This study aims to study the concept of Interrail and its importance for students' train journeys when it comes to students' portraits of train tourism. The empirical data has been collected through a qualitative method. The implementation of the method has been done through semi-structured interviews with college/ university students. The theoretical material is based on Lena Mossberg and Monica Hanefors (2007) reasoning on Storytelling, as well as Scott A. Cohen, Girish Prayag and Miguel Moital (2013) reasoning on consumer betting.  The results show that the Interrail concept is based on six steps which is 1, freedom. 2, flexibility. 3, value. 4, connection. 5, comfort. 6, support. Interrail offers an adventure element but also at the same time a safety element. The traveler knows that they have their ticket, they know where it is valid and for how long. If the traveler's intention is to travel around several countries, Global Pass is the best option. On the other hand, if the traveler only wants to visit a particular country, One Country Pass is the best option. Train tourism gives students the chance to experience different landscapes and villages, something that air travel does not provide the opportunity for. In addition, train tourism gives students an option to leave everyday life aside and have more freedom. Trains as a travel option give students the chance to experience Europe in a new way. By visiting several different cities, cultures and enjoying different landscapes, train tourism creates an educational experience for young people to reflect on their life. / Denna studie syftar till att studera konceptet med Interrail och dess betydelse för studenters tågresor när det kommer till studenters porträtt av tågturism. Det empiriska datamaterialet har samlat in genom en kvalitativ metod. Genomförandet av metoden har skett genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med högskola/ universitet studenter i åldrarna 22 till 25 år. Det teoretiska materialet bygger på Lena Mossberg och Monica Hanefors (2007) resonemang om Storytelling samt Scott A. Cohen, Girish Prayag och Miguel Moital (2013) resonemang om konsumentbeteende.  Resultatet visar på att Interrail koncept bygger på sex steg vilket är 1, frihet. 2, flexibilitet. 3, värde. 4, anslutning. 5, komfort. 6, support. Interrail erbjuder ett äventyrselement samtidigt som det ger ett säkerhetselement. Resenären vet att de har sin biljett, de vet var den är giltig och hur länge. Om resenärens avsikt är att åka runt i flera länder, är Global Pass det bästa alternativet. Å andra sidan om resenären bara vill besöka ett visst land, är One Country Pass det bästa alternativet. Tågturismen ger studenter möjlighet att uppleva olika landskap och byar något som flygresor inte ger möjligheten till. Dessutom ger tågturismen studenter ett alternativ att lämna det vardagliga livet åt sidan och ha mer frihet. Tåg som resealternativ ger studenter chansen att uppleva Europa på ett nytt sätt. Genom att besöka flera olika städer, kulturer och njuta av olika landskap skapar tågturism en lärorik upplevelse för ungdomar att reflektera över sitt liv.

This is a study about young people’s understanding and experiences of interrail. The aim is to explore young people’s views of interrail and train travel in Europe and how traveling with train through interrail changes young people’s views of themselves and the world around them. Interrail is a train ticket that gives the ticketholder the ability to travel through 33 countries using over 40 different train and ferry companies. Founded in 1972 to give young Europeans the means to travel and explore their continent, today interrail is an established travel form for young people all over Europe. Through interviews of four young people currently living in Sweden I aim to understand the reasoning behind young people’s interest in interrail and train travel, how and what sort of communities that form throughout the trip, and in what ways the trip and the experiences of the trip influence the travelers lives once they return home. The analysis is primarily made from a phenomenological viewpoint, told from Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s view of phenomenology, as well as Victor Turner’s views on liminality. Throughout the study I argue that the interrail trip can be interpreted as a liminal phase between childhood and adulthood. Identity and cosmopolitism are also discussed using Nira Yuval-Davis’ terms on the subject.

