Eurail, the Longtime Savior of Shoestring Backpackers, Ditches Its Name

But what’s in a name? For Rick Steves, a veteran travel writer who influenced untold travelers through his popular guidebooks, Eurail’s name meant freedom, he said in a phone interview. It meant “ad lib.” It meant standing on a platform and deciding between trains leaving for Paris or Amsterdam in 15 minutes — and choosing Amsterdam because that’s where a cool group of backpacking strangers was headed.

Twelve years in, Eurail discovered its key demographic: travel-hungry, backpack-wielding young adults. The group of railway companies released its student pass in 1971, which was substantially less expensive for those between 14 and 26 years old. That year, North American sales for Eurail passes rose almost 50 percent to more than 130,000. To this day, 49 percent of pass holders are between the ages of 12 and 27, according to the company.

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Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/travel/eurail-pass-rebrand-interrail.html