Travelling from Paris to Milan is a beautifully scenic journey by train. But what happens when you suddenly realise that your battery pack is at the bottom of your rucksack or the ticket inspector asks for more information about your seat or ticket. Do you always have these things handy?
Here are 10 things you need to pack in your daypack when interrailing!
Table of Contents
Don’t Forget To Pack These Essentials
Obviously you will have a separate bag with clothing, toiletries etc. But I would always recommend a smaller daypack to keep beside you on the train. These are the things you don’t want to lose, or you’ll need during long train journeys. Clearly I’m not including the obvious money, phone and keys here, I’d expect you to be sensible enough to already have them on your person!
Choose a bag that is big enough to be at your feet or wedged between you and the side of the train. Bigger bags will be uncomfortable, and you don’t want it on the luggage rack as it could potentially get stolen. Between your legs or at your feet with one leg through the arm loop means you always know where it is!
It’s also sensible to have a bag with a full zip at the top to deter pickpockets and multiple pockets or slots inside to keep everything organised and safe. This Fjällraven foldsack is a great choice and makes it so simple to have all the necessary things with you. I also love the colour range with dusty blues and bright yellow!
Battery Packs
This seems like an obvious one. But often people take them out of the last place they were staying and shove it into a side pocket of the larger bag. When actually it makes much more sense to have the battery packs and charging cables in the daypack beside you.
Everyone knows that train sockets are often faulty and no use for charging phones. So it’s best to make sure you can charge your phone when needed on the train. Especially when most of us have Interrail passes on the phone now! It needs to be charged to scan the ticket at the station.
Passport
This may seem like an obvious thing to keep on you. But some people think it’s safer stuck in a sock in their large bag. But as the larger bag isn’t always in sight, it’s best to keep it in the bag the bag that is with you at all times! Preferably not in the front zip pocket, as that can easily be stolen!
Paper Copies of Seat Reservations
If you have an interrail pass then you won’t need any other tickets aside the pass itself. However, you will need seat reservations for certain trains, such as the Eurostar.
Most seat reservations are e-reservations and so are kept on your phone. But sometimes apps on our phone like to stop working just at the point we need them most. Like when you need the seat reservation to scan at a train station when you have 5 minutes to catch the train! Or you need to switch between the Interrail pass and seat reservations quickly, but you can’t find them in your email!
Anyway, print out the paper copies of your seat reservations and keep them handy at the back of your bag ready to get out when you need them.
First Aid Kit/Medicines
Again, it’s best to keep the first aid kit or medicines on you, just in case it’s required during the train journey. It also makes it easier for when you need to quickly find it when you arrive somewhere new.
Of course it’s also not something you want to lose, so keep it close in the bag that’s with you at all times!
Snacks and Water
On all train journeys, especially long ones, you are going to want some tasty snacks when you get hangry. Or a drink of water. Of course long train journeys probably have a cafe carriage, but save a few pennies and bring your own!
Notebook or Sketchbook
Don’t spend the entire journey looking at your phone, instead bring a notebook to write down interesting parts of your journey. Or a sketchbook to draw what you see from the train window or even in the train itself.
Looking at your device the entire time does take away a bit of the magic of train travel. So just having the ability to do something that requires looking at the view is much more rewarding.
Book or Kindle
Take a book or kindle with you for longer train rides, particularly when it’s dark or boring landscapes. My youngest likes to have an audio book, that way he can listen to the story, but also watch out the window too.
The more options of things to do the better!
Card Games
Another addition to keep everyone happy on the train are a couple of card games. They are also great for chatting and getting to know other train travellers if you are sat at a table.
Our card games of choice for train travel are Monopoly Deal and Uno No Mercy. Great, competitive, but a lot of fun for everyone!
I found these great little zip pouches that are perfect for decanting card games into. All our card boxes for the games seem to get wrecked when travelling. So this keeps the cards nice and corners un-squished.
Spare Set of Clothes
This one might be dependent on how bulky your clothes are. But if you are on a long journey and worried about your case or large rucksack arriving in one piece, a spare change of clothes is pretty useful. If your bag goes missing or you have an early start the next day, a set of clothing just makes life easier!
Spork
This may seem a little weird, but often when we pick up food at a train station we need cutlery. It might be pasta, salad or mango. But fingers are no good for eating it!
Take a handy spork, it’s small and can easily slot into your bag. You can use it as a spoon, fork or even small knife. Just makes things a tiny bit more convenient for you!
Bonus – Little Ones Soft Toy (don’t put it in the main bag!)
Never, ever, ever put the kids soft toys in a larger bag away from where you are sitting on a train. If that bag gets stolen or someone takes it by accident thinking it’s theirs, then it’s good bye to the soft toys for ever! And we all know how that would go down for the child! If you can leave it at home, that makes life easier, but if not putting the precious soft toys in your own bag by your feet.
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