Interrail Planner

Interrrailing. A strange muddle of a word, but it’s one which has become very familiar to myself and I imagine countless others over the last few years. As the name suggests, Interrailing is the act of travelling between countries using the native railway networks. While it could apply to any set of countries, the word itself has become synonymous with Europe and more importantly, the Interrail Pass.

The Interrail pass is a combined rail ticket of sorts, allowing you to jump on European trains without worrying about foreign ticket offices. However, the planning that goes into it can cause nightmares, especially when sorting the route – you can end up in a whirlwind of confusion if you’re not careful. So when I was told about Interrail Planner, a new website aimed to clear up Interrail route planning, I was intrigued.

St Mark's Campanile in

Venice. I needed a nice

Europe picture.

Interrail Planner (www.interrailplanner.com) is designed by interrailers who loved their time abroad but hated the planning experience. The endless maps, the head-spinning spreadsheets and countless hours spent poring through train timetables had become too much to bare. By setting up their own website, they aimed to clear up the process and make the steps between deciding to go interrailing and getting on the train much smoother – all while being free to use.

The website aims to be an all-in-one hub for interrailing, rivalling that of the actual Interrail site, and I decided to give it a go. The bulk of the website is built around the interrail process that anybody who has been before has become familiar with. First, you’re asked to select your pass (Global or One Country), then specify the amount of travel days you require. Once you’ve done this, you’re required to fill in a few details about the nature of your trip (how many people, when are you setting off, etc). When that’s complete, the real fun begins.

You’re greeted with what initially appears to be quite a daunting page, with maps, calendars, and train itineraries all present at the same time. However, once you take a moment to have a look around, you’ll realise that this one page displays the majority of information that would have been on your awkward-to-read spreadsheet.

The planner in all its glory, with a route planned out.

The page is split into four sections: the right-hand panel, the map, the calendar and the info tabs. While there is a tutorial available, I personally found it easiest to start clicking and try to plan my route. Just from adding locations in, it became obvious that the right-hand panel will be your new best friend. It allows you to sort locations, train reservations and even search for hostels, all with the click of a button. Adding locations is a breeze and there’s even an option to look up alternative methods of travel, if a train route can’t be found.

I should say at this point that the website is in its beta stage. I say this because currently while the majority of train routes are automatically identified (e.g. those between capital cities), I found that some routes between smaller cities currently don’t come up with a train (e.g. the Balkan express between Sofia and Nis). However, they’ve accounted for this by having an option to leave feedback, so it’s likely any similar issues will be ironed out soon.

While you’re planning the locations and nights, the rest of the page keeps tabs on your progress, meaning you don’t go past the length of your pass. A calendar shows which days you’ll be in each city, the “Pass Info” tab shows how many travel days you’ve used up (if the right-hand panel identifies a train for each leg) and the map shows your route (obviously).

The website is clean and easy to use, with options to purchase passes and such being present but not intrusive. The fact that it’s free to use is a huge plus, as it means you can make routes even for journeys that might never happen. Making a route was simple to do and if you have a free account you can even save it and share it with others, making group planning that bit easier. As I mentioned earlier, the website still is in its beta stage, so once the very few bugs are sorted, I personally think this website will be the one to beat when it comes to planning your Interrail trip.