If Only I Had Known...Tips for a Good Trip with Railpasses

In my judgement, people under the age of 26 benefit more from (consecutive day) Eurailpasses than from flexipasses of any kind. That judgement is based on meeting 60,000 travelers a year in the Munich office of EurAide. Young people on 2nd class railpasses should feel free to board any train at any time and not worry about the number of "travel days" they still have. If you elect a Europass, look at your travel plans and ALWAYS buy an extra "travel day" in case something unexpected occurs. After the ticket is issued, it is not possible to add on extra "travel days".

Regardless of your age, formal travel attire is not required for train trips through Europe. Look at all the things you hope to bring and leave at least half of it at home! If you need a luggage rack, you will probably not enjoy the freedom and benefits of train travel. You will do best if you can limit yourself (and each person that might accompany you) to one, moderate-size piece of luggage, whether it be a mid-size backpack, "wheelie" case (note: these don't do well on cobblestones) or a softsides carry-on that converts with a shoulder strap for ease of carrying. Just remember that "you" will be carrying this piece of luggage...so think about how much "you" want to carry.

The railpass is like cash; if you lose it, it's gone! Keep it and other valuable documents (passport, traveler cheques, credit cards) in a money belt under a layer of clothing on your person whenever they are not needed by officials.

In general, insurance for lost or stolen railpasses will help you recover some of your money at a later date, but you will initially have to buy another railpass (or individual tickets) to complete your journey and then return home to process the claim. Insurance programs for railpasses cover the lost value of the missing railpass, but not the additional costs you incur due to the loss. At EurAide, we strongly recommend money-belts (and do not recommend the insurance products).

After arriving in Europe, the most important procedure with a railpass is its initial validation (before you start using it) at a train station.

It doesn't happen often, but conductors do apprehend travelers who attempt to travel on forged (or manipulated) railpasses. In the German language, it is a called Betrug (English = fraud) and a very serious matter, indeed. In our Munich office, the greatest source of sadness is the occasional need for the German Railroad (or the railway police) to ask for our assistance in explaining to a young man (or woman) why he is going to sit in jail because of this problem. Please do not tempt fate!