Sustainable travel has always been something I wanted to try for myself, and interrailing felt like the perfect way to do it. Travelling across Europe by train has been on my bucket list for years, and now that I have finally done it, it is right back on there again. It was far from perfect, and I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but it is an experience I will never forget. I want to share what went wrong on my sustainable interrail journey so that you can avoid the same pitfalls and make your own adventure smoother and greener.
For me, sustainable travel is not just about choosing trains instead of planes, even though that is already a great start. It is also about being mindful of how we move, where we stay, and how we interact with the places we visit. During my trip, I tried to minimise waste by packing a reusable bottle and containers, supporting small local cafés, and staying in accommodation that followed eco-friendly practices. I also learnt how much easier it is to reduce your footprint by travelling light, planning routes efficiently, and spending more time in each place rather than rushing through. These small choices may not change the world, but they do make a difference, and they made me feel more connected to the people and culture around me.
Sustainable travel also taught me to slow down and appreciate the journey itself. Trains give you time to look out the window and see the landscapes changing, which makes you realise how close and yet diverse Europe really is. You notice small details you would never see from a plane. And travelling more responsibly made me more grateful too, because I was constantly reminded that the way we travel has an impact, and that we can make choices that are better for the environment without giving up comfort or adventure.
To give you an idea, here was my route. I started in Budapest, Hungary, and made my way to Madrid, Spain. The original plan was to take a month, but because of budget constraints, I ended up completing the trip in ten days, which I would actually recommend if it is your first interrail or sustainable travel experience.
#1 Luggage storage
I was leaving from Budapest on the 27th of August at 11 pm and took a bus to Venice. This was my first night bus ever, but it ended up being surprisingly good. Venice was beyond beautiful, and I will not try to describe it with words because it is something you simply have to see with your own eyes. I had a room booked for the night in Venice, and because this was my first destination, the 3 pm check-in time did not bother me. I could not be bothered to find luggage storage either, since I was still full of energy and excitement from the new experience, but looking back, this is something I would do differently. Walking around all day with all my belongings was not only tiring but also unsafe, especially in busy cities. By the end of the day, I felt every extra kilo on my back, and this was only day one of a ten-day journey. Travelling sustainably also means taking care of yourself, so storing your luggage when possible saves you energy and helps you enjoy the day without stress.
#2 Choose realistic departure times
The second thing that I would do differently happened the next day. I was planning to leave for Genova at 1 am (yes, in the morning), but I had to leave the place I was staying at at 10 am the day before. It is one thing to arrive in a city in the morning and wander around until you can check into your hotel, but doing the same before another night bus was very inconvenient. I am not going to lie, I ended up booking another room for the night, where I only spent a couple of hours, but it was worth every penny. Considering that I arrived in Genova the next day at 6 am and had to wait for the 3 pm check-in again, this was the best decision I could have made.
#3 Don’t make your stops too short and give yourself some time to rest
But let's move on to my next destination, Genoa. To be honest, I didn’t see much of Genova at all. I was so exhausted by the time because of the two nights spent on the bus, I crashed out the minute I got to my hotel. And this is my next tip for you: don’t make your stops too short. I understand you want to see as many places as you can during your trip, but your body really needs to rest, and if you have only one day in every city, you will end up being so tired that you are not going to be able to enjoy your trip. This is why I am very glad that I decided to spend three days in Nice as my next stop. Three days in a city still doesn’t sound too long, but after spending only a bit more than 24 hours in Venice and Genoa, these three days felt so nice. This is something I am very happy I did, and also the fact that here I booked a room with a bathroom, which brings us to my 4th tip.
#4 Be honest about your needs while travelling
This is a very small thing, and there are many people who don’t mind sharing a bathroom with others for days, but I have to be honest with myself and confess that having a bathroom that is clean and only used by me felt very rewarding. The same thing applies to shared rooms. Even though I didn’t sleep in hostels at all, I know this is also something you need to think about before your trip. Are you the type of person who can sleep in a room full of people or not? And book according to your honest answer.
#5 Be careful with your night bus choice
The journey to my next destination was really the reason why I decided to write about the mistakes I have made, because that was something I would have never thought about. I decided to take a night bus again to Barcelona, as I could sleep pretty well on the last two. There was a small detail, however, that I didn’t check in advance, which was the number of stops along the way. On our way to Barcelona, we stopped in every small city, making new people come on the bus, search for their place, and talk very loudly every hour. It made it impossible to stay asleep even though I had earphones with relatively good noise cancellation. It is also very different to go on a highway, which is pretty much straight, from travelling in the city and constantly slowing down, speeding up and turning. If you only learn one thing from my mistakes, it should be to check how many stops your night bus has on the way, because it can make a huge difference. I didn’t sleep at all that night, so I ended up only spending a couple of hours in Barcelona and took the high-speed train to Madrid at 3 pm, where I got the key for the apartment where I am going to stay for the next 5 months.
There were many small mistakes during my trip, but overall it was still one of the best experiences of my life. Interrailing showed me that travelling more sustainably is not only possible but also incredibly rewarding. If you have the opportunity to travel green to your Erasmus destination, do not hesitate to do it. It might not go perfectly, but that is part of the adventure. And if you are already planning your trip, I hope that reading about the things I would do differently helps you in some way.
