Travelling with an Interrail Pass is such an exciting and eye-opening experience—and it’s a journey full of learning, too! I was lucky to use the Pass on two different trips in November and December 2024.
As the President of ESN International, I travel a lot to represent ESN at external events and attend meetings. While these trips are super important, they can also be quite intense, and frequent travel isn’t the best for our planet. That’s why using an Interrail Pass for these journeys has been a game-changer. It helps me fulfil the responsibilities of my role while also reducing my environmental impact—something that’s really important to me.
My first trip was to Strasbourg, where I attended the ‘Academic Freedom in Action’ conference at the Council of Europe.
The journey to Strasbourg went super smoothly, with just one quick change in Paris between Brussels Midi and Strasbourg. The event was a success, and thanks to the flexibility of the Interrail Pass, I even managed to squeeze in some time to explore the charming city of Strasbourg! After the event, I hopped on a direct train back to Brussels, which made things so convenient.
Travel tip: If you're planning to travel by train in France, don’t forget to reserve your seat—it’s mandatory for your Interrail Pass to be valid.
My second trip started in the lovely city of Ancona, Italy. It was an amazing chance to explore the host city of this year’s flagship ESN event—the 4th edition of the Erasmus Generation Meeting. While I was there, I had some productive meetings with partners and took the opportunity to discover Ancona’s beautiful sights.
With my next meeting in Pavia still a few days away, I decided to make the most of my Interrail Pass’s flexibility and visit one of my absolute favourite cities in Europe—Florence. I spent my time soaking up its rich culture and, of course, indulging in the fantastic Italian food (because who can resist that in Italy?).
After two incredible days in Florence, it was time to get back to work! I hopped on a train to Pavia, where I joined the DIEM Project (Diversity and Inclusion in Erasmus+ Implementation). It was a great experience meeting partners from all over Europe and working together on this important initiative.
It was undoubtedly an incredible experience to use the Interrail Pass for business trips while also combining it with some small vacations in between.
We hope that all Erasmus students can take advantage of this experience and embark on their next mobility journey with the Interrail Pass for Erasmus+.
