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  • About / ContactAsWeTravel.com is a budget travel site for young travelers who are about to leave and explore the world for their first RTW trip (round the world). [box type=”tick”]We share simple travel tips, backpacking advice, clutter-free country travel guides , and amazing travel photos from all over the world.[/box] Everything we do is aimed to inspire, provoke and motivate others to simply GET OUT THERE and enjoy everything the world has to offer via. traveling… Nathan & Sofia started their first travel site in 2008, as a personal blog for their first RTW trip, where they spent 8 months with only US 6,000 each (for all food, flights, accommodation etc.) – exploring Oceania, South-East Asia & Europe. After going through 3 name changes – from nathansofia.com (8months), nathansofiatravel.com (3months) finally to aswetravel.com (since February 2010) it has now transformed into an online travel resource for anyone who wants to find out simple real-world tips & advice about budget travel and backpacking around the world. [box type=”note”]NEW! – We just released an e-book called The Pre-Travel Guide – it’s designed as a step-by-step guide to help you improve every part of your RTW preparation – from planning, saving, where to go, health, 1st month…

Europe Train Challenge Route Week 1

By the time you read this, we will be sitting on a plane flying back to Europe – that’s right, we decided to cut our Asia travels short, head back to Europe and start a whole new adventure! On the 2nd of May it begins ~ AS WE TRAVEL:

Europe Train Challenge 30 countries – 90 days around Europe by TRAIN

Europe Train Challenge
Europe Train Challenge

Welcome: The Europe Train Challenge.

InterRail
InterRail

We have teamed up with InterRail (as our premium sponsors) to create this train challenge.

During the challenge, everything we experience will be filmed, edited, and then turned into a travel show, which will be released online while we are still traveling.

The aim is not only to see if it’s possible to visit nearly every country in Europe by train within a 90 day deadline, but also to inspire and show others how easy it is to get out there, and explore the wonders of Europe in an environmentally-friendly way.

So be prepared for an extra busy 3 months here on As We Travel.

[highlight]Here is the list of 30 countries we will be visiting in 90 days:[/highlight]

Ireland / England / Netherlands / Belgium / Luxembourg / France / Portugal / Spain / Switzerland / Italy / Slovenia / Croatia / Bosnia / Montenegro / Serbia / Macedonia / Greece / Bulgaria / Turkey / Romania / Hungary / Slovakia / Austria / Czech Republic / Poland / Germany / Denmark / Sweden / Norway / Finland … phew!

Europe Train Challenge – The Route

Europe Train Challenge
Europe Train Challenge

Hey everyone! In less than 4 days we will be starting the Europe Train Challenge in Dublin, I am sure you have seen that stressful countdown button above :p 

Many people have been asking us where exactly we will be traveling during this challenge, so I thought it would be great for you guys if we posted our route map.

Europe Train Challenge Route Week 1
Europe Train Challenge Route Week 1

If you want to follow our daily updates, latest videos etc – you can click the like button below, follow our adventures and behind-the-scene videos on Facebook. 

For us the most stressful part of the trip is that we have already confirmed and booked nearly everything.

The route below can not change, since we have already arranged sponsored accommodation in every city along the way and most train tickets to each place.

We have never planned this far in advance, and it really isn’t our style of travel – we normally prefer to turn up, see what happens and then make future plans based on how we feel.

This is very different, and we are feeling a bit stressed about all the planned certainty and having to make sure we arrive in each city on the exact day. :p it’s gonna be a fun challenge! Firstly here is a rough outline of Europe with our route layout:

Europe Train Challenge Route
Europe Train Challenge Route

Below you can see the exact dates for when we will be in each city during the month of May.

MAY:

  1. Dublin: 1-2-3 – May
  2. London: 4-5
  3. Amsterdam: 6-7
  4. Brussels: 8-9
  5. Luxembourg: 10
  6. Paris: 11-12
    + OVERNIGHT – 13th
  7. Lisbon: 14-15-16
    + OVERNIGHT 17th
  8. Barcelona: 18-19
  9. Vevey: 20-21-22
  10. Venice: 23-24
  11. Bled: 25-26-27
  12. Zagreb: 28-29
    + OVERNIGHT 30th
  13. Sarajevo: 31st May – 1st June
  14. JUNE – JULY WILL BE POSTED AT A LATER DATE.

We will also be posting at least 2 new HD videos every week from every country we visit – so make sure you follow along on this adventure.

