Covid-19 has impacted just about every aspect of modern life, and the interrail experience is no exception. Anyone who is planning on travelling through Europe on an interrail pass this year needs to be aware of how their journey will be affected.

Masks and Social Distancing

Throughout the EU, the European Commission is recommending that member states mandate the wearing of masks in certain situations. The exact advice and rules vary slightly throughout Europe but throughout the continent, people are being asked to wear masks while using public transport. It is in your interest, as well of those around you, to comply with this advice and ensure that you are wearing a mask whenever you are on a train.

Maintaining social distancing is also an important measure for all of us to take if we want to limit the spread of Covid-19 and keep one another safe. Of course, social distancing isn’t always going to be possible, especially while you are on a train or another form of public transport. This is where the masks come into play. Where social distancing isn’t possible, masks and face coverings will go a long way to reducing the opportunities that the virus has to spread between travellers.

A Cleaner Environment

Washing your hands regularly is important and is advice that we have all had drilled into our heads since the very beginning of the pandemic leggi qui. Many travellers on the interrail this year will be carrying a bottle of hand sanitiser with them, enabling them to easily disinfect their hands when they don’t have access to soap and water. Washing hands is important as some studies suggest that contact with contaminated surfaces is a major transmission vector for the virus.

You will also notice that most countries you travel through are taking extra steps to keep their trains and stations clean. However, it is better not to rely on other people to maintain good hygiene standards; you should be willing to take responsibility for yourself. With hand sanitiser, it is easy to disinfect your hands whenever you touch a surface that other people are likely to have touched before you.

Heightened Risk

Even if everyone you come across during your interrail adventure abides by all the social distancing and mask-wearing regulations that are in place, you will never be able to completely eliminate the risk that coronavirus presents. This is a dangerous and highly-infectious disease and while the measure outlined above will definitely keep the risk as low as possible, there are numerous potential transmission vectors.

As you travel through Europe, you will notice that different countries take different approaches to reduce the risk of transmission. As yet, there isn’t a cohesive EU-wide approach; it is down to individual nations to make their own decisions. No one ever plans on getting sick when they are travelling, but it is always a possibility. Everyone should have insurance for travelling in Europe this summer from a

reliable travel insurance provider that can help you as quickly as possible. Making sure that you have the best possible travel insurance options will cover some or all of the costs associated with having to cancel a trip at short notice, as well as the costs of seeking emergency medical treatment for Covid-19.

Your Plans Need to Be More Fluid

The Covid-19 pandemic is a fast-moving and constantly-evolving situation, and no one knows how things are going to play out exactly over the next few months. It is possible that there will be localised spikes in cases and nations might move to restrict travel through their borders as a result. If you are planning on interrailing in 2020, you need to be prepared to change your plans on the fly.

Interrailing is a fantastic experience, even in the midst of a global pandemic. However, if you are going to be interrailing during this period, you need to be aware of the challenges and be ready to alter your plans at short notice if necessary.