My First Interrail Experience

[@erichhouchens3711]

Your trip reminds me of my two European rail pass trips during my teenage years. In 1974 (age 17) and 1975 I traveled around Europe for 30 days on a second class student Eurail Pass. I visited Frankfurt (starting city), Koln, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Paris, Nice, Zurich and Munchen as well as a few other cities before ending back at Frankfurt. Back then the Eurail Pass didn't include the UK so I had to pay for the channel ferries as well as my UK train tickets. Most of my trip were done at night following the budget travelers old saying "Travel at night, you'll miss lots of scenery but you'll save piles of greenery" ... in other words sleep in a second class seat. I mostly allowed three days in each city staying in hostels and bed and breakfast places. Overall I had the time of my life. Sadly there was no video cameras or KZbin back in the 70's. In 2007 my wife and I retraced most of my earlier trips using a 9 day Eurail flex pass. We flew into London and flew out of Frankfurt. All train trips were made during the day as I had a bigger budget than I did as a teenager. Today I see the Eurail Pass covers both the UK as well as the eastern European countries that weren't covered back in the 70's. The Eurail Pass now offers US travelers (over 26) a second class option that wasn't offered back in the 70's. One thing you should mention is that both Eurail and Interrail passes are good on suburban services operated by the national railway company. I made great use of this in Paris (RER) and Munchen (S Bahn). I'm not sure if this applies to the London Overground service.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m bringing up the suburban train thing in part 2, when we actually rode several s-bahn trains.

[@bannkanchana3957]

Yes, its valid on London Overground (but not underground), also valid on Thames Link and the new Elizabeth line.

[@frankhermans7511]

Nice video, well done! Remind me of the interrail I did in the early 90’s 😊

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d love to hear about your trip!

[@snuffsonic23]

incredibly brave of you guys to change 2 times in germany on the first day of the trip 😆

[@Thom-TRA]

We believe in miracles over here

[@wouterpaap9343]

Just hit the right button not to miss the sequel of your interesting and remarkably well narrated journey.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you for hitting the button. A job well done must be rewarded.

[@OwlGreene]

Just great, Thom. Your videos R the cure for anxiety. All over-the-counter, all without any co-pays. Although, a visit to your local dispensary may enhance your viewing experience. Thanx Thom!

[@Thom-TRA]

A TRA a day keeps the doctor away!

[@EmilePoelman]

Thanks, Tom! Brings back lovely memories of my Interrail days in the 70s and 80s! Looking forward to coming videos

[@Thom-TRA]

What were some highlights from your trip?

[@EmilePoelman]

​@@Thom-TRA Getting a real Norwegian girlfriend called Mette :-) Getting off a train in France at 2 am in the middle of nowhere, pitching a tent in an unknown field next to the little station, where all hell broke loose with lightning, thunder and stampeding cows. Losing my Railpass in the Edinburgh Post Office trying to get it back after closing hours by frantically pointing to it lying on the floor in plain sight through the window, but being totlally ignored by the cleaning staff who probably thought I would commit an armed robbery... And much, much more. Great times.

[@stevesteffen7001]

Really enjoyed this.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m so glad!

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

Looks like an awesome trip. Thanks for taking us along for the ride. ☺️

[@Thom-TRA]

It was a lot of fun

[@jamiehawker7345]

I went on interrail this summer and we passed leiden by coincedence as our eurostar was meant to go to Amsterdam. But there were high winds in the netherlands that day and we only got as far as rotterdam, then changed for leidenm. Stopped there for a few hours until the trains began to run again towards Amsterdam. Lovely place.

[@GDJason]

Another great video, and such an amazing trip. 15:00 I love the sound as the train accelerates!

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s so fun to hear the “violins”

[@londonwhaley8690]

I enjoy the video👍👍

[@mrnoname2353]

I went in April on my first Tour Germany Paris Marseille Rome Vienna Gdansk Germany Denmark Also a few Hours in Bologna und Venezia

[@Thom-TRA]

Huge variety of cities!

[@mrnoname2353]

@@Thom-TRA i Loved (almost) every Part of it 1400€ for 15 Days Worst thing was getting out of Rome because of an Cargotrain derailment the night before on the Mainline, so i had to go via Ancona, Bologna and Venezia wich took 11 Hours longer Sitting more then 9 Hours in an overbooked Train trough the night without Wifi sucks

[@Canleaf08]

I did two interrails trips in 2017 and 2019 on my own. On the first one, I visited Amsterdam, Paris, Toulouse, Avignon, Monaco, Turin, Bern from Germany. On the second, I traveled ten hours to Copenhagen, had to take the plane to Vienna, traveled then to Salzburg, Zurich, Bern, Basel. I would like to do another one in future... Especially the TGVs were nice.

