r/Interrail rules, stats, and what to post

This is a community for anyone interested in travelling Europe by train. The description says it covers everyone regardless of ticket type, so Interrail, Eurail, Swiss Pass, and single ticket travellers all belong here. People come to plan trips, read trip reports, and pick up tips on places to visit. The rules make clear the focus is travelling by train in Europe, and related content like a bus leg in the Balkans as part of a train trip is fine. The community also points newcomers to its own wiki, which they say answers most questions before you even post.

The rule that decides most marketing posts is “No self-promoting link post to blogs or YouTube videos”. It says links to your own blog or video are welcomed and encouraged inside a text post, but the key points must be readable without clicking, and you should not go overboard with them. If you want to run an ad, a survey, or sell tickets, “No ads or surveys without modmail” requires you to message the moderators first and get approval. “No memes or other similar low effort posts” matters because it bans low effort content and explicitly includes posts written by AI, so a generated marketing post will not survive. “Do not post pictures of text or maps without text description” catches anyone who posts an itinerary screenshot or a route map with no written description. “No off-topic post” keeps everything tied to travelling Europe by train, so a product pitch with no train travel angle fails twice. Finally, “Check Wiki before posting” tells you the community expects basic questions to be answered by the wiki first.

The safest and most welcome post here is a genuine trip report or a set of travel tips written as a text post. If you run a travel blog or a YouTube channel, you can share your link inside a text post, but write out the key points in the post itself so people get value without clicking. Answering questions from your own train travel experience is another good way to earn trust. If you post a map or an itinerary image, always add the same information as text in your post. Before you post a question, check the wiki at interrailwiki.eu, because the community expects you to look there first and it will get you answers faster.

Do not post a bare link to your blog or YouTube video, because “No self-promoting link post to blogs or YouTube videos” only allows links inside text posts with the key points readable on Reddit. Do not post ads, surveys, or tickets for sale, because “No ads or surveys without modmail” requires moderator approval first. Do not use AI to write your post, because “No memes or other similar low effort posts” treats that as low effort. Do not post memes or reaction images in comments, because “Comment only useful photos” bans them. Do not post pictures of text or maps without a text description, because “Do not post pictures of text or maps without text description” removes them for accessibility reasons. Do not post anything unrelated to train travel in Europe, because “No off-topic post” keeps the focus tight. And be nice, because “Be nice” is a rule here too.

What stands out to me is how generous the self promotion rule is, as long as you put the value in the post itself and treat the link as a bonus. That is exactly the trade I respect, give the community the substance first. The explicit AI ban in the low effort rule is a clear signal that this room wants real trips written by real travellers, so do not outsource your voice to a tool. And the wiki rule tells me the fastest way to look like a regular is to read their resources before asking anything.