ALSO we would love to meet up and connect with any readers who happen to live or are also traveling to the same places as us – so send us an email or comment below with your location and we would love to meet up – we might even create a facebook event for each city we visit – what do you think about this?

Week 1 – Europe Train Challenge

Europe Train Challenge – 3 Countries In 1 Week:

It has been just over a week since the Europe Train Challenge started, and it has been one big roller coaster ride so far!

Countries This Week: Ireland, England, Netherlands.

Europe Train Challenge
Europe Train Challenge

Usually, Nathan and I enjoy a more slow paced style of travel – we’re used to staying in cities until we know them inside out – so jumping to a new country every 2-3 days has been very different!

In a way, I’ve actually liked it more than I expected, but it still feels quite strange. Sweden and Dublin, where we started our journey only about a week ago, feels so far away.

We have seen and experienced so many things in such a short amount of time that every day feels like two days. We wake up in one country and go to sleep in another – where else can you do that so frequently and easily than in Europe?

travel from country to country
travel from country to country

It really is different to travel from country to country every second day, and Europe just feels smaller and smaller.

We have been eating so much fatty food – it seems as though every country’s special local food is the fattest they can come up with 😉

But I’ve been enjoying it all; the thick battered fish n chips in Dublin, the beer (and deep fried Chinese) in London and the Stroopwaffles (with syrup filling) in Amsterdam.

Finding local food – which was part of our challenge in each country, was only difficult in London – the city was so multi-cultural that it almost seemed more ‘local’ to eat Indian or Chinese for lunch than pie and mash.

Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Apart from eating, we have done what we do best – walked. Walking around a city, looking at the strikingly different architecture, visiting tourist attractions and people watching are what makes traveling so fun and spontaneous.

It’s often hard to explain what you have been doing when somebody asks. Often what you remember is not exactly the attraction you saw but the people who were there seeing it with you.

Feeling in the vibe and atmosphere has been the most interesting part of this trip so far.

When you change surroundings so often, you really see the contrast in people: the people in Dublin were completely different from those in London, who were totally different from those in Amsterdam – the contrasts is what has been most obvious and surprising.

The only thing I’ve had a hard time with is finding time to blog. 🙁

Whenever I visit a new city I want to get out there right away and see it all and more – but traveling and blogging doesn’t really make that possible.

And when you do have the time to blog, the wi-fi is super expensive…

How you can find free wi-fi in a small town in the most Northern part of Thailand, but London & Paris want to charge crazy prices for a bad connection, is beyond me! B

ut don’t worry, we’ll update as often as we can and the first video episode of our Europe Train Challenge from DUBLIN will be up in just a few days – Nathan has been working hard editing all the videos! 🙂

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Comments

  1. Lauren says

    April 4, 2011 at 9:02 am

    That’s great news, and so exciting!!

  2. Anonymous says

    April 4, 2011 at 8:55 am

    Guys, you’re gonna be exhausted after so much train time. You’ll need some vacation time when you’re done!

    What cities are you thinking about visiting when in Spain?

    Good luck!

  3. Debbie Beardsley says

    April 4, 2011 at 5:14 pm

    This sounds like a very fun adventure. I love traveling by train and am looking forward to reading all about it.

  4. Andi Perullo says

    April 4, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    Oh yay how fun!!!

  5. Tom Leicher says

    April 4, 2011 at 6:09 pm

    Hi guys,

    Some cities you should definitely check out while in Belgium:
    – Brussels
    – Ghent
    – Bruges
    – Antwerp

    I don’t know how much time you will have in Belgium but I would suggest you visit the cities in that order. So if you have one day, visit Brussels. If you have two days, visit Brussels and Ghent, and so on.
    I live in Belgium so if you would like some more detailed information on what to see and do here, I would be more than happy to provide it for you.

    And if you want me to show you around in our beautiful cities, let me know and I’ll do my very best to make myself available. I could be your very own personal guide and show you things only the locals know about 🙂

    And I would love to pick your brains about travelling, since I will be going on my first long term solo trip to Australia in September this year!

    Take care and maybe we’ll see each other over some Belgian Beer, chocolate and waffles 😉

  6. Sarah Wu says

    April 4, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    wow that’s awesome, you’ll be tired but you’ll be having fun too!

  7. Andrew - The Unframed World says

    April 4, 2011 at 11:57 am

    ***ENVY*** -___-

    I have a suitcase I can fit myself inside… if you would be willing to roll me along with you.

