Is interrailing the most cost-effective way for students to travel?

For most students, travelling around the world seems like a pipe dream. With rent, groceries, and bills piling up, the concept of travel can feel unattainable. However, some forms of travel, like interrailing, are more affordable and accessible for students...

If you haven't been interrailing yourself, you'll probably know someone who has. It's a trendy way to travel these days, with many students choosing to take gap years to save up and interrail across the continent, or back-pack during their summer breaks.

Interrailing allows you to visit multiple locations within a set period, efficiently travelling from place to place. It's a simple, exciting way to travel, though it can be intense and tiring. But is it really the cheapest option for students?

I went on my own Interrailing trip this summer with a friend, starting in London and visiting Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels within a week. The main cost came from purchasing an interrailing ticket. We bought ours through Interrail Eurail, a website that enables you to interrail across Europe. It helps you plan out your desired trip and choose the best pass.

To travel to two or more countries, you'll need a Global Pass. We chose a 5-day Global Pass, which enabled us to travel on 5 separate days within one month for just €239, or £199. (Note: you can only purchase one of these passes if you live in Europe). Seat reservations are not included, so if you want to secure a seat, you need to pay an additional fee of £20-30 per train.

Paying just under £200 to travel to up to 5 countries is an amazing deal, compared to flying- from Newcastle Airport a one-way flight to Paris can cost up to £100 during peak times.

Once you have your Eurail passes and seat reservations, the only other cost considerations are accommodation and food/general spending. Choosing to stay in youth hostels will save you a lot of money; we spent a maximum of £120 each on accommodation throughout our trip.

In total, that's less than £400 per person for five days of travel and cheap accommodation, leaving the rest of the budget for food, souvenirs and any activities.

For under £500, students can enjoy a week of interrailing, making it cheaper than flying and staying in hotels (which can add on necessary costs). Though it may take a bit of saving up to have the interrailing trip of your dreams (as £500 is still quite a bit of money!), it's certainly a student-friendly way of travelling across Europe.