around new people can open you to so many different experiences. However, being curious is going to be your biggest friend. Curiosity causes engaging conversations and helps others feel comfortable with you, giving you a better chance to have a more open conversation. A smile also carries a long way. Of course, this should not be a fake smile but rather a smile coming from genuine excitement to learn about others. Realizing that most other people are looking for human connection too, is super comforting.
Where to meet people when you interrail solo?
People having fun at a lake
When Interrailing the most obvious place to meet people is the train. Other places include hostels, bars, activities, and such. Traveling by train will mean you will encounter many other travelers on your way. However, the easiest way to make new friends while traveling is still undoubtedly hostels, and more specifically hostel dorms. These places are usually filled with other solo travelers eager to meet new people, and it can be an amazing experience to have a night out with your entire dorm of people that you met that day. To meet locals it is best to go to cafes restaurants and bars, or just talk to people openly on the street.
What about the money?
When interrailing solo without a plan there is one thing that is super important, and that is budgeting. To interrail solo, and without a plan, can be financially more taxing than planning your whole trip. Therefore it is more important than otherwise to set yourself a budget. here are the main expenses you should keep an eye on
Hot tip: We already have two articles about budgeting on our blog, you can read them through these links: “how to budget your interrail trip” and “how to travel Europe on a budget”
1. Travel expenses when you Interrail solo
Train crossing a bridge
When getting from A to B with the interrail pass you will often still have smaller expenses on top of your pass, these include public transport, like the metro or buses, mandatory seat reservations on some trains, and more. When you interrail solo, you can set yourself a daily budget of how much you are willing to pay for extra travel expenses,
Hot tip: EFH offers discounts to people who choose to interrail, we do this with the help of our project the ECO-Wanderer, find out more by following this link: “ECO-WANDERER”.
2. Accommodations when you interrail solo
Hostel socializing area
Since you are likely gonna book your accommodations on short notice you can decide on an upper spending limit you are comfortable with. This will help ensure that you do not lose track of how much money you can spend. A small tip here is to book hostel dorms, as these will likely cost the least and let you meet a lot of new people.
Hot tip: Book your stay directly with us or other hostels instead of online travel agencies, these agencies charge you a booking fee, and will likely mean higher costs for you. You can book our hostels by following this link: “EFH-TRAVEL DESTINATIONS”.
3. Food and drink when you interrail solo
Tip: eat at cheap places or avoid restaurants altogether to save money
Food has to be one of the hidden expenses that truly exceeds expectations of how much you will pay. So a very important tip: set yourself a limit for how much you are gonna spend on food per day. One good way to save money on food expenses is to use apps, such as too good to go. Keep a good eye on your food expenses and also try and cook at your accommodation to save money. An added tip is to limit the number of times you will eat at restaurants.
Hot tip: Many hostels will offer you the ability to have shared meals with other travelers or will offer food-related activities like the hummus-making workshop in our Hostel in Israel: Abraham-Hostel
4. Other expenses
Anything other than the three major expenses (Travel, Accommodation, Food, and Drink) should not take up a high proportion of your budget, these types of expenses typically include going out, activities like visiting museums, and sightseeing. These are the kind of expenses that often are going to happen spontaneously.
Where to stay when you Interrail solo
travelers checking in to a hostel!
Hostels are by far the best place to stay during a solo trip. The affordability and ability to meet new people are so much higher in these kinds of places. Many hostels also offer a wide range of activities for you to do. Staying at a hostel will also confront you with many people of different cultures. At Europe´s Famous Hostels we want to ensure that you stay at a good quality place. For this reason, our employees do quality controls at our member hostels. The association has 39 different member hostels, all eager to welcome you! You can book your stay at a famous hostel through this link!
The Eco-Wanderer Project (save money while interrailing)
The instructions for the Eco-Wanderer Campaign
The eco wanderer is a project is a campaign with which we aim to motivate travelers to travelers to travel more sustainably. The project rewards travel by train over a plane and gives you discounts at Europe´s Famous hostels’ locations. This works by calculating your train travel kilometers into a discount after using interrail to travel. To learn more about the eco wanderer you can follow this link!
The train is not an option for you? Save up to 20% by traveling with FlixBus
We have a great deal for you! FlixBus is one of the most in-demand companies when traveling and is the best possible option combining comfort with wallet-friendly as well as environmentally friendly traveling.
Choosing to go by FlixBus you have the opportunity to participate in the Eco-Wanderer campaign as well and save up to 20% by choosing to travel sustainably and avoiding planes. Try our calculation tool to claim your discount!
And that’s not all… You can get a 10% discount on FlixBus tickets after signing up and 15% off your next rides after completing 3 trips with Eco-Wanderer!
Safe travels and be sure to travel smart! Like this article? Check out our Instagram and TikTok page to see more of these!
