A new Interrail brand platform puts the journey before the destination

With «The Interrail Effect,» Interrail is launching a new global brand platform that redefines the essence of traveling with an Interrail Pass. The Interrail brand platform was developed in collaboration with the creative agency We Are Pi and the social media agency Butterfly Effect, and it demonstrates: A train journey through Europe does more than just take people to new places—it changes how they perceive the world and themselves. For We Are Pi, this is the first project for Interrail since the agency was hired as its brand and creative agency in April.

The campaign kicked off on September 10, 2026—with a global rollout in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States via paid media, organic social media channels, partnerships, and PR.

From Eurail to Interrail: One Pass for All

The new platform is accompanied by a major rebranding initiative. Until now, Interrail has operated two brands for the same product: Interrail for people living in Europe and Eurail for travelers outside Europe. Going forward, the Eurail Pass will be marketed under the name Interrail—a single brand and a single pass for the company’s global travel community. This move follows the company’s renaming from Eurail B.V. to Interrail B.V. earlier this year. The Interrail Global Pass allows for train travel in up to 33 countries.

Customer Survey as the Foundation of the Interrail Brand Platform

The starting point for «The Interrail Effect» was the cultural realization that it is precisely the positive friction of rail travel—the unexpected, the slowing down, the act of being on the move—that is an essential part of the experience. An Interrail customer survey, conducted in early 2026 among 3,000 European and 1,000 non-European pass holders, underscores this: About 70 percent of respondents said their trip had changed the way they see the world. A similarly high proportion rated the experience as more impactful than other types of vacations. About a quarter even rated it as significantly more impactful.

Özlem Birkalan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer at Interrail, sums it up this way: ««The Interrail Effect» isn’t something we invented. It’s something travelers have been describing to us for decades, in their own words, after every trip. What’s changing is that we’re finally building the brand around that. Not about where people travel, but about what this kind of travel does to them.»

30 Creators, 30 Trips: «The Interrail Diaries»

To launch the platform, We Are Pi and Butterfly Effect created the «The Interrail Diaries» campaign. For this, 30 creators from a wide range of age groups, backgrounds, and travel styles—solo, in groups, and with family—were invited to travel through Europe in the summer of 2026 and document their experiences. Among them were both first-time travelers and seasoned travelers from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe.

The resulting footage—unfiltered, diary-like, and personal—was incorporated into the campaign materials and social media assets. The resulting short films show what happens when you dive deeper: conversations with strangers, new friendships, unexpected landscapes—and missed connections that become the most unforgettable moments.

«Between Here & There»: The Launch Video

The opening film is titled «Between Here & There» and features the famous Neapolitan song “Funiculì,” Funiculà, which was composed by Luigi Denza in 1880 and set to lyrics by Peppino Turco—to mark the opening of the first cable car to Mount Vesuvius. This is a deliberate reference to the history of rail travel and Interrail’s role in the European rail network.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

Rick Chant, Executive Creative Director at We Are Pi, explains the direction of the content: «At a time when travel is more accessible than ever, everything is turning into a race—see more, post more. One-third of people admit to sometimes doing an activity on vacation just to post about it on social media. Often, however, it’s the experience of the journey itself—not the destination—that truly changes you. That’s exactly what »The Interrail Effect’ captures.”

Platform as a Long-Term Strategic Foundation

«The Interrail Effect» will shape all of Interrail’s future campaigns, partnerships, content, community initiatives, and customer experiences. The participating creators will continue to be active within this unified creative platform and help shape its development. Future work will incorporate cultural moments, new voices, and authentic storytellers to bring to life the breadth of Interrail and the transformative experiences the pass enables.

Further information on the campaign: https://www.interrail.com/en/the-interrail-effect

Contact at Interrail: Özlem Birkalan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer. Creative agency: We Are Pi – Rick Chant, Executive Creative Director and Director; Pablo Lorenzana, Producer; Gert-Willem Visser, Editor; Roman Strijbos, Color Grading; Niall Rogers, Music Supervisor; Kenma Shindo, Composer; Alex Franco, Photography. Social Media Agency (Production): Butterfly Effect. Music and sound: Birdbrain.