Paid Internship listings each week in our Student Traveler newsletter! Sign up here Travel Guard travel insurance plans include travel insurance & assistance that travels with you. Coverages may include: Trip cancellation due to terrorism & other named unforeseen events, trip delay, lost baggage, medical emergency, & others. Purchase online for immediate coverage at Travel Guard HostelsClub.com allows you to make secure online bookings for hostels, budget hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and camping grounds from their selection of over 13,500 properties in 120 different countries. Avoid booking fees when you make your next booking! Compare Credits vs. Train Compartments, Classes vs. Castles and Study Session vs. Stations -- and Eurailing Through Europe Wins Every Time You’ve got to go to Greece for Easter," Dimitri said. "Everyone comes during the summer, but tourists never come for Easter." I met Dimitri in a café in Amsterdam. He was from Athens, studied in England, and was away from London for the weekend. I got out my map of Europe and he pointed to a small mountain village north of his hometown where he thought the Orthodox celebrations would be worthy of the long trip. I was going to spend a month seeing Europe, and I wanted to do it the rite-of-passage way. By train. Beyond that, who knew? Dimitri’s suggestion was just the insider tip I needed to give my planning some direction. Some grads hit the road the week college gets out, a Eurail ticket in one hand and a wad of cash in the other. Others save their Benjamins while reading Lonely Planet cover to cover. Some excited travelers map out every detail, and practice packing their backpack a month before leaving. Whether your style of planning falls under control freak, grab and go, or somewhere in the middle, these fresh-from-the-rail tips will take the fog off your first Eurail experience. FIRST THING'S FIRST Where do you want to go? When the answer is everywhere, just change the question to Where do you want to go first? There are lots of complexities that can influence this answer. Having a limited amount of time or money can narrow your options. So can travel partners. If you can’t mention Europe without your friends and relatives telling you where you should go, consider their recommendations, but determine a short list of what you would like to experience independent of what others think. I was stuck in this stage for weeks until I got Independent Travellers Europe by Rail (Thomas Cook Publishing; $19.95). As soon as I opened the book, my dream of going to Prague, Budapest, and Paris, and following Dimitri’s suggested holiday in Greece, started to take shape. It was essential reading before and during the trip. You’ll also want to get Thomas Cook’s European Rail Timetable. It has been published monthly for more than 130 years and gives you the heads-up on what kind of train is leaving when and from where. Yeah, when you first see the hieroglyphic pages of numbers, dots, circled letters, lightning bolts, forks, knives, and city names, you might feel more lost than you’ll ever feel on the rails. Not to fear. Using the index to look up where you want to go, cross checking it with where you’ll be starting from, and getting used to military time will have you on the fastest train from France to Italy in the blink of an eye. The codes are easier to learn than Statistics, and will be a huge help for those who enjoy planning all the details before they get cleared by U.S. Customs. BUYING YOUR EURAIL TICKET Once you’ve got an idea of where you want to go and how long you’ll be gone, then you can start shopping for the magical Eurail pass. Instead of buying a ticket for each individual train trip, you can buy a consolidated pass that covers many days, cities, and connections. But if you try to look at the passes before some initial planning, you might end up wasting travel cash on an unnecessary ticket that could be used for souvenirs, late nights at a club, or upgrading accommodations later on. "While the fun of the Eurail pass is not having to plan every move, there’s a risk to buying an expensive ticket. You never know if you’re going to fall in love with your first destination and end up staying there for half your trip," says Sean Presant, a former Let’s Go writer. "It’s often cheaper to buy a limited ticket, use the days for the long trips, and pay for short day trips at the regular rate." TIP: There are a number of Websites that sell Eurail tickets; www.TravelCuts.com is an agency specializing in discount student travel and offers a wide range of Eurail options. www.Eurail.com also offers tickets. DISCOVERY ON THE RAILS "Trains seduce me the gentle pull as they glide out of the station, the smooth roll along the track, the efficient warning of the whistle and the possibility of being able to put your head out of the window for a mouthful of rushing air, like a dog in a car on the M1," says Kate Matthams in "Spotting Trains," on www.BootsnAll.com. There is no doubt; rail travel is the most romantic form of transportation. Where else does fantasy come to life out the window? French farmlands, towering Swiss Alps, or the dream-drenched blue of the Italian coast. Small towns with brick homes, green mountain passes and arched wooden bridges; stray dogs, a shepherd and his flock, or food-laden villagers walking back home before dusk. All backed by the soundtrack of whirring hums and a metronome’s pulse of rickety creaks as the cars rock and sway on the tracks. On a train, the possibilities are endless. The most annoying chatterbox will be rendered speechless, while a novelist could be born from an inspiring encounter and a blank notebook. Sometimes a four-hour journey can pass in an easy conversation with a new friend. Other times an all-day trip on a full train will feel like a week next to an un-showered seat partner. TIP: Don’t sit next to the main compartment doors. If you’re trying to enjoy some peace and quiet, the bathroom traffic (and sometimes the smell) will get old fast. TURNING YOUR COMPARTMENT INTO YOUR BEDROOM Taking a night train is the traveler’s way of multitasking. You spend your sunlit hours enjoying your destination, and make tracks while you sleep. There are a variety of ways to sleep on the train. Hardcore budget travelers will save money on a hostel and curl up in their second-class seats instead. Sometimes there are closed-door cabins for six. If the train is fairly empty, then you can spread out and use the whole row to lay down. Couchettes are enclosed rooms with seats that convert into bunks in the evening. They come with bedding and have six beds in second class, four berths in first class. Attendants will keep your ticket overnight and alert you before you reach your destination. They often cost as much as a night in a cheap hostel. Sleeping cars are slightly more pricey than the couchette, have fewer berths, and come with a washing basin. Sometimes attendants will serve beverages or breakfast for an extra charge. When the train is not crowded, you’ll be thrilled to get a compartment to yourself. TIP: When taking an overnight train, departures on or after 19:00 can be written with the next day’s date. SAFETY, SECURITY, AND AVOIDING SURPRISES Sleeping or hungover backpackers are easy targets for pickpockets on trains, and in the rail stations. Money belts work, even if they’re not the most attractive fashion accessory. Everyone reaches into their jeans for their passports and cash, so shake that "Geez, I look dumb reaching into my pants" attitude. If you’re nervous about leaving your backpack when you go to the toilet or even to the lounge car, consider bringing a cable lock. (www.Roadwired.com has some great travel locks, including the The Travelock security kit. Other travelers swear by the cable alarms. Money-changers at the train station sometimes charge a commission or give you a bum exchange rate. You’re better off getting your money out of the ATM. Be prepared to pay for routine surcharges on express trains. If you want to try and get around them, ask the ticket office if they have a surcharge-free alternative. High-speed services like the French TGV, the German ICE, the Swedish X2000, Eurostar Italia, and Spanish AVE services will require a supplement. Of course, they all mean you spend less time watching the countryside go by, and more time actually at your destination. When you buy the 17-country Flexipass, it’s easy to forget which countries are covered and which are not. Check your route against the ticket, and be prepared to buy an extra ticket to cover lapses like Prague. TIP: Travel insurance is worth the paperwork if you want to recoup some monetary losses in the event your bags do get stolen. FLEXIBLE = FUN! "Istanbul?" asked the woman to my left. "Sure, I thought I’d go get a Turkish bath," I said after my plans to go to Greece for Easter were squashed by missing a connecting train. "But you can still see an Orthodox Easter celebration in Bulgaria. Why go all the way to Turkey?" Bul-where? I didn’t know anything about Bulgaria. Over the next two hours, she told me about growing up in Bulgaria, her work in Romania, and a small village named Veliko Turnovo that would have candlelit Easter celebrations the next day at midnight. As I excitedly changed my plans to follow her