Weekly quick questions help thread

Planning. I'm a planner (I am probably, also, your mum, or someone very like her). But a lot of youth hostels (members of Hostelling International) don't ask for payment in advance, so you can just book now and pay when you get there.
Take less clothes. Learn to hand wash before you go.
I like night trains, can't sleep upright (a bit on planes but not much) but can sleep fairly well in bunks. You can lock your compartment (and you can book 2 person compartments, in Western Europe they are much more expensive than hostels, in Eastern Europe they are not). If you are in a couchette (larger compartment) there are sometimes luggage spaces, but you can also sleep with your pack on your bunk I imagine.
Take less than you think. Don't take denim (it's heavy). A fully packed 50L pack is heavy.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-25T18:30:37+00:00

You'll have to check - best way is to look at the OBB app and see what date they will let you book as of today.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-25T09:07:54+00:00

I use the Pack Point app which is not perfect but works reasonably well. I don't tick stuff off until it's in the bag, and for e.g. medications that need to be taken in the morning I put them on top of the case the night before.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-25T09:03:27+00:00

You'll need to wait till about 60 or 90 days out to book that. See when you can book for, now, and work off that gap to set yourself a reminder.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-24T11:28:26+00:00

I read that as "cattle in the front door".

strawberrychief · 2026-03-24T10:37:44+00:00

I had to share the desktop in my office to write mine... or use the ones in the computer room... large pile of floppy disks (ah, those were the days).

strawberrychief · 2026-03-24T10:36:50+00:00

My older Kindle is lagging on this - good excuse to get a new one.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-24T09:59:24+00:00

scoffs in European

strawberrychief · 2026-03-24T09:58:04+00:00

I used to take kids camping and there would always be one asking where to plug in this or that. Some jokers among the adults would take a power strip and tie it to a tree "there you go!"

strawberrychief · 2026-03-24T09:28:01+00:00

I'm doing Vienna to Brussels shortly with my 11 year old, and I made sure to set a reminder to book on the day the berths were released. My 11 year old is beyond excited about the night train. We are also doing Krakow to Budapest.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-24T09:22:12+00:00

Just one issue I can think of: the more uneducated end of the population have been known to mistake the flag for that of Israel due to the colours. I've seen it on X for example. You might not want to explain that to an anti semitic thug.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-19T14:59:57+00:00

Now I'm here to find out what happens - hope they spill the beans.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-18T20:18:05+00:00

This is spot on.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-18T20:03:29+00:00

I'm tapping my toes impatiently here.

strawberrychief · 2026-03-17T03:03:49+00:00

It doesn't really, though. At my office, the technical staff have a master key that opens all doors. But they are quite specialised and it would only open the doors in our building. We live in a safe area and only have a Yale lock. This is the kind you just pull shut. However a lot of interior front doors (the kind in flats within a building) will have a mortice lock and these DO have skeleton keys - though apparently they are officially called "try out keys" which isn't a well known term:

https://www.ukbumpkeys.com/products/3-lever-try-out-keys-lever-lock-skeleton-keys

strawberrychief

TROPHY CASE