The Horrible Reality Of Trying To Plan An Interrailing Trip

If you're planning to go interrailing and have done nothing about it yet, do yourself a favour and panic. Interrailing is a fantastic experience but there is A LOT of organisation that goes into it. This is mainly because it's rare that everyone likes to actively engage in the planning and hard work part, so it normally becomes the responsibility of a select few or even just one person to arrange most of the trip. In this sense the planning can be a lot like a one-sided relationship:

1) Infatuation:

Someone will suggest interrailing and everyone will love the idea. You'll spend your time picking out places you've always wanted to visit, and spend hours upon hours becoming mildly titillated at all the travel porn you keep looking up. But just like a fling that never grew into something more, most of you will not get past this first step.

2) Someone Starts To Wear The Pants:

Someone steps up and makes it official, this is now a thing, you're definitely going interrailing. You'll all too eagerly say yes when asked to commit, but you're still in the honeymoon phase of this whole thing. The person who made it official has to now do all the hard work and make you happy while you see this trip purely through rose tinted glasses.

3) You Realise The Pants Wearer Is Actually Your Little Bitch:

Yes, they may be the person calling the shots and being active about getting organised, but they can't do anything without your permission. You have just as much of a say about the planning of this holiday as everyone else, so things can't progress till you respond to the Pants Wearer's countless messages.

4) The Pants Wearer Will Question Your Commitment:

It still feels more like a fling than a relationship. Here they are trying hard to build something beautiful, picking out routes, organising groups and sending messages you really should reply to. What are you doing? Still googling pretty places to visit and only replying to half the messages they send you and that's only when they've badgered you for days on end or you feel like it.

5) You'll Think Things Are Getting To Serious To Fast:

Why is the pants wearer taking this so seriously? You've got six months left to organise this. Can't they just let it unfold and enjoy it for what it is? It can't be that hard to plan a holiday like this, right?

6) Watch as one person after another backs out:

I don't have the money, I don't have the time, it's getting too complicated, a hippo ate my parents. Everyone seems to have some kind of excuse. Like any breakup, the excuse is normally vague and brief because no one wants to hang around and watch someone get pissy with someone for dropping out or beg them to stay.

7) You Have Your First Big Fight:

After months of not giving the pants wearer any help, ignoring their questions, and taking things way too casually, they snap. They've put in a lot of effort and feel like they're getting nothing back. They make their case and perhaps you notice that yes, you have been a little lazy and things are a little one sided. You don't want to admit they're right though so make sure to act really insulted and point out how you made that one suggestion about a nice place to eat in Paris that one time.

8) Realise you need them more then they need you:

Now that the pants wearer has spoken their mind, you consider seriously the work you've put into this trip. You realise that you've taken a lot but haven't give enough back and perhaps you need to change that. There are only two months to go and if it wasn't for the pants wearer you'd still be stuck back at the first stage.

9) Realise this is way more difficult than you thought:

Why don't we have a start date picked? Wait, you have to pay extra money for trains sometimes? Why can't I stay in this hostel? That's a lot of paperwork. Shit, how have you managed all this by yourself pants wearer???

10) Pack:

I can't really think of a comparison for this one, so just be shush and keep reading because I said so. Now that all the planning is done, you just have to pack a month of your life into a small bag. You'll do this about ten times, gradually whittling down your load till you finally admit you don't really need those shoes or that hilarious chicken suit everyone loved that one time you wore it to a party.

11) Acknowledge The Pants Wearer's Has Always Had Your Best Intentions At Heart:

Sure they've nagged and criticised your laziness. Yes, they bitched a lot about the work they sort of took on themselves. True, they probably rushed into things a little prematurely. But they still managed to organise a massive interrailing trip which is no easy feat. It's all smooth sailing from here, you just get to relax and enjoy the time of your life. For that, you owe them a little something, something.

12) The Final Bits Before The Big Moment:

Jetting off is the equivalent of saying I love you and meaning it. This is it, you've really committed now, and despite any and all of the hiccups you may have faced along the way, it was worth it.

13) Break Up:

All good things must come to an end. You return home, either having killed each other while away or you all had a great time. Either way, a little space and then you can just go back to being friends again.