Flight free rail holidays

When the UK’s Rail Delivery Group announced that it was pulling out of the legendary Interrail scheme in August 2019, the uproar was loud enough to be heard even among the generally furious tenor of the ongoing Brexit saga (the decision, apparently, was unrelated to Brexit itself but the timing lent itself to scepticism). So controversial was the move, that just one day later it was reversed so that inbound train passengers on the Eurostar – whether European or not – could continue their journeys beyond London without being put off by the often eye-watering ticket costs of train travel in the UK.

And so while the Brexit process to date makes lifeboat management on the Titanic look slick and professional, the UK has at least managed to preserve one of the great benefits of a harmonic relationship in Europe.

The Interrail scheme was launched in the early 1970s, allowing young Europeans limitless travel around the continent for a month, with adult passes were introduced in the late 1990s. The Eurail scheme is pretty much the same thing, but for non-Europeans.

Interrailing became a new Grand Tour, a rite of passage for generations of young people, enabling them to enjoy cultural exchange, foster friendships that would endure for their whole lives, and consume staggering quantities of alcohol from Helsinki to Naples. In 1991, 29 European countries took part and 400,000 passes were sold. But by 2005, that had slumped to just 100,000.

The reason: the European Union began deregulating its airspace in the mid-1990s. A proliferation of new destinations appeared, served by a swathe of budget airlines and small airports, and suddenly it no longer seemed so glamourous to travel Europe by train when the journey could be made cheaply and in a fraction of the time by plane.

“While our group tours are mainly aimed at people aged 18-35, we get a big mix for our self guided trips, including families who want to do something a bit different,” says Lauren. “Our most popular trip is one we call the Whole Hog. It’s a bucket-list four weeks seeing as much as possible and great for anyone not wanting to travel alone.”

If you’re new to travelling around Europe by rail, then even with an Interrail pass in your pocket it can seem a daunting prospect to get further than Paris. Potentially, you’ve got to juggle the language and timetables in several different countries. That’s why there is a clear advantage in using responsible tour operators such as Euroventure that can put together practically everything for you step by step, allowing you to build up your confidence and capability.

Plus, if you’re interested in a more environmentally friendly way of travelling, going by rail allows you to substantially cut your carbon footprint while still covering a lot of ground in a short space of time.