When you travel Europe with an InterRail pass, it's not the places you see so much as the characters you meet that makes it interesting, writes Cian O'Callaghan
TRAVELLING, FOR ME, is more about the characters you meet and the situations you find yourself in than the number of buildings you can take photos of. The people and fellow travellers you meet are the barometer of a trip's success.
Southeast Asia, India and South America are overrun with visiting and local oddballs. Travelling by InterRail in Europe is a different story, however. Because you're generally in stable countries with similar norms of accepted behaviours as Ireland, the characters really shine.
This I discovered on a month-long InterRail with four friends, which took in Frankfurt (a flatpack financial city and a dull first stop), Prague (a 33rd county of Ireland in the era of budget flying), Budapest, Cracow, Auschwitz, Berlin and Amsterdam.
In our hostel in Prague there was a fellow named Luke, a slightly manic guy suffering from acute verbal diarrhoea. If he saw you brushing your teeth he'd have rattled off four toothbrush-related incidents before you'd spat into the sink. An Aussie with Croat parents, he never stopped harping on about Croatia, and newcomers to the hostel were grilled about whether they were going there or not.
Cracow was a great town - well, city actually, but it retains a small-town feel, providing you with the sights, bars and restaurants of a big city but without the crowds, endless taxi rides and feeling of insignificance.
This was were we met Lance, a small, baby-faced American in his mid-20s. The bars were strict about not serving underagers, so Lance was an alcohol-free zone. He grew a moustache to look older, but to no avail. The final straw was a trip to McDonald's, where the worker jokingly asked him what toy he'd like with his Happy Meal. Lance flipped and threw a punch, but being so small he just glanced the worker's midriff. An afternoon in a police station apologising preceded a taxi to the airport and Lance was off.
Speaking of police, if you ever find yourself half-cut in Budapest, an impromptu early-hour singalong in the streets is not advisable. The police don't mess about here. Until, that is, you tell them you're Irish - then they'll insist on bringing you to another place to carry on with your night's drinking.
You'll also encounter police when crossing international borders on trains. Generally speaking InterRail travellers take the night train (thrifty backpackers saving on a night's accommodation), and it is inadvisable to fall into a deep sleep, as soldiers board the train to inspect passports. It wasn't a very enjoyable experience to wake up looking at a man with a huge moustache and a long coat waving his gun at me. I briefly thought an armed flasher had entered our cabin but quickly remembered all law-enforcement officials in eastern Europe sport massive moustaches and long coats.
The strangest character we met was in Berlin, a hostel manager from Northern Ireland. One night he was drunkenly telling me about all the different types of people he has met over the years and let me in on a little secret. He proudly showed me a drawer full of socks that he'd swiped from guests from 60 countries to keep as souvenirs.
Disturbed but curious, I asked him how these socks were souvenirs, and how he kept track of which country each was from. He told me that he kept a ledger with details of the dates on which he had swiped them, the owners' nationality and a description of the socks. His ambition was to have socks from more than 100 countries. He seemed disappointed he couldn't get the owners to sign the socks for him, maybe even pose for a snap with him, the socks and the ledger.
(Incidentally, the Berlin Wall was a huge disappointment. It proved that if you've seen one wall you've seen them all.)
On a more sombre note, the highlight of the trip was a visit to Auschwitz, which is only a two-hour train trip from Cracow. The sheer size of the place and sense of raw history was an unforgettable experience and should be the first place on any InterRail itinerary.
While it's reassuring to have your mates with you on your trip, making the effort to meet interesting characters and situations will enhance your holiday. From the waffling fibbers to the strange sock-stealers, you will be bemused and baffled but never bored.
DO
Bring your passport when you go to buy your InterRail pass. Treat the pass like cash. No refunds are available on lost, stolen or partially used passes.
Check if you need visas for countries you intend to visit. Photocopy your passport and credit cards and keep them separate from the originals. This saves an enormous amount of hassle in case of loss or theft.
Get travel insurance. Special backpacker cover is available online from Etravelinsure.com for €44.
Avail of free or discounted access to selected ferries, buses and scenic railways with the InterRail pass.
Reserve your train seats in advance. Book your seat as early as possible, particularly if travelling during peak season in July and August. Seats can be booked online up to three months in advance. Remember you may have to pay a supplement to get on one. InterCity and EuroCity trains run at regular speeds with few stops. Direct, InterRegio or Express trains make more frequent stops.
Check in advance if there is food on board the train. If not, bring snacks with you.
Be sure of the train station you want to get to. Large cities will have several stations and trains will not stop at all of them. Take note of your estimated time of arrival and of the names of the stations preceding the one you want to get off at.
Invest in a good Europe-wide guide book, for example one by Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.
Work out a daily budget. Bring some cash, some traveller's cheques and a debit or credit card for emergencies. Divide them up, so they aren't all in the one place.
Try to arrive at a new destination in the morning if you have not booked accommodation in advance. Bring a tent and lightweight sleeping bag too. It gives you much greater flexibility when travelling. Campsites are plentiful and by far the cheapest option.
DON'T
Forget to record your journeys in the ticket cover of your InterRail pass, including city of departure and arrival. Ticket inspectors may ask to see it.
Forget to collect your pass and passport from the night attendant if you're on a night train. They collect them before you go to sleep for late-night border checks so as not to disturb you.
Take too much. You will be lugging your rucksack around Europe for several weeks.
Lug your gear around cities. Most stations have locker facilities you can stow them in.
Think money belts are naff. They are essential.
Bring a cable lock to secure your backpack to the luggage rack while you sleep. Lose track of time if you are out on the town. Many European hostels impose curfews, typically at midnight, and it's very easy to be caught out.
Forget to always write down the name and address of your hotel, hostel or campsite when you go out at night . . . just in case.
Forget to check international dialling codes for your online banking service back home. Ask your bank to give you the number to call from when overseas, as it is likely to be different to the one used domestically.