What do you think to Interrailing ??

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Newly separated from H. Had the inter railing idea this afternoon, me and 13 year old DD. Something like this.

Would love to hear anyone's views, positive or negative, things I might not have thought about, etc., etc..

Oh and definitely hotels (not hostels for me)!!

Looks brilliant to me

That sounds amazing, I would have adored a holiday like that as a teen.

It's fab. However, before you buy tickets, have an idea of where you want to go and check out the train prices for the individual journeys. It can work out cheaper than buying an interrail ticket.

Interrail can work out expensive, like pp said you can book your own tickets. Do you know where you want to go, the Eurostar's can be a cheap way of getting to Europe.

Thanks , pleased to see it seems like a good idea.

I am not sure I have the headspace to think about putting it all together right now. I used to travel a lot under my own steam by train in Europe but that is 15-20 years ago. The thought of it all being arranged for me is a big draw.

It takes me as long to get to a Eurostar terminal as it does to get a cab to my local airport and a flight to one of the cities on the list so I probably won't bother with that.

Fab idea. Take overnight trains and get a couchette. That way you save on hotels.

I totally agree that the package has its own appeal - fewer decisions, less potential for error/ worry.

I went to Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Norway by train (and ferry, and on one occasion, a train on a ferry) with ds last summer, he was aged 13. We had a great time - I highly recommend Seat 61 to look at routes and tours. I can definitely see the attraction of having it all arranged for you, that's what I normally do for summer hols but it was all very simple to arrange myself - e-tickets bought through the Deutsche Bahn website (I did do a package for Oslo-Bergen called Norway in a Nutshell although this also is easy to arrange oneself).

The one thing I would note is that you have to be able to carry your own bag, so you will need to pack reasonably lightly - I did a lot of hand washing in hotel sinks!

Fabulous idea! Internationalrail.com were fabulous when we did it. If you want to do separate trains as well they will help you plan an awesome trip!!

Oh yes, great idea! Slovenia is a must see. And watch Race Across the World for inspiration. You'll have a great time

I've done lots of European rail holidays with my two DCs as a single parent - once with an actual interrail ticket, other times just booking point-to-point - and they have been great holidays for teens/preteens.

We have been to most of the cities on that list, plus lots of others. I think my teens' favourites have been Budapest, Prague and Hamburg, plus Brussels and Paris. It's really not hard to book your own itinerary using online hotel/hostel booking sites, and The Man in Seat 61 is really useful if you want to look up routes, tickets etc.

Thanks everyone.

We have been to Rome, Venice and Paris (more than once) on that list but I am happy to go again.

I really am not interested in booking it independently - I am so busy at work and starting the divorce process, have a big house to take care of, DD to ferry around and a dog to walk twice a day. I have a second job one evening a week teaching/marking for one of my institutes and am currently doing another professional qualification - So I really don't need anything else to do and absolutely want someone else to take care of it.

Tribpot, I know 😂, we do walking/cycling holidays. I am fine with light .... DD not so much.

Sounds like a fabulous holiday for teens (and you).

I love the idea of sitting on a train and reading my book more like love the opportunity to do nothing redastherose. Just like going to the cinema, I have booked to see Dumbo this week 😂, the trailer made me cry - I love the opportunity to sit down and switch off.

If you want teen-friendly holidays where you don't have to do any organising, I can also recommend the special small group tours for families with teenagers run by Exodus. We did one of theirs to Cuba, which was excellent - I was not the only single parent, and the DCs had people their own age to hang out with (my two are not natural joiners-in but they loved it).

Wow, that looks fab exexpat was it really expensive? My budget is probably £1500 pp then I would plan on £100 a day max.

I thought that interrailing looked really reasonable at £1545 each for three weeks including hotel accommodation.

Was the Cuba one a family-specific tour, exexpat? The only ones I can see on the website at the moment look as if they are general tours rather than for families with teens.

Thanks so much for sharing this!

I didnt realise that inter rail trips could come planned like this.

DD,14 and i have been discussing doing something similar, but alao recently separated, full on work load and professional study has meant that ive not had the bandwidth to research properly. I agree that there may he cheaper options available however i just wouldnt trust myself to mess it up somehow

I might take a look at this too

Fab, pm me if you book one Newhouse - we could end up on the same trip! The more I think about it the more I am probably going to do it - £500 a week each for Europe is actually very cheap. I need to escape and have booked the whole of August off work.

Yes, Cuba was expensive (a few years ago but definitely over £1500pp) but then flights alone would be a large chunk of that. Last time I looked they also did some teen departures for their European trips, and at one stage DD and I were quite interested in one of their Borneo, Vietnam or Costa Rica ones but never got round to it.

They seem to have a few teenage options but no sign of Cuba at the moment: www.exodus.co.uk/family-holidays/min-age-12

I think I might book the Morocco trip for Feb 2020 exexpat, I like to get away in the winter.

Take a look at Intrepid as well - like Exodus they run small tours in interesting places with the focus on responsible tourism. They also do family tours - www.intrepidtravel.com/uk/theme/family

We do often do 2 week rail trips, staying in one place 2/3 days before moving on & use pre booked rented apartments (finding somewhere to stay was usually the most stressful part i remember from my late teens interailing summer). It's easy to do & a great way for your 13 year old to experience different places and cultures. Have a great time!

Brilliant idea!
I looked into it earlier this year as dd wants us to do a "road trip" of cities this summer.
We are combining flights and trains but your idea would be loved also by my teen.

I booked through railbookers who basically will tailor make what you want and change things to budget- can definitely recommend. They sort everything. I went with my mum and loved it!