Europe by train, 1972-1997: The experiences of young British Interrailers

A talk by Ian Lacey, Royal Holloway University of London, on the historical and social significance of this coming of age adventure.

Between 1972 and 1997, the Interrail scheme enabled an estimated half a million young travellers from across the UK to explore much of Europe at relatively low cost. This talk draws upon a recently conducted series of face-to-face oral history interviews with over fifty of those travellers and is the first in-depth enquiry into the British Interrail experience. With the pioneering Interrailers entering their seventies and the scheme having recently celebrated fifty consecutive years, now is an opportune time to assess the impact of this late twentieth century cultural phenomenon.

The talk begins by placing Interrail in its historical and social context, as a descendant of the 'Grand Tour' and then the highly organised Thomas Cook tours which began the process of democratising travel and tourism. The talk goes on to examine the scheme's steady increase in popularity from its inception in 1972 until the early 1990s, after which the appeal of this form of independent travel reduced dramatically for about a decade. The reasons for this rise and temporary fall are discussed. The talk concludes by arguing that the Interrail scheme’s significant contribution to British youth culture has been overlooked, especially compared to more high profile but short-lived movements.

Ian Lacey is a public historian and postgraduate researcher at Royal Holloway University of London. Prior to commencing his PhD studies, he was awarded an MA in Public History with distinction and worked in the heritage tourism sector, latterly as marketing manager at UK Parliament where he promoted tours and visits at Westminster. Ian can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog ian-lacey.com.