For almost two weeks, Andrea Rydningen (18) and Cecilia Brouwer (19) have been winding their way down the continent. When we talk to the girls from Haugesund, they have made it all the way down to Rome. They have traveled the entire trip on the same train ticket. It’s called interrail, and the girls got it completely free. THE CASTLE OF VERSAILLES: Cecilia and Andrea visit the palace of Louis XIV (the Sun King) Photo: Andrea Rydningen / Privat The EU gives out thousands of free interrail tickets every year. The scheme is called DiscoverEU and the target group is European 18-year-olds. – We got an advertisement on Snapchat. We were a bit skeptical, it’s not often you see “win a free ticket to Europe”, the girls say. Skepticism, on the other hand, turned into curiosity. – I wanted to experience the world and this was a great opportunity to see Europe, says Cecilia. Andrea had never heard of interrail before she saw the advertisement, but the concept was tempting enough. Interrail and DiscoverEU With an Interrail ticket you can travel throughout Europe on one and the same ticket. The scheme was introduced in 1972 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The ticket was a smash success and many went on Interrail in the years that followed. DiscoverEU is a scheme where young people can apply to win free interrail tickets. Nearly 250,000 young people have won a free ticket since the scheme was launched in 2018. Sigrid Haugan is a senior adviser in the Directorate for Children, Youth and Families (Bufdir), which is responsible for the DiscoverEU scheme in Norway. – The aim is to give more young people in Europe an opportunity to travel, make new friends and become more independent. It seems to work well, says Haugan. Sigrid Sivertsen Haugan is a senior advisor at Bufdir, and is responsible for DiscoverEU in Norway. Photo: PHOTO: Bufdir / Bufdir Almost 1,000 Norwegian young people have won a free ticket since October last year, that’s about half of those who applied. – The feedback is very positive! Many are traveling for the first time without their parents, and for much longer than they are used to, says Haugan. BROCHURE: For many, this is a well-known brochure. NSB print from November 1979. Photo: Odd Lier Interrail makes a “comeback” Andrea and Cecilia are not the only ones who take their holidays on train tracks. From 2019 to 2022, there were 20 per cent more Norwegians traveling on Interrail. – Globally speaking, you have never sold more tickets, says Susanne Svensson in Silverrail. Silverrail is working to coordinate the train service in Europe. CHAMP DE MARS: Andrea and Cecilia spend the evening in the park right next to the Eiffel Tower. Photo: PHOTO: Privat – Interrail started to come back again in 2019. The pandemic that followed dampened the ticket sales for the next two years, but 2022 was again a record year, says Svensson. She believes the record number comes from the fact that we have become more environmentally aware and want to travel sustainably. Done flying? Andrea and Cecilia mostly have good things to say about the train journey. They tell about beautiful cities, cool places to stay and pleasant people. But the trip has not only gone smoothly. – The journey from Oslo to Amsterdam took two days. We had to take eleven trains and sometimes we had to stand the whole journey, the girls say. COPENHAGEN: Andrea is waiting for the next train at Central Station. Photo: Andrea Rydningen / Privat Although interrail is cool, it’s easier to fly. – The biggest advantage of flying is that it is easy. I have a better conscience for this holiday, but I wish there were more direct trains, says Andrea. Tips and tricks on Facebook The Interrail trend is mirrored on Facebook. The Facebook group “Togferie” gathers over 50,000 members. – You can ask questions and get answers about everything possible. From large train expeditions around the world, to train routes in Norway and Europe. This is according to one of the administrators in the group, Kristian Skjellum Aas. HUGE ATTENDANCE: Kristian Skjellum Aas tells of great interest in traveling on a train holiday. Photo: PHOTO: Privat Aas feels that the interest in train holidays is enormous. Nevertheless, he believes that the train service can be far better. – It is an incoherent offer. We should expand the train network in Norway, but also get direct train journeys from Oslo to Copenhagen and a direct night train from Oslo to Hamburg, says Aas.
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Interrail makes a “comeback” – many young people travel for free through Europe – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
