So you’re planning a trip

I am putting together a series on this blog with my thoughts should anyone else plan a long-haul trip by train. It may or may not help. While I call it long-haul others refer to it as slow-travel.

Planning. It’s essential believe it or not. This is not the sort of trip you should do on a whim. You need to think ahead. You have to have an idea of what you want to do on the trip. You also need to plan breaks from the train - you’re body will start telling you this especially if you are of a certain age. Below are some bullet points from me for people to consider.

• Start planning around three months before you go. It may turn out you need longer than you thought before moving.

• Check the passport! If you know how long you’re going for ensure you have at least six months on the passport when you get back. Some countries will not let you in if it will be less.

• There are new procedures for entering Europe. The Entry / Exit System (EES). This will be done at your port of arrival (air or sea). To be honest sea port is the easiest. Vehicle drivers and foot passengers are dealt with differently. I arrived in France from Dublin. There were only 9 foot passengers and we were through in under 10 minutes - finger prints and eye scans. We were good to go and that’s you covered for three years. No cost by the way. Now compare that to the queues at the airports you see regularly on the news. In the last quarter of 2026 the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be introduced. You can get all the information on this by using one of the many search engines. However, plan to get this sorted about three weeks before you go. There will be a small cost to this but it lasts three years.

• Medical insurance. This is a requirement. Whilst the UK has agreements with European countries you are not automatically entitled to free medical care. You may have to pay for it. Make sure you have a UK Global Health Insurance Card. This card is not valid for private treatment and it’s not proof of entitlement to NHS Services in the UK. You can order this online and it’s free.

• Have a small sum of cash on you when you travel. Some countries insist on this. Don’t keep it all in the same place. Note border guards may want proof that you have the means to fund yourself while travelling. Not just cash but bank accounts and cards.

• I’ll end this piece by saying plan your trip from the start. Yes, by all means work out where you want to go but be careful of the trap. It is very easy to get caught up in a specific part of your planned journey because it excites you. You may want to journey through the alps and it will be exciting to plan your trains, your hotels, what you want to do etc. but you need to get there first. Therefore your departure day, and travel arrangements, are the most important area planning - this is you setting it in stone your leaving date.
  

Finally, I am aware that I could put more in here. However, if it helps someone to plan a trip for themselves and make them aware there is quite a bit involved then all the better. I will write more thoughts on travelling as and when I get time.