[@MargretRoberts]

Vielen Dank, tolles Video! Freue mich schon auf Mittwoch!

[@Thom-TRA]

Bis Mittwoch!

[@gliese909]

The logo on the LWC loco looks like the original Amtrak logo. 4:19

[@anthonywarrener1881]

What a great video which I thoroughly enjoyed. I too am a huge fan of the MOB, and the Golden Pass service. The latest gauge changing stock is wonderful !

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m excited to come back and try the gauge changing train

[@EpicThe112]

Regarding the Railjet ÖBB actually locomotive push-pull train because on the other side you have a Siemens Taurus lok DB Dispolok MRCE Baureihe 182 Germany Austria ÖBB Baureihe 1016/1116 if if it has four pantographs the 1216 fastest locomotive in the world. There is an overnight train between Budapest Keleti and Zürich Hb the Kalman Imre. Your Scenic parts are the Arlbergbahn Bludenz Innsbruck Hbf & Berner Oberland Bahn. Between the German Deutsche Bahn Schnellfahrstrecke Rhein-Main Mannheim Basel Austrian Schnellfahrstrecke Salzburg-Wien Westbahn which one is your favorite High Speed Line on the route? 230 kmh = 145 mph

[@frankbernotimm3031]

Good job, inrteresting! To add this: Basel Badischer Bf is not only driven by Deutsche Bahn, this station is, regarding to an old treaty, part of Germany.

[@Thom-TRA]

It is a bizarre construct but very interesting

[@frankbernotimm3031]

@@Thom-TRA Yes! Do You know, that the so called "Hochrheinbahn" (Basel - Konstanz) is also driven by the Deutsche Bahn - even in Switzerland?

[@thefareplayer2254]

5:44 what on EARTH is THAT?!?!?!? It looks so cool!

[@Thom-TRA]

A little open-aired tram!

[@nashorn9745]

This is a one of the historic streetcars of Basel. On a few days of the year they run on a historic line and you can use them with your normal ticket. Or you can charter one of them.

[@knees0cks_49]

Lovely video but also I just got completely distracted by the footage of the tramline 1 in Budapest! I immediately recognized the train set as the same one they use in Utrecht - cue a quick Google and turns out I was right 😌 I'd recognize that thing anywhere clearly hahaha

[@Thom-TRA]

I love old trams!

[@DanTheCaptain]

I’m glad you enjoyed Budapest! Something I really recommend is doing a short round trip using the cog wheel railway, trams and the children’s railway! I’m surprised you guys didn’t do it since the children’s railway is a short walk from the northern terminus of the cog wheel railway. The children’s railway is the largest remaining narrow gauge railway of its type in the world. It’s 11.5km long and children perform all the various duties beside maintaining and operating the locomotives. Adults do that. It’s a great experience as it’s accessible by transit at both ends, and goes through the hilly forests, with stops in between connecting to numerous hiking trails. Having done it a bunch, I highly recommend it!

[@Thom-TRA]

I don’t remember what the reason was, but I seem to recall we couldn’t ride it that day.

[@DanTheCaptain]

@@Thom-TRA Interesting indeed as it does run year round! Also Budapest has adopted new trams and other vehicles as well! It’s worth going back for a second visit!

[@BDavinci06]

Awesome trip so far!! Can't wait for Wednesday!!

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s gonna get crazy!

[@teddawg327]

Switzerland is a giant train set

[@charlescrawford7039]

The MOB is one of my favorite railways. I look forward to riding the system again. 🚞

[@ck4426]

Really enjoyed this first part of your trip and all of the footage and narration!!! Looking forward to the second part, and it’s quite commendable for you to plan and execute such a journey as an 18 year old!!! Awesome!!!

[@kevanhubbard9673]

After my degree I got a job with the railways and we got passes to cover most railways in Europe and I went all the way to Narvik 200km north of the Artic Circle.That was in the 1990's and 2000's and there were still loads of sleeper trains back then.Finally after I'd bashed out every country in Europe, although I haven't done Mt Athos which is a sort of autonomous territory of Greece,I had to start flying as places were just too far to do by rail.Basel is quite nice as I recall with some interesting ferries.