suggestion, the young woman across from us looked up from her book and said that she was from Veliko Turnovo. She walked out with me and later invited me into her home for the night, and then to her grandparent’s village for Easter celebrations the following day. The best part of traveling on a train is sitting knee-to-knee with other travelers. When you meet someone from another culture, your world expands in ways you have yet to imagine. Keeping yourself open to changing your itinerary and traveling with new friends can often lead to your most memorable moments. TIP: Bring pictures from home that can fuel a non-English conversation but won’t break your back when stowed in the pack. POPULAR EURAIL PASSES FOR THE UNDER 26 SET Choosing a eurail pass is tough. Fight the urge to think that biggest is the best, and focus on what kind of travel you want to do. If you have a tight itinerary that will have you plowing through country after country in a short amount of time, go for the Eurail Pass Consecutive Day. If you’ve got plenty of time and no agenda, the 10-day Flexi should be perfect. Liz Meggison of Travel Cuts (www.TravelCUTS) says, "The most popular Eurail Passes this year are the Select Passes. Students like these because they don't have to pay for all 17 countries in the Eurail Network, if they only plan to travel in 3, 4, or 5 countries." And if you’re the type to plant your feet and get to know just one or two places in depth, why not go for single country pass that gives you three or four days of travel over a decent amount of time (countries vary in price and time, but they are in the neighborhood of $100). Discounts aren’t just for the young ones. Travelers who are 27 and older can save by traveling in parties of two or more. EURAIL PASS YOUTH Unlimited second class travel through the 17 Eurail Countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Consecutive days of travel range from 15 unlimited days ($414) to three months unlimited ($1,160). EURAIL PASS YOUTH FLEXI The same countries as above, but without the restriction of traveling on consecutive days. They call it "Flexi," because you’ve got more freedom to travel when you want. 10 days in 2 months $488.00, 15 days in 2 months $642.00 EURAIL SELECT PASS YOUTH Unlimited second class travel on the national rail networks of any 3, 4 or 5 bordering countries out of 18 European countries that are connected by train or ship. Options range from five travel days in three countries over the course of two months (for $249) to being able to travel for 15 days and hit five countries over the same time ($556). FRANCE ‘N ITALY YOUTHPASS Any 4 days unlimited second class train travel within 2 months. $199 with additional days for $21 each. CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACK FOR YOU The debate of whether to take a traditional backpack, or one with wheels is never over. Having used both, I look to the ground to settle the dispute. What will I spend most of my time walking on? If it’s cement, the wheels win. If it’s dirt and grass on an extended camping trip, the wheels will only get in the way. If you’re still not sure, borrow your friends’ packs and do a dry run. You’ll be with this baby for the long haul, make sure you feel good about your choice. Here are the pros and cons of each: TRADITIONAL: PROS: These bags are a little lighter. If you’re an ox and would rather become one with your gear, this is the option for you. CONS: You need to be a disciplined packer. They get heavy fast. WITH WHEELS: PROS: When your train car is all the way at the other end of the train, you’ll be happy to do some easy pulling as opposed to humping your souvenir stuffed bag to get there. Be prepared to use the shoulder straps for getting it down some crowded aisles on the train. CONS: Stairs are a *****. Escalators are everywhere (but Venice), but count on a flight of stairs here and there. Most bags will have a side handle for easy conversion. German trains are usually on time...except when you most need them to be. Or so I learned one night while trying to get from Munich to Geneva. After a weekend of debauchery, Bavarian-style, my friend Rick and I needed to make a quick dash to Switzerland in order to get to work at our chateau on Monday morning. The problem was that after our first train from Munich we had a whopping eight minutes to catch the next one to Ulma, Germany. But we had confidence that the trains would be on time or that, if they weren't, the connecting train would wait. We were scheduled to leave at 6:30 p.m., but all that moved was an annoying kid running down the aisle. At 6:43 p.m., thirteen minutes behind schedule, the train left.

