So, you’ve decided to buy a Eurail pass for your trip to Europe. Smart move. If you’re anything like me, now you are spending your days staring at the map of Europe and train schedule that came with your Eurail pass imagining all the possibilities that lie before you.
Could I pull off Paris to Portugal in a week? What would Poland be like this time of year? I wonder if I could take a train down the entire coast of Italy?
Yep, daydreaming about riding the rails in Europe can keep you busy for weeks (or months) leading up to your trip. In the midst of all that daydreaming though, a few questions about your Eurail will inevitably pop up, I know they did for me. Of all the questions, the one I wondered about the most was:
How do you go about validating a Eurail pass again?
In the middle of the packet of information they send you, you will find a little note about how the pass “can not be used under any circumstance for travel until it is validated”, or something else equally scary. Trying to figure out all the perceived ins and outs of validating a Eurail pass was the one thing that had me a little confused and/or nervous about my Eurail pass when I set off for my first trip.
So, if you are a little concerned about validating your Eurail pass, I am here to calm your nerves. Why? Well, because …
it is simple.
Seriously, validating a Eurail pass could’t be easier. Don’t even sweat it for half a second, because validating a Eurail pass is as easy as 1,2,3.
First, walk in to the first train station you see in Europe.
Second, find the place where they are selling tickets and stand in line.
Third, when it’s your turn, simply ask the ticket attendant to validate your pass.
About the only that could get in the way would be if you slipped and fell on your way to the ticket line. Now, I would totally recommend learning how to say “can I validate this Eurail pass, please” in the local language just to be polite. This way, you are sure to get a smile with your service and you will be on your way on your first train feeling all travelly.