    So happy for you two. What a great opportunity! You guys are at a level of travel blogging that I aspire to!

    I’m looking forward to your content from Europe.

  8. Peter says

    April 4, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    Wow! This is a whole lot of fun! Can i come with you? That’s so much to take in in 90 days, the most i have done in 90 days by bus is a tour of the entire UK and a bit of the East Coast of the USA.

  9. Jeannie says

    April 5, 2011 at 8:38 am

    I like your mission. “To show how easy it is to get to these countries and do so in an environmentally way.” I’m paraphrasing, but either way this sounds like an exciting challenge.

    I have one request: blooper reel!

  10. bethany says

    April 5, 2011 at 3:26 am

    Wow – that’s so exciting! Can’t wait to read more about it! You guys are so lucky!!! That will be a crazy trip for sure. 🙂

  11. Scott says

    April 5, 2011 at 6:43 am

    So jealous. Europe is where I fell in love with backpacking, train travel, and everything else we all love. Have fun will be avidly watching the videos for sure!

  12. Breakaway Backpacker says

    April 5, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    Oh wow that sounds afuckingmazing!!! I would love to do something like that. I can not wait to follow along through the blog.

  13. Akila says

    April 5, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    Wow – sounds exhausting but awesome. This year seems to be the year of train travel challenges — good luck with it!

  14. Nomadic Matt says

    April 5, 2011 at 8:53 pm

    3 days per country? Disappointing! I thought you knew how to travel better! At least I might run into you now!

  15. Urbanthor says

    April 5, 2011 at 7:02 pm

    Sure, its easy and fun. I Travellers by train in around 10 countries within 3weeks. So 30 in 3 months are no problem 🙂 have fun

  16. Laurel says

    April 7, 2011 at 7:30 am

    What a fun innovative idea! I look forward to following your adventures. I live in Stuttgart, Germany, so if you make it this way, let me know.

  17. Michael says

    April 7, 2011 at 8:03 am

    Exciting stuff guys! Have fun out there!

  18. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 7, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    Hey Javi – yeah it will be a lot of time spent riding trains – we will be spending our few days in Barcelona, and Madrid. after this is done we will need a few months rest 😉

  19. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 7, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    very exciting! will be heaps of fun 🙂

  20. Unexpected Traveller says

    April 7, 2011 at 6:57 pm

    Well, if you’re in Belgium, we could meet up and share a few stories and beers … have a tweet-up perhaps!

  21. James Clark says

    April 7, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    Great trip idea! I look forward to seeing it happen, should be a lot of fun 🙂

  22. Anthony says

    April 10, 2011 at 7:42 pm

    Finally!! I know your secret haha, sounds an awesome idea! If you decide to come very north and have time, it’d be great to meet up!

  23. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    thanks andrew! 🙂 really look forward to sharing our trip with you guys.

  24. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    Hey Debbie, train travel really is a great way to see the true side of any country, so this challenge will be a great way to see so many sides of Europe.

  25. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:03 pm

    yeah I am hoping 30 countries in 90 days will equal many many new impressions of Europe.

  26. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    so much fun – but also a BIG test for our relationship :p

  27. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:05 pm

    yes – the more we think about it the more tiring it sounds like it will be – but so much fun as well to see if we can do it.

  28. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    haha yeah ONLY 3 days per country :p we will see if we can do it faster 😉 would be great to meet up with you in Europe somewhere.

  29. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    Thnks Laurel, we will be visiting Berlin during our German adventures – any ideas of things for us to do there would be great to know!

  30. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:08 pm

    yeah it does seem to be that way doesn’t it! not sure why :p it will be an awesome test for us 🙂

  31. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:09 pm

    oh of course Jeannie . we will be sure to post the blooper reel :p haha I can imagine there will be many clips.

  32. Nathan - As We Travel says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    haha yeah THIS is it :p we will be in Dublin and London for a few days, so prob won’t be able to make it north this time.

  33. travelguy says

    April 14, 2011 at 5:57 am

    Amazing! 30 countries in 90 days.Don’t forget to write a diary.Good luck guys!

  34. Dylan Lowe says

    April 15, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    Get yourself here in London and you can count on us London travel bloggers to give you a warm welcome. Keep us posted on your progress, we’ll meet up with you guys for a pint and a bit soon enough no doubt 😉

  35. Norbert says

    April 15, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    Wow! This sounds like a pretty intensive trip, but pretty awesome! Looking forward to read and see the videos from all those countries!