As we finally inched into the Ulma station, our ticket home zipped by us-right on time. It was the last train of the night to Bern, Switzerland, and it left us scrambling for another way to make it to work on time. We figured out a schedule of taking seven trains in three hours in order to make it to Bern, with the last train heading south just after midnight. Each leg gave us an average five-minute window to make the next connection. After sweating through each ride, we finally reached Bern. But we were too late and the last train (of course) had left on time. After unsuccessful hitchhiking attempts, and fitful sleep on benches, two more trains, and an expensive cab ride we reached our final destination. We were seventeen minutes late (a Swiss sin only forgiven by scraping cheese grind off fondu pans for a week). As I was lugging my backpack the last couple steps to the kitchen, a Swedish knockout staying at the chateau crossed my path. She took one look at my knotted hair and bloodshot eyes, gave me the cutest smile, and walked in for the breakfast I needed to serve her. Suddenly, the past thirteen hours faded into oblivion and I went to work. Eric Tiettmeyer $5 Sunglasses Made Me Do It It was my first European train ride, and I felt cool. I'd figured things out. I had my backpack packed strapped to me like some kind of bondage outfit. I had my Eurail pass, my golden ticket, in a waterproof pouch, in a ticket folder, in a safety pouch, which was inside my pants. I had my passport with my first smeared ink stamp. I had Barcelona in front of me as I stepped off the night train from Madrid, the sun shining into the station and onto me like an anointed traveler. Then I realized I didn't have my sunglasses. I'd bought them in Madrid for the equivalent of five bucks. They were, in my mind, Euro and hip. In reality, they were the same knockoff Oakleys sold in every gas station in the U.S. I told my traveling companion to hold on while I jumped back on the train to find them. Surely I had a few minutes. I fought against the tide of boarding passengers and startled an elderly woman as I burst into my previous compartment and started searching around frantically, asking "Donde esta my sunglasses?" in very poor Spanish. She grabbed her bags and curled into the corner. Suddenly, I felt the train lurch. chunk. A little faster. Ka-chunk-ka-chunk. A wild look of panic, a moment's indecision over my sunglasses, and I was tearing through the hallway to the nearest exit. The train was picking up speed but I leaned out the open door. My friend was quickly receding as she stood on the platform. Looking left, we were about to enter a tunnel. I thought of every Western train robbery and James Bond movie I'd ever seen. I had neither a cowboy hat nor a tuxedo, but I threw myself off the train just before we entered the tunnel. I landed on my backpack and went skidding across the platform while a crowd of locals stared and the train zoomed off. "Americans..." they must have sighed. Jeff Booth La Polizia "You willa come with me now to de jail." Not exactly what you want to hear on a train in Europe. My brother and I had just left Paris on an overnight bound for Rome. The departure schedule was written using the 24-hour clock and we left at 1700 (five o'clock p.m.). This being my first encounter with the 24-hour clock, I assumed 1700 meant 7 p.m. We discovered the mistake while en route to the station. After barely making our train we realized we also wrote the wrong date on our Eurail passes. Eurail rules dictate that you write in the date you begin your travels, unless your train trip includes an overnight, in which case you must write in the next day's date on the ticket. We had to forget the date. Ever try to change a 3 into a 4 in pen? The result was a disaster and we got busted somewhere between Florence and Rome. It took quite a while to convince the conductors that we were just wayward travelers who had made an honest mistake. With our weary expressions and poor attempts at broken Italian they finally took pity on us and let us off the hook. Next time though, I'll use an erasable pen. Rich Steel Photo by Jessica Chan

