It started in 1959, when a handful of post-war European countries agreed to make it easier to cross the continent’s borders by train. There was no fixed route, and no fixed destination – the journey itself was the point. Travellers took it from there: meeting in dining cars, crossing paths on platforms, striking up conversations across languages and time zones. Nearly seven decades on, that founding spirit of openness and human connection is still what Interrail is really about.

Because the appeal was never simply about covering ground. One Interrail Pass gives you the freedom to explore up to 33 European countries by train – choosing your own route, following a whim, staying longer in the places that get under your skin. It’s an invitation to go beyond the obvious hotspots and experience Europe’s languages, landscapes and communities at the pace they deserve. To travel deeper, not just further.

And that’s the thing about a good journey: the most important part isn’t where it takes you. It’s who you come home as.