Interrail Considerations

Last month, I travelled more than 3,328 km across Europe by train to visit friends I made over the past few years who now live in various countries. It was a unique experience, and it reminded me most of a kindergarten activity, when we visited the places where some of our parents worked, such as the local military barracks or the postal sorting center. With each of my friends, I spent a part of the day immersed in their everyday life. Seeing several of them in a short amount of time sparked some reflections on recurring themes. Among people in my age group, specifically those in their mid-twenties, I noticed two common traits. The first is that doubts are very common. There is uncertainty about the future, questions about whether what one is doing is the right path, whether it creates value for society, and whether the trade-offs that come with every decision are truly worth it. The second is social life. The shift from school to work has made it significantly harder to make new friends. Colleagues are often from different age groups, or professional boundaries are simply better left untouched. While discussing these challenges, we also spoke about how to make choices. We agreed that during our twenties, the risks involved in making bold decisions are relatively low, while the opportunity cost of avoiding them is quite high. What we are all looking for is something that makes us feel alive while doing it. Finally, my journey confirmed that even though I crossed countries where four completely different languages are spoken, the real differences are limited to customs and food. Human nature remains the same everywhere, and this means that if an idea works in one place, it will probably work in many others as well. I find this thought especially reassuring.