The Ultimate Packing Guide For Interailing in Europe

I spent almost 3 weeks interrailing around Europe and it’s a trip I recommend to everyone. It’s a fun and relatively budget-friendly way of exploring Europe and some of the train journeys provide insane views (Switzerland I’m looking at you).

One of the challenges of interrailing is constantly lugging your bag around from the trains to your accommodation. So today I’m sharing with you the tips and tricks for packing for your interrailing adventure and if you make it to the end there is a free PDF packing list to make sure you forget nothing!

Take a backpack

This will make your life a million times easier than if you had a suitcase. Unless you need particular equipment or want to pack your entire wardrobe a backpack/duffle bag offers ample space for your necessities. I choose a suitcase and really regretted it as it was more work to lift and place in the racks on the train and personally made it harder to navigate the streets of a new city when we were headed to accommodation, especially along cobbled streets (which Europe seemed to have a lot of).

So a big piece of advice from me is to pack light and take a backpack, just choose one wisely you don’t want that something that overpowers you, I would say to opt for a 40/60l backpack. You can also need to pack a foldable day bag, whether that be a tote or a backpack, just make sure you have a smaller option for your day trip adventures.

comfy is key

You may spend long periods of time on trains and especially if you opt for night trains (which I do recommend as it saves on accommodations), you will want to be cosy. Also, they can blast the air-con on some trains so I recommend a big cosy hoodie or wrap around to keep you warm. The trains can be a little bit grubby from time to time so make sure you have a handy pack of wipes and sanitiser on hand to freshen up your space.

Another item I consider essential is a lightweight rain jacket if you are going to be out all day the last thing you want is to be soaking wet. And after all, it is Europe so the chance of a shower here and there is likely, it will also double up as an extra layer if it gets chiller at night time.

Washing on the go

This is the key to saving some space when you pack, instead of taking enough clothes for your whole trip, pack lighter and wash and re-use your clothes instead. Whilst your accommodation may have washing facilities if it doesn’t there is still ways to keep your clothes clean. Number one you could take your clothes to a laundrette, but if you don’t have the time or money for this you can just do it yourself, all you need is a sink. Make sure you pack a small tube of travel wash and a piece of string and some pegs so you can hang your clothes to dry afterwards. I have linked a helpful blog post here that goes more in-depth about washing your clothes whilst travelling.

If you are tight on time and running out of clean clothes it’s also great to check out the shops in a new country or get creative with what you have, for example, I often use swimwear as underwear whilst travelling. Also, think about the material of the clothes you pack, it’s much quicker to dry clothes made of lighter materials and in a European summer you won’t need your woolly jumpers anyway.

Packing cubes are your new best friend

Packing cubes are an organised travellers dream item, not only do they help organise the clothes they also help compress the clothes, giving you more space to pack your items. If you keep cubes organised and have one for underwear, one for tops and one for your bottoms, it will save you so much time. Trust me you’ll be so happy when you don’t have to route all the way through your backpack just to find a fresh pair of socks. You can also use any spare ones to hold dirty washing in order to keep the dirty and clean clothes apart.

Be safe and prepared

Unfortunately, you do have to consider your safety wherever you go now, but it’s nothing to majorly be concerned by. I think one of the things to be most cautious of is pickpocketing, so secure your valuables away when in a big city and opt for a closed-up bag, maybe even a bum bag to keep things close to you. For this reason, I also tended to avoid carrying much cash, in most European cities everywhere accepts cards anyways.

I would highly recommend writing down any important numbers on some paper and popping them in your luggage just in case your phone and wallet get stolen. I know a few people it has happened to and as today’s the age of online banking you might not know the number to call to cancel cards etc. Another thing if you’re staying in hostels you might want to take a padlock as many of them will have lockers so you can lock your things away whilst you are out exploring during the day.

Need a checklist of what to take? Click below to download my free Interailing Packing List, showing you everything you need to take! Please note the list was intended for use during the Summer Months and you would need to pack a few more layers if you were heading out in the Winter.

What are your must packs for your getaways?

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