The Long Haul

Ever wondered how far you could get across an entire country in a single day? The Long Haul is your chance to find out. Join us on the 8th of August for a one-day race across the Dutch railways, where the team that travels the furthest wins. Simple idea, but there is a lot more to it than just riding trains.

Getting There

• Meeting point: We meet at Utrecht Centraal, the busiest station in the country. Look for the Nijntje trein on the Jaarbeurszijde of the station (see the picture).
• Flights: Utrecht is a short hop from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), the country’s biggest airport, with trains every 10 to 15 minutes. You also have frequent links from smaller airports like Rotterdam (RTM) and Eindhoven (EIN), and thanks to Utrecht’s role as the national hub, great connections from the Ruhr Area (DUS, CGN, DTM) and Brussels (BRU & CRL).
• Trains: Utrecht Centraal reaches every corner of the Netherlands and has direct international day and night trains, including to Vienna, Innsbruck, Munich, Frankfurt and Zürich.
• Transit tickets: Living in the Netherlands? The cheapest options are NS Weekend Vrij or the temporary Nederland Dal Vrij subscription, both valid all day on Saturdays and on every operator in the game. Coming from abroad? The Off-peak holland travel tickey (around €54 for the day) covers the whole network, or bring an Interrail/Eurail pass.

Game Info

• Format: A one-day rail distance race across the Netherlands. We meet at 9:00, draw the station lists at 9:15, and the game runs from 9:30 until 18:30 back at Utrecht Centraal. One full day, no overnight rest.
• Teams: Everybody partners up, with at least 2 people per team. Teams stay together for the whole game and cannot split up.
• Scoring: You earn points three ways: distance covered, guessing which province rival teams are in, and racing to complete challenges that drop through the day. On top of that, every team gets its own secret list of 12 stations that builds a multiplier, so the smartest route matters more than the longest one.
• Movement: Trains only, and only on NS, Arriva, Keolis, Qbuzz, Blauwnet and RRReis. No high speed lines, and you stay within Dutch borders all day. No other transport at all: no metro, tram, bus (except rail replacement buses), bike or taxi.
• Challenges: Challenges drop throughout the day and can be done on a train, at a station, or around one. The first team to complete each challenge takes the points, and they get harder and worth more as the day goes on.
• Preparation & Safety: Bring at least 2 litres of water and a fully charged power bank that can refill your phone from empty at least once. