Traveling around Europe with Flixbus: Interflix Review

As you might noticed, I traveled around Europe using Flixbus last month, specifically the Interflix pass.

When I was looking for ton of information online by myself, about which kind of transportation I wanted to use to move from one country to another, I really wanted to use the train because who doesn't want to sit by the window with the amazing view of mountains and lakes and pretend that you're somehow starring in Adele's music video? Well, I do. 

But when I checked the price lol, well, it was definitely not suitable for my back account.

I didn't really think about flight because my goal was to travel slow. I didn't want to rush and I didn't want to pay for hidden baggage fee, so then I jumped into land travel and thought between FlixBus and Euro Lines.

I checked both websites and read every single detail there, I also called my friend who took Flixbus last year from Zurich to Amsterdam and asked him about the experience. I also searched for blogs and read everyone's reviews on Tripadvisor.

I was close to choose Eurolines, because when I think I would move a lot from a city to another, a monthly pass will do best for me. So, I wouldn't need to buy ticket separately. But then I stumbled into the Interflix pass which was definitely a HUGE deal for me.

Yes, € 99 for five different routes sounds perfect for my itinerary.

So, I decided to look for more information about this God-sent bus deal from this company, but what I found was a bad review which made me a bit scared to use this deal. 

This customer wrote on her blog that she purchased this pass, but on the day of her departure when the driver checked her ticket, her name wasn't on the list of passenger which meant she couldn't board the bus. 

But the thing is, there is something you have to note when you're about to purchase this pass.

You have to use Paypal to make a payment. 

(And I acknowledged that the previous customer whose ticket was refused didn't make a payment through Paypal's system and when she checked her credit card balance after the trip, it turned out that Flixbus didn't charge her a single penny which meant her payment failed.)

I even sent them a message to make sure, because I have to board the bus. I don't want to be stranded alone on the street in the middle of the night, of course. 

So after I made sure that I would really use this pass and I would be okay to sleep overnight on the bus, I purchased two of this pass through Paypal. 

Within a minute, I received an email confirmation with five different codes which I can use to buy five different routes. Remember that the codes must be activated within two days by the company, so all we have to do is to wait. 

After two days, you can definitely start booking your routes.

Things to note before booking your ticket:

1. You can only book a direct journey. If your chosen bus from Zurich to Paris will have a 30 minutes stop at Munich, you can't choose that one. All you have to do is to book two separate buses with two separate codes - Zurich to Munich, then Munich to Paris.
2. You can only book a one way journey, which mean you can't leave and go back to your starting point. For example, if you depart from Paris to Rotterdam, you can't book a return ticket back to Paris using one of the codes. They want you to travel around, folks.

So, anything happen when I was about to board my bus? Did they refuse me to enter the bus? Did I get stranded alone on the street in the middle of the night? 

All the answers are NO. 

I boarded all my buses, 10 of them (because I purchased two passes) and I didn't get stranded on the street.

Well, now, I will list down my experiences on Flixbus. 

I will not put long journey on my negative experience nor the positive ones because this depends on everyone's priority. I didn't really mind my long journey from Paris to Rotterdam, Amsterdam to Berlin and Zurich to Paris because I took the overnight bus. So, I spent almost all the bus ride slept.

(-) Experiences with Flixbus

1. Limited space for your leg. Obviously, especially if you have long legs. And also, you couldn't sleep properly though you've adjusted your seat rest. I always got backache every time I arrived my destination after the overnight journey.
2. Sometimes the wifi didn't work. My 11-hour journey to Rotterdam spent without any internet connection, so all I did really was sleep. 
3. Not every bus has a plug socket. But, the only bus which didn't have the socket was my bus from Zurich to Paris.
4. Land journey means traffic jam. You may have to expect your bus arrives late and wait for another 30 minutes wondering if the bus may have left you or if you wait at the wrong bus stop.

(+) Experiences with Flixbus

1. It's comfortable. The bus is clean, the seats are nice, and for me, the leg rooms are always more than enough because I'm a hobbit, which is good for this time.
2. The drivers are friendly. I don't know if you've experienced grumpy drivers, but almost all my experiences with the drivers were good. Especially when I was 4-minutes before the bus left me to Prague, the driver was really kind.
3. The toilets are clean. That's all.
4. It's unbelievably cheap. Plus with this pass. The cost of my ticket from Paris to Rotterdam alone was actually € 60. Overnight ticket can be the most expensive ones, that's why this pass was really a huge deal for me.
5. Their double-decker buses are so comfortable, especially on your long journey, pick a seat at the second deck.
6. You can buy snacks and water on the bus! Just ask the driver (usually there are two drivers on the bus) and stay hydrated.
7. For every long journey, the bus will have a 15-minutes to 30-minutes break. Usually at a gas station which also has a mini mart. You can get off the bus for a bit of stretching or some fresh air.

So, do I recommend this Interflix pass?

YES, absolutely. It's cheap, and the procedure is easy. 

When I was waiting for my bus in Zürich, I talked with another passenger who also used this pass for his eurotrip. "I saw this deal and thought that this pass is so unbelievably cheap, so why not? Everything's good so far."

I mean, if you don't mind to have a long journey from Amsterdam to Berlin, you don't mind cramp legs, you don't mind buses arriving late - so, give it a go.

My experiences on buses being late was the ones in Prague and Zurich only. The rest were already there at the bus stop or bus stations when I arrived.

Oh yeah, also there's one thing to note that traveling around Europe means traveling across the borders. So, expect to be woken up in the middle of your sleep by the drivers and there will be some officers ask for your valid identity card or passport.

This happened to me in German border, only in German border. They are stricter than any other border, I don't know why but I think that's normal.

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I hope this post is useful for everyone's thinking to buy the pass (JUST BUY IT) and don't hesitate to leave a comment if you want to ask some other things about my travel with this bus company! :)