Interrail passes are a great way to travel around Europe by train for an affordable price. When buying a pass, you can select how long you want to travel for and how many trips you want to take and choose your ticket accordingly. On the surface, this is the cheapest way to explore an array of cities as a student. However there are a number of hidden costs to interrailing.
If you are planning on travelling mostly in cheaper areas such as in Eastern Europe, you may save money by passing on the interrail pass and simply buying individual train tickets between cities. Below I break down six hidden costs to consider before purchasing an interrail pass.
1. Seat and bed reservations
Although your interrail pass will cover your train ticket for your journeys, for fast regional trains and sleeper trains you have to pay an extra fee to reserve a seat or couchette bed. Reservations often cannot be bought online and cost more at the train station than the price listed on the interrail website.
2. Buses, Eurostar and other transport
The rail connections between some European cities such as Belgrade and Sofia are poor. Therefore you may need to take the bus, which is not covered by interrail for some journeys. Though bus prices in Eastern Europe are generally cheap, these costs quickly stack up. Buses trams and taxis around each city will also of course cost extra. To use the Eurostar and access mainland Europe from the UK, interrail also requires you to pay an additional fee of around £30 on top of your pass. Alternatively you can fly to and from mainland Europe.
3. City tax and cheap hostels
Most city hostels charge a city tax on top of their listed bed price. Though if you are happy to live without luxury, choosing the cheapest available hostels is usually an effective money saving strategy, sometimes you may incur extra costs if the hostel feels unsafe and you need to move to another one, especially if you are travelling solo.
4. Cancelled trains
Trains abroad, as in the UK, are not always reliable. If a night train is cancelled last minute you may need to buy extra nights In your hostel. If you book your hostels ahead of time this could mean paying for two hostels for one night.
5. Currency
The pound is particularly weak at the moment, therefore when converting currency you will lose a lot of money. Be wary of ATMs which charge fees and remember that your bank will charge a small tax on each transaction made abroad. Through revolut or a travel bank card you can avoid some of this cost.
6. Pass
Interrail passes can save you a lot of money and make for a less stressful journey across Europe. However do not buy your pass for full price. Throughout the year interrail typically put on an array of offers and discounts. This year I managed to buy my pass in a 50% off sale. Beware that a 1 month Interrail pass will only actually cover you for 29 days.