[@Thom-TRA]

That sounds like a dream

[@norlockv]

Almost passed on watching the video this morning. Glad I didn’t, it was one of the better ones. Thanks.

[@Thom-TRA]

Glad you didn’t either!

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Budapest's oldest subway looks like it was just built brand new but was made to look old. Now compare with the MBTA in Boston, the MTA in New York City, the SEPTA in Philly, and the El in your hometown of Chicago. Chicago's is the best maintained but they're all showing their age! 😭😭😭 We just can't have nice things here in the US. 😢 _Why?_ 😟

[@YaoboyProd2K15]

4:18 seems so familiar, yet so odd.

[@FrenchLeafA350]

Ice is good and bad on the tracks. Depends on witch Ice your talking about

[@Thom-TRA]

Very true. I’ll stick to the ice that’s not frozen water.

[@officialmcdeath]

Choices, choices! In terms of memories made, reckon you chose right to get the last boat on the Thunersee rather than the train to Luzern, in spite of the fact that you missed out on even more spectacular mountain and lake views and you doubled back on more route km. Looking forward to part 2 \m/

[@Thom-TRA]

We wanted the relaxing feel of a summer boat ride, knowing we’d get plenty more mountain train trips along the way!

[@officialmcdeath]

@@Thom-TRA exactly, you've already shown in this clip that you know when to relax and stop chasing pure distance travelled \m/

[@czechmatebro]

14:55 the best train noise ever?

[@tommarino1056]

Very informative and enjoyable video!

[@Thom-TRA]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chrisdobrowolski2783]

@Thom-TRA did you say a Chocolate Train? If that is real, I love love to ride it.

[@Andrewjg_89]

Switzerland does have the best trains and their railways are so efficient than the UK. I would love to go to Switzerland.

[@djnotgeil]

Tried out that Interrail / Eurail pass 3 weeks ago. College-aged coworkers were doing that: taking a month off and going through Europe like a starved teen at an all you can eat buffet. I did the lite version of 4 travel days in one month. Ulm - Budapest - Vienna - Bratislava - Salzburg staying for 2 days in each city. I found it very strenuous: 1) You're in the train for 10 hours straight and it seems you're just riding the train your whole vacation. 2) You have to lug a whole month's worth of clothes with you (or spend the day at a landromat.) One weeks worth of t-shirts was heavy enough. 3) You are aloud one in-bound and one out-bound trip or you will have to pay for the home country portion extra, if you want to take a break and go home during the trip. And the in-bound and out-bound are not even extra days (which I thought), but are counted in the "travel day". 4) Flexibility with the pass means: YOU are the one who has to be flexible! Trains (especially German ICE) run late, and you will miss connections, ergo the extra cash spent reservations are trashed. In some trains you really do need a reservation if you want a seat (ICE, InterCity), in some it is required (TGV, Eurostar). Reserving through Interrail is more expensive. I reserved at the station or on the national train internet site. 5) The Interrail ticket really is not that good of deal, let's be honest. You can hunt for some really cheap excursion fares. (Stuttgart - Paris "Super Spar Preis Europa" €42,30) Despite buying the Interrail ticket on sale (10% off) I just barely made bank. Ok, there are some really expensive routes like Eurostar, but there is a quota set on Interrail tickets for them. Much like a buffet is set up: you got the expensive meats (Eurostar), but these are rationed, and then you have the filler (the regional trains) and that's how they turn a profit. 6) A personal bone to pick with Interrail: I opted for the mobile ticket, which was only accessable online "for security reasons" with no chance of printing it out. So where there is no internet or the server crashes, you have no ticket. Guess what happened to me on the first day!

[@Thom-TRA]

It kind of sounds like you had the wrong expectations. Yes, you spend a lot of time on the train. That’s the point! Take in the scenery! Catch up on some reading. Meet people. Yes, you can’t go back to your home country. That’s the point of the pass! You go out and explore. Yes, some connections can be made cheaper. That’s why the Interrail is great for distance. Not to mention the convenience of one pass, rather than multiple tickets. Packing is a skill, and it’s important to schedule trips that are flexible around delays, just like any other train or plane journey. I’m sorry to hear your experience was negative, but I do think the Interrail is a great deal for people who are expecting this kind of adventure.

