Long European Rail trip what have I forgot?

[TheDutchHouse]

Or even not thought of .
next month I’m heading off for three weeks inter railing across Europe.
never been on a train for more than an hour before.
Im sorted as far maps and tickets but Any tips or hints on added items to make life easier or comfortable, I’d really appreciate.
Do I really need one of those neck pillows for instance ?

I have no shame and take a small flask and camping style lunch box / cutlery / fold up cup and make myself a packed lunch from the array of bread, pastries, cheese, fruit, coffee etc that’s served up as a continental breakfast. If you’ve got an early start or quick connections it really helps not to have to worry about buying food and you save loads. You need 1 euro coins for station toilets. If you have a spare phone or tablet or can borrow an old one do - my main worry was my phone breaking when literally everything is booked online. Take one book you can find an English section in most big city bookshops and donate the one you finished. Google maps is really useful to know how far from your stop as often it’s hard to read signs from on the train or understand the announcements and you can find bus times / routes / stops easily via the map. A few eco laundry sheets for hotels or hostels that have machines. Agree the individual country rail apps are useful. Check your phone data plan or consider an esim. Know passwords / have plan if your phone was lost. You can freeze and unfreeze bank cards as and when you need them on most apps as added security. If solo on evenings often you can find cinemas with English language films.

Oh and take a screen shot of your pass when you activate a journey. My phone completely dropped all connection to WiFi or 4g and the conductor wasn’t taking no for an answer, if it wasn’t for a kind stranger allowing me to connect to their hotspot I dread to think of the fine!

Cork screw!

Envious! This is a a great rail travel website. We are hoping to go on a train journey to Europe soon and I've picked up a lot of tips from it. https://www.seat61.com/

I make a lot of long journeys in the UK to see my Mum and I always have a Killer Sudoku book with me and a pen. Useful for when the wifi connection is bad and/or I want to give my eyes a break from a screen. Needs less concentration than a book.

I did this last year with my teen it was great!
absolutely second. www.seat61.com , lots of great tips on there, even where the best supermarket is/ cafe close to the station.
I agree travel as light as you can. I took a kindle and a small embroidery kit, but barely used either as I enjoyed looking out of the window. 3 things I wish I’d taken:
spork/ cutlery as others have said supermarket salads are often delicious, but there isn’t always cutlery
hand gel-easy enough to buy a small one
a small bottle of soap/ the leaves of soap. I was prepared for the lack of toilet paper, but actually it was more often the soap that had run out
Have a brilliant trip

Wow thank you all so much , this will be my first ever solo trip . Plus my first holiday since leaving my Ex in fairly dire circumstances.
So I am ready for an adventure.
Your tips and good wishes are so kind . X

A fan (old style wood and paper thing you fold up). You'll thank me later!

Pack light enough to be able to run with your luggage!!

A credit card with lots of credit. When we did this last year we were let down by several trains and had to find overnight accommodation at very short notice!

Download the DB Navigator app to your phone, you can get details of trains in all the countries you're travelling to (like unexpected engineering work or Italian train driver strikes!). DB (Deutsch Bahn) is Germany based, but has a wealth of information available.
Take layers of clothes, the self-wicking t-shirts can be washed/dried overnight (wash, rinse, wring out; then spread out on a towel, roll the towel and then stand on it - magic!). You don't want to be carrying 3 weeks of clothes with you.
Switzerland has different plugs, so you'll need a separate adapter (which also then works on their trains). Also my europe-roaming contract didn't cover Switzerland, so a good idea to check this beforehand (you can get an e-Sim which will work there).
And enjoy!

Remember for Switzerland you need a different adapter to the rest of Europe

On a more negative, but realistic note: if a Deutsche Bahn train gets you to your destination on time look on it as a pleasant surprise rather than an expected consequence. DB has a surprising degree of creativity about its deviations from the schedule. Being late has become too boring: it’s much more fun if half the train is missing, or the carriages are in the wrong order, or the platform is changed two minutes before arrival and hundreds of passengers are told (in German only) to hurry because it will only be at the station for a minute. I only get 1st class tickets now (they’re often only marginally more expensive than 2nd) because the cattle-class loos are so disgusting. The route between Berlin and Amsterdam via Hanover is a particular joke because the line is knackered. And the DB navigator app can’t give you details of the Italian train drivers’ strike if the train drivers themselves don’t know what they’re (not) doing - guess how I know that.
Hmm, am I feeling a little grumpy about German trains today? On the bright side, Swiss trains are rather good. Have a great trip 😄.

What a perfect sounding holiday! I went on the Caledonian Sleeper a couple of years ago and had the best sleep of my life. We also did a train/bus trip round Europe and I enjoyed the long journeys listening to audiobooks whilst watching the scenery.
I would definitely invest in a kindle rather than lug paperbacks around. The tiniest weight makes a big difference when you have to carry it everywhere.
Hope you have a fantastic time.

Agreed. The DB trains were awful: missing carriages on two legs of our trip.