To expedite the daunting process of online train shopping, remember that each of the websites listed below offers the same price for the most popular passes. The advantages of each company will be found in the bonuses, additional discounts, weekly specials and travel advice they offer to users. Also keep an eye out for pass security and free shipping.

RailEurope.com

RailEurope.com offers simple navigation and easy reading. We all know deciding on which eurorail pass to buy is sometimes confusing and frustrating, but RailEurope.com offers a helpful pass comparison chart to make sure you’re buying the best priced pass. If you’re a visual person their interactive map makes your itinerary clear and easy to visualize. The map can also serve as a guide for those of you who don’t know where to go and how to get there. RailEurope.com only sells premier trains tickets through Eurostar, TGV, and Train Hotel Elipsos.

Eurail.com

Eurail.com sells Eurail Passes and Eurailtickets with secure ordering. Customers should feel at ease because Eurail.com offers pass security for an additional $12 USD. This option guarantees that Eurail.com will replace lost or stolen passes while you are traveling. This site sells passes world wide, but will not sell to those who are resident to Europe and neighboring countries. With that Eurail.com offers free world wide shipping via Fed Ex and they even throw in a free travel guide with every purchase. Be prepared for a backpack full of discounts and bonuses; they even reward customers with a free digital organizer upon completion of their journeys.

Eurorailways.com

This busy, info-saturated site offers all types of Euro railway passes for a range of durations. When travelers purchase any pass Eurorailways.com awards you with a free travel guide along with plenty of bonuses for each country you plan on visiting such as discounts on ferries, museums, and tours. The passes are also sent to you with free shipping. The best bonus they are currently offering is free car rental for one day with a purchase of any 5 day Select pass (Youth pass excluded). If you’re still having trouble deciding on your travel itinerary this site offers a free service to aid your decisions. Their personal travel assistance can give you suggestions on passes and travels in Europe. Eurorailways.com Rail’n Drive packages are particularly persuasive: they combine rail travel and car rental into one discounted package price.

Eurostar

From the start, users of this site can tell that Eurostar takes train rides very seriously. The sleek, minimalist home page offers users the information in a two dozen different languages and upon entering the site you’ll find slick virtual tours of rail cars and terminals across Europe. More than anything, Eurostar upholds a demeanor closer to an airline than a train service: they offer a business class section, a Frequent Traveler program and an itinerary planner that will put Travelocity to shame. And for anyone looking to reclaim their childhood in the Old Country, Eurostar offers direct service to Disneyland Resort Paris.

Railpass.com

This site is the winner of the Eurail Award for being the largest single rail outlet. Their site is very straightforward and lavish colors make it appealing. Railpass.com provides an online color coded interactive map to help you see the possible railways through your desired countries. And if you’re still not sure which pass to buy, this site offers their ‘Railsaver Technology’ that helps you pick a pass whether you have a specific itinerary or not. And after that if you’re still clueless about your travels stop by their European Rail Network where their travel experts provide helpful tips for users. Like other site they do offer free shipping, but only if you spend at least $200 USD.

EuropeonRail.com

EuropeonRail.com is a very appealing and user-friendly site. The opening page is swamped in bright, pleasing colors. This site offers unbeatable prices, but more importantly they offer a secure site. Each purchase transaction is a 123 bit SSL secure. Group travelers should take advantage of the discount rates; Europeonrail.com offers 30% off for groups larger than six. If you want to really scratch the surface this summer (and get a break from the deluge of Americans trekking across Europe) try the Rail n’ Drive packages, where they combine unlimited train and car rental use for maximum exploration. Like most other sites they offer free maps and timetables.

EuropeByTrain.com

EuropeByTrain.com is your place to get prepped for your jaunt as a nomad in Europe. They carry a modest selection of backpacks and all the essential gear such as money belts, language translators, flashlights and compact mosquito nets (for those nights under the stars). You could even be the talk of the hostel in your satin hostel sleep sack! They also offer all European rail passes, including the Eurail Pass, the Britrail Pass, and all of the individual country passes for purchase. While the abundance of choices can be daunting, EuropeByTrain takes the guesswork out of your decision by providing detailed explanations of all your options.