  36. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    Hey Tom,

    Thanks for the wonderful comment – so many great things to recommend!!!! we really appreciate it 🙂 We will be visiting only Belgium during our trip – have 1.5 days there before moving on to Luxembourg.

    If you are around, it would be fun to meet up!

  37. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    i agree – only 5 days left, and so many things to do, but we really can’t wait just to get out there and start filming.

  38. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    Hey Scott – Europe is a wonderful place to backpack by train – will be posting many videos, so stay tuned via our facebook page.

  39. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    hehe yeah it does sound that way 😉 😉 when you are in Europe, traveling around by train is a great option.

  40. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    we will – thanks 🙂

  41. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    we will be in Belgium for a few days, would love to meet up – if you know other travelers there as well, we could all meet – that would be fun!

  42. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:11 pm

    we will be posting at least 2 videos every week from each country we visit – so you will get to see everything which happens during the challenge 😉

  43. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    Hey Dylan – London is our 2nd stop – we will be there after Dublin on the 4-5th of May – if you are around it would be great to meet up and meet a bunch of you london travel bloggers – what is your email so we can contact you?

  44. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    Thanks Norbert – it will be many countries, and many new impressions – I just hope we can capture them all within each video.

  45. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    will do – thanks Michael 🙂

  46. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    we will be filming everything so you will get to see exactly how we deal with everything – will be interesting :p

  47. Sofia - As We Travel Blog says

    April 25, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    yeah it seems to be that why doesn’t it – also have been talking with Michael from Go See Write – they have something fun planned later in the year.

  48. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 27, 2011 at 7:38 am

    thanks 🙂 the Europe Train Challenge is going to be heaps of fun! 🙂

  49. Market.Travel says

    April 27, 2011 at 7:34 am

    Nice roundup of posts! Glad to be following your adventures.

  50. Lucie Aidart says

    April 28, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    Oh wow that seems like an amazing trip! I would really like to do the interail thing! Anyway I’ll definitely follow you and maybe we can meet up in London!

  51. Sofia - As We Travel says

    April 28, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    Hey Lucie – thanks for the lovely comment 🙂 we will be in London next Thursday – will also be meeting up with a bunch of other travelers and bloggers on Thursday night – you are more than welcome to come along!

  52. Anonymous says

    May 3, 2011 at 12:26 am

    Hope you have a wondeful trip! Also expect to share your travel experience, it will be my guide for my Europe trip next year!

  53. Rafisad80 says

    August 9, 2011 at 10:54 am

    very nice post about Europe Train Challenge. Thanks for sharing.

  54. Rafisad80 says

    August 9, 2011 at 10:54 am

    very nice post about Europe Train Challenge. Thanks for sharing.

  55. Nisha India says

    August 25, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    thanks for sharing such a wonderful information about  Europe Train Challenge

  56. Lileto says

    August 26, 2011 at 8:18 am

    Hi,

    it’s so awesome:))) Enjoy it every second, i’m sure it will be a wonderful adventure. If you arrive in Bulgaria we may meet up :)))

  57. Karlo says

    December 14, 2011 at 11:52 pm

    i live on the coast of Croatia, if you would like a small tour, email me at karlot@live.com

  58. James says

    December 30, 2011 at 10:24 am

     this is a interesting post to read.

  59. Kona Jungmann says

    January 16, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    Excellent and
    informative post. I am a regular visitor of this site.I always appreciate
    your work. You should keep it up forever. Thanks for this great article.

  60. S-MARTENS says

    April 2, 2012 at 9:53 am

    This would cost a fortune if you did not have a sponsor, I live in Europe and train transport is Uber-expensive!!!

  61. Sofia - As We Travel Blog says

    May 24, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    you are welcome – glad you enjoyed following along!

  62. Sofia - As We Travel Blog says

    May 24, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    thanks joel for sharing that link 🙂

  63. Sofia - As We Travel Blog says

    May 24, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    glad you enjoyed it, hope you also enjoyed our videos from the trip!

  64. Sofia - As We Travel Blog says

    May 24, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    thanks Kona – really happy to hear you are loving our site and articles!

  65. Sofia - As We Travel Blog says

    May 24, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    yeah – it would cost quite a bit more without a sponsor, so we were very grateful to be able to get them all on board for such an amazing adventure 🙂

  66. Sofia - As We Travel Blog says

    May 24, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    thanks James.

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