She’s taken night trains across the world. Here are her essential tips for Interrailers

Monisha Rajesh, journalist and author of Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train, has taken sleeper trains all around the world. 

We recently spoke with her about her favourite European routes, tips for first-timers, travelling with children and advice for getting a decent night’s sleep onboard a sleeper train (hint: you'll want to take the coat hangers off the wall). 

"love the fact that [night trains] give you time," she said. "From the moment you board until the next morning...you have a whole stretch of time to do whatever you want with. That's something that we don't really give ourselves very much anymore."

To the edge of the world and back

Last summer, journalist Maya Toebat travelled 3,000 kilometres north from her home in Brussels all the way to Svalbard, Norway, taking a combination of trains and a sailboat to reach the remote archipelago near the North Pole.

One month later, she was back on mainland Norway, heading south on her journey home. Along the way, she hiked and camped as much as possible, trekking part of the famous Seven Sisters mountain range, sleeping in a free cabin near Trofors Station and setting up tent on an island near Oslo.