Turistindustrin rankas som en av världens största, men även snabbast växande näringar. Näringens expansion bidrar i sin tur till stora miljömässiga konsekvenser. Mer miljövänliga, spårbundna transporter är i dagsläget aktuella forskningsfrågor och diskuteras i syfte att bromsa turismens negativa, miljömässiga effekter. Studiens syfte var att undersöka ungdomars intresse och attityder kring tåg i turistiskt syfte, samt om en antagen miljömedvetenhet påverkade deras val av resa. Interrail valdes som undersökningsobjekt dels då skribenterna fann ämnet aktuellt och dels på grund av EU-kommissionens investering som ska ge 18-åringar gratis Interrailpass i år. Interrail ansågs i enlighet med teorier vara ett alternativt, mer miljövänligt transportalternativ samt turismform. En kombination av kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder har använts för att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar. Enligt valda teorier förekommer ett gap mellan turisters attityder och beteende där personliga värderingar och en miljömedvetennorm, som genomsyrade beteenden och konsumtionsmönster hemma, bortsågs vid val av resa. Resultaten från de sju personliga intervjuerna samt enkätundersökningen tyder på att intresset för tåg som transport i turistiskt syfte är relativt lågt, vilket eventuellt ger en förklaring till det relativt låga intresset för Interrail hos dagens ungdomar. Även bland organisationer tolkas Interrail besitta en låg position på marknaden. Företag är inte intresserade av att marknadsföra Interrail då det inte antas vara vinstdrivande. Intresset för Interrail är lågt där aspekter som tid, pris, bekvämlighet och upplevelse väger tyngre hos ungdomars turistiska val, där tågets miljömässiga fördelar snarare ses som en positiv bieffekt. Utifrån bristande kunskap och förutfattade meningar tolkar skribenterna Interrails comeback, trots EU-kommissionens ekonomiska investeringar, som svåruppnådd. / he tourism industry is ranked as one of the world's biggest and fastest growing industries, which in return contribute to big environmental consequences. More environmentally friendly, railway bound transportation are current research questions and are discussed to prevent the negative effects of tourism. The purpose of the study was to research adolescents interest and attitude towards train for touristic purposes and if their perceived environmental awareness affected their choice of travel. Interrail was chosen as a research object partly because the authors considered it a current topic and partly because of the investment that the EU-commission made to be able to give 18-year olds free Interrailpasses this year. Interrail was in accordance with the theory perceived to be a more environmentally friendly choice of transportation and form of tourism. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used to answer the purpose and questions of the study. From the chosen theories there appears to be a gap between tourists attitudes and behaviour, where personal values and the environmental norm that existed at home, was disregarded when choosing to go on a trip. The results from the 7 personal interviews and the questionnaire shows that the interest for train as transport for touristic purposes is relatively low, which could give an explanation for the lacking interest for Interrail in today's adolescents. Even among companies Interrail is interpreted as having a low position on the market. Companies aren't interested in marketing Interrail due to its low perceived economic profit. The interest for Interrail is low where aspects such as time, price and experience weighs heavier for adolescent’s touristic choices, where the environmental benefits are merely seen as a positive bi-product. From a lack of knowledge and preconceptions the authors interpret Interrails comeback, despite the financial investments from the EU-commission, as hard to achieve.

This study investigates learning experiences and outcomes during the train travel phenomenon Interrail. It especially focuses on transformational learning and whether and in what scope these learning outcomes correlate with the concept of global citizenship. It further analyses how the proposal of a free Interrail ticket, that is currently debated within the European Commission, could foster global citizenship in the wider context of Education for Sustainable Development. Although there has been much research on educative benefits of travel, Interrail in general and as an informal learning environment in particular, is an under-researched phenomenon. By providing a deeper understanding about transformative learning processes and outcomes during the specific case of Interrail in the context of sustainable development, this study contributes towards closing this niche. This research was carried out in form of a qualitative case study research. In total, 18 in-depth interviews were conducted with young adults representing 13 different nationalities. The interviews were thoroughly analysed by applying Jack Mezirows´ transformative learning theory and the concept of global citizenship. The results were completed with an additional documentation analysis. The study results reveal that Interrail with its specific characteristics and elements may provide an informal learning environment that can foster and promote both transformative learning and global citizenship to the individual traveller. The identified patterns and commonalities of learning experiences and outcomes were summarized within the main topics of personal development, critical thinking and reflection, cultural sensitivity and pluralism, shaping identity and sense of belonging, broadening view and change of behavior or action. Implementing a free Interrail ticket could thus arguably contribute to greater accessibility and more equal opportunities for youth to discover, experience and learn from travelling through Europe by train. Subsequently, this could help to foster Education for Sustainable Development and global citizenship. Based on the study results it is suggested, that transformative learning during Interrail could be enhanced through providing incentives and formal guidance in critical thinking and engagement in rational discourse in formal education.