The Public Transit System In Europe Is So Good You Can Play A Continent-Sized Game Of Tag

Image: Jet Lag: The Game on YouTube

Three friends playing a giant game of tag across Europe is my idea of a good time. The hosts of “Jet Lag” have done this before, and it always makes great television. From a single starting point the three have their own equidistant destination, and 72 hours to get there. If they don’t make it all the way to their destination in 72 hours, the person closest to their prescribed town wins. There are games and challenges along the way, but they’re getting around the continent in a way that you never could in the U.S. Mostly trains.

We Played a 72 Hour Game of Tag Across Europe (2024)

The trio kicked off this most recent round in Ferrara, Italy with destinations of Lyon, Capri, and Bratislava. Each are around 750 kilometers from the start point, give or take, and equally accessible by fast public transit. Being in this part of Europe means there are bound to be a few more delays and unreliable schedules than, say France or Germany, but they’re still running, and they’re still fast. If you game the schedule the right way, and get your challenges done quickly, you can gain some serious ground as the runner.

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The ins and outs of the game don’t really matter, as they explain the rules as they play, so you should go watch it over on YouTube (or Nebula) right now. “Jet Lag” has quickly become one of my favorite shows on the internet over the last year or so, and this season is shaping up to be a pretty intense chase. It’s kind of like “The Amazing Race,” but not overproduced and dumbed down for network television.

There’s something like 20,000 kilometers of high-speed rail in Europe, and tens of thousands of more kilometers of light rail to be taken, and that’s before we get into the thousands of buses and ferries that could also be taken. There are so many ways to get where you need to go in Europe, even if the Alps are right in the middle of where you need to go. That’s what makes this game so fun!