[@djnotgeil]

@@Thom-TRA Don't worry, I got over the intial shock of day 1 snafu pretty quickly. It's just that Interrail is not the "Gelbe vom Ei" (not all that it is cracked up to be.) Sitting on a plane for 10 hours, I do pretty much the same thing as on the train: look out the window for some cool geological feature, watch movies, eat, and sleep. But I keep pretty much to myself, it's not speed dating. (Or maybe some people do use travel as a means to hook up!) I get the one pass convenience (like the Dutch OV Chipkarte!) I heard that back in the 70's the Interrail was way better -- 500DM and 30 days travel, no restrictions.

[@countdown4725]

2:45 Not interrail but in the summer of 2021 I did a trip from Leiden Lammenschans to Madrid Pinar del Rey all in one day. It was a bit stressful but I managed to get all the connections plenty on time. Times including transfer time for those interested: Leiden Lammenschans 6:47 Leiden Centraal 6:53 Rotterdam Centraal 7:38 Brussels South 9:08 (then 1 hour transfer) Valence TGV 14:47 (20 min transfer) Barcelona Sants 19:33 (30 min transfer) Madrid Atocha 23:17 And then to Pinar del Rey via metro

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow that’s impressive!

[@michaelhall8586]

Oh my gosh your shirt! 🤩 where did you get it from?

[@Thom-TRA]

My mom got it for me, I’ll have to ask her

[@oskarsrode2167]

How do you not have any accent if you are from the Netherlands? Dutch people, even when speaking really well, usually have at least some kind of accent in English.

[@Thom-TRA]

Because I learned English at the very same time as Dutch, because I wasn’t living in Holland when my language was being developed. I have two native tongues.

[@devroombagchus7460]

Thanks, but Montreux is NOT on lake Geneva, but on Lac Léman. Lake Geneva is much further to the East, around Genève.

[@Thom-TRA]

Lake Geneva is the English name for Lac Lèman. Research before you comment!

[@delibakerytravel]

Again, Another Fabulous Video!! How Much Was Your Rail Pass At The Time? Your language skills are so impressive.I hope You Are Enjoying DC. Thanks From San Diego.🌴

[@Thom-TRA]

I believe it was about €214 at the time!

[@CameronLandels]

Thanks for sharing your adventure Thom! I really enjoyed the video! Looks like you've shared many wonderful memories from part 1 of your trip! I've been to quite a few cities that you and Hans visited! I was in Budapest about 15+ years ago and I remember riding the M1 with the yellow trains 🙂 Very much looking forward to part 2!

[@Thom-TRA]

I hope you’ll get the chance to go back to Budapest soon!

[@history_leisure]

It's probably not fair to compare it to Amtrak's Rail Pass, but it still an interesting thought I had

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s very comparable!

[@neilevans6331]

chicago to new york train amtrak journey to amtrak silver meteor journey

[@ianweniger6620]

I'm holding out for a review of EIS on the ICE. Just one dad joke.

[@TrebleLover]

Thanks for the video! Are you still friends with Hans? 😁

[@Thom-TRA]

Of course! We just don’t see each other very often on account of an ocean in between us

[@NovaLeeft]

LEIDEN MENTIONED!!!!!!!!!!!

[@val91201]

I wish I could pronounce Leiden Lammenschans

[@jfmezei]

Ar the actual tracks in Switzerland also owned by provate companies or are they all owend by CFF/SBB and provate operators run trains on them ? BTW, I always thought Spiez was pronounced Spee Ez, so interesting to hear you say Spitch (I would trut yoru pronounciation to be more correct) Also, I would have scolded you big time if you had not included the music produced bty the ÖBB Siemens locos. Thanful you did include it ! (Shame the Amtrak ACS64 version downgrated to FRA standards lacks those musical notes.

[@Thom-TRA]

I believe in many cases, the private operators own the tracks (I know BLS and MOB do). But there are also instances of private operators running on SBB tracks.

[@RTSRafnex2]

Tracks are owned by them, but in Switzerland, "private" usually means that the majority of shares belongs to a canton or municipality.

[@adamaviation6236]

RailPiano

[@ChicagolandTransit]

🧊🧊🧊🥶

[@Thom-TRA]

Ice ice baby

[@chicagolandrailfan143]

FIRST!!!

[@fenlinescouser4105]

Maybe Fürst would be more appropriate.