Trying to sort something out for the son (18 year old) for the summer.

Anyone done it recently ?

I last did it 35 years ago, did not book or plan anything apart from buying the ticket.

Recently no, i also did it 32 years ago, had no Idea it was still a thing!

http://www.seat61.com

Just planning a trip using the site, has been most useful.

I did it 25 years ago – a relative youngster compared to you lot 🙂

Oooh, I did it 22 years ago. That makes me a relative expert compared to all ^ 😉

Yeah- buy a ticket and off you go, sort of. I started in Macedonia as I attended a free summer school for a few weeks there. Then spent a month coming back.

I did three months – a month getting to the Italian coast then a ferry across to Greece to island hop for two months 🙂

Came home when the weather started to get cooler and the money was running out (just left enough to buy my first mountain bike when I got back 🙂

Kid in my family is going to do it. Seems very expensive – might be cheaper to just buy individual train tickets (but perhaps that’s missing the simplicity and spontaneity). I’d fly low cost out and then make my way back or vv – but again maybe I’m missing the point

20 years ago.

I’d advise to tarry a while in places rather than push on. One of my team wanted his moneys worth of the distance whereas I would have preferred to actually see stuff.

Sort of…
Got a Rail Pass for non residents when I was back in the UK last Christmas.

. Seems very expensive – might be cheaper to just buy individual train tickets (but perhaps that’s missing the simplicity and spontaneity).

http://www.eurail.com/eurail-passes/global-pass
The ability to get on the next train is very good, especially if you don’t have firm plans, one of my UK journeys would have cost 50% of the pass cost booked on the day. Also if you can stretch the extra look at the 1st class prices – not much more and depending on where you are that could get you fed/pissed on the train and if there is a long trip it’s probably worth it.