From time to time, it is necessary to sit apart from travelling companions. This may occur - for example - when it's vital for two or more travellers to catch a busy train, adjacent seat reservations are not available, but separated seat reservations are. If this situation arises, despite your prompt and sound attempts to reserve adjacent seats, there's a fair amount of advice online about swopping reserved seat etiquette on public transport. (Generally, I never ask strangers to swop seats. This makes it a real joy, if strangers offers to swop.) If we end up sitting apart, before we board, my travelling companion and I will agree a fail safe plan regarding bag stowage, upcoming 'stop' warnings, food sharing, platform meeting points etc. Then, we modify our plan during the journey by text message.
On reflection, there's more to the suitcase or backpack dilemma. Whichever you choose, think about bagging items inside your luggage too. As a liner, I generally have a large, robust, transparent, plastic 'bin' bag. There's little worse than arriving at your next destination hotel, to find that most of your possessions are soaked through by rain. The transparency of this bag allows me to find odd nick nacks, without too much rummaging. Within the outer bag, I generally have a number of smaller, differently coloured bags, positioned as to the likelihood that I will need them. So, in the bottom of my luggage, I will position essential items that I am unlikely to need. At the top, I will generally position two bags: one with overnight gear (PJs, phone charger, toothbrush, night lights etc) and one with the clean clothes that I will need in the next 3 days, say. That way, I can arrive tired at a hub hotel, unzip my luggage and (within 20 minutes) be in bed ready for breakfast and several d
On many past Interrail trips, lasting from one to three months, I have taken: a good money belt; a 30 litre rucksack; and a wheeled, soft, 74 litre bag. After every trip, I vow to travel lighter next time! The hands-free money belt and rucksack are fine. When travelling between what I call 'hub' locations, they hold my valuable and attractive items securely. When 'spoke' travelling, out from 'hubs', the rucksack becomes a water- and sandwich-bearing day sack. No, it's the 74 litre wheeled bag that is too big. Being big, it tempts me to pack and carry too many 'nice to have' items, some of which still return from long trips unused, even now. So, I am looking to purchase a wheeled, soft, 33 or 39 litre bag instead. Such a bag will constrain my packing to essential items only and will be much easier to haul on and off trains, not to mention trains' luggage racks, which are often full in peak season. I know that laundry days eat into holidays, but it is possible to travel for months with o
Some general advice, from experience, do: store valuable documents, digital devices and medication in your hand luggage, never in your 'hold' luggage; sit in a seat that offers a view of your hold luggage, if possible; use relatively tatty and unattactive looking hold luggage; personalise your hold luggage, to make it clearly yours; use any locks to secure zips etc; use wire/chain combination locks, to secure hold luggage to racks; place your hold bags in racks, so as to make theft difficult; consider including electronic tracker tags in your hold bags.
I have picked up seat reservations in Poland, from a Post Office in Warsaw, as I recall. The system worked well. Leave plenty of time to find the Post Office and queue.
I travelled first class by Interrail in Norway and Sweden in May/June 23. First class seat reservations in Norway were free and arranged easily at ticket counters. The Scandanavians, especially young Scandanavians, speak better English than many English people of the same ages, thankfully. Seat reservations in Sweden were made via the national train company's app/website. I had never booked seat reservations this way before entering Sweden, and was a bit overwhelmed at first, but eventually cracked it. My train from Stockholm to Copenhagen was delayed and so I requested a refund. The refund process was simple, effective and courteous. Refreshments in first class were via a machine in Norway and flasks in Sweden. The Lindt chocolates in Sweden were much appreciated. My only other comment: if you are travelling with a lot of luggage, you will probably find more storage space that is closer to hand in first class. This is partly because the first class compartments are less busy.
My general rules for reserving seats at train stations: 1. Research your intended train connections widely, before going to ticket offices, even down to the train numbers. 2. Type the connection details accurately, briefly and clearly into Google Keep, or a similar note-taking app 3. Copy and paste those details into Google Translate; never assume that counter clerks will speak English; many do, very well, but not all. 4. Go to ticket offices as soon as you arrive in the country for which you need seat reservations; I often go as soon as I arrive; before I go to my hotel. Some countries do not have ticket offices, like Sweden; so you will need to buy and store your reservations online. 5. Check out the queuing arrangements at ticket offices and follow suit; do check if you need a customer ticket; never jump queues, unless it is a matter of life or death. And, try not to hog ticket counters. If you have more than three seat reservations to make, do the most pressing first, and come back
In June 23, I travelled in all 3 Baltic states by rail with a digital Global pass, without any difficulties at all. The trains were busy, clean and punctual. In all 3 states - after consulting Google directions, the 3 train companies' apps and local timetables - I added the journeys manually to the Interrail app, and showed the code generated when requested. From Tallinn, I visited Tartu. From Riga, I visited Cēsis and from Vilnius I visited Kaunas. English was spoken at most ticket offices. Using Google Translate, as a backup, I did ask at those train stations with ticket offices about seat reservations but ended up not buying one. Prices for rail journeys in the Baltic States are low. Some, non Interrail tickets can only be bought on the day of use and some are time limited. When travelling between the capitals, I used Flixbus, as the cross border train connections are not yet straightforward. I did not take advantage of the Interrail discounted Helsinki to Tallinn ferry trip, but sh
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