I traveled solo around Europe for two months: my crazy Interrail journey

Posted on by Stefano Cammisa

This is the story of the greatest adventure of my life. I spent two months traveling incessantly around Europe with an Interrail global pass that gave me almost unlimited access to most trains in the continent outside of Italy. That’s because an Interail ticket allows you to board any train you want just by saving the journey on the app and showing the QR code to the ticket inspector if asked. However, some high-speed and long distance lines require a paid seat reservation, usually for a very small price. Also, the pass is only valid outside of your own country, you are only allowed to make a journey across the border to exit and another one to re-enter. The Interrail ticket also includes discounts on some bus and ferry lines, and a range of other benefits.

Before starting the story of this journey, you need to know a few things about me. I live in Rovigo, Italy, so that is where the trip started and ended. It’s a small town, not far from various much more famous places like Venice, Verona, and Bologna. There are a few landmarks worth a visit like the two pending towers of the old castle and the beautifully decorated church known as La Rotonda, but to me it always felt too tiny and boring, and I wanted to get out and far away, especially after two years of being basically stuck there during the pandemic.

Also, I have always been fascinated, if not obsessed, with maps and geography. I always wanted to travel and explore the world, but my opportunities to do so have been limited in the past and even more so in the past few years. When I was finally able to travel again I took the impulsive, but very rewarding, decision to accept a job in a hostel in Greece, under the shadow of the impressive mountains of Meteora and its breathtaking monasteries. It was just for a couple of months but, while I was there, I met some unforgettable people and, by total chance, I found out that the Interrail ticket was discounted by fifty percent just for a few days. At that point, doing an Interrail trip had been in my mind for years, and I even tried planning out several itinerary ideas, but this time it could all become a reality. It was a chance I could not miss, so I bought a global ticket lasting two months. The adventure was about to begin.

I wrote the entire story of this trip in part during the travel itself, and mostly in November 2022, just after coming back home. Even though a few things have changed since then, I didn’t edit it much in order to capture my feelings and thoughts during and immediately after the trip.

Since it’s a very long story, I divided it into four phases and fifteen chapters. I will publish one chapter every week.

Phase 1: The North

Phase 2: The East

Phase 3: The West

Phase 4: The South

Category: Travel