This summer, my goal was to explore new countries without boarding a plane. Embarking on an Interrail trip, which had long been on my bucket list, became the missing puzzle piece to achieve this aim. And so I started mapping out a journey from Germany down to Albania and back to the Netherlands, all by train. Discovering that the Interrail network extended only as far as Croatia posed a little challenge to our plans. However, it also brought us some unforgettable adventures and a wonderful 14-day road trip through Albania. Italy and France made our return journey by train comfortable and easy. And so, we returned after one month of travelling via several modes of transportation, some more pleasant than others – but no plane. Mission accomplished!