Traveling all the way to Ukraine by train: Tolt tells us about his Interrail trip in the middle of Covid

Written by Sophie Renassia

Published on October 8, 2023, modified on November 12, 2026

Traveling all the way to Ukraine by train: Tolt tells us about his Interrail trip in the middle of Covid

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Tolt's journey, from travel youtuber to ambassador for no-fly adventures

In this episode, Benjamin Martinie himself (alias Tolt on his social networks @GlobeTolter), founder of HURRAIL! lent himself to the game. Aboard the mythical Train 16, he tells us about his train journey to Ukraine, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A travel youtuber for 10 years, Tolt hasn't always been a proponent of low-carbon travel. It was after years of air travel, a growing ecological awareness and too much cognitive dissonance that he decided in 2019 to give up flying, highlight other means of transport on his Youtube channel, and then create HOURRAIL!.

Today, he's taking us on board his eventful journey to Ukraine with the Interrail pass: from Paris to Lviv via Munich and Krakow, just before the borders close because of Covid.

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Summary of the episode

His relationship with the train over the years.
His trip with friends, which didn't go as planned. Initially, Tolt wanted to return to Iran (after his 2015 “Don't go to Iran” video). But a little virus decided otherwise... So he changed course and headed for Ukraine, via Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. The beginning of his trip to Ukraine, and his hurried return to Paris.
His travel anecdotes, from the adrenalin rush in the Iranian desert to his experience of the Trans-Canada Highway in Canada, from Vancouver to Toronto.
His dreams train journeys and his upcoming low-carbon trips.
And other nuggets that we'll let you discover by clicking right here 👇

“The best way for me to do without a plane was to build projects around the train.”

Tolt's itinerary

Paris - Munich: first stop in the Bavarian city.
Munich - Brno: a stopover in the Czech Republic for an off-the-beaten-track experience.
Brno - Katowice: plunge into Poland's industrial past.
Katowice - Krakow: explore one of Poland's most beautiful cities.
Krakow - Lviv: Arrival in Ukraine, just before the border closes.

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Written by Sophie Renassia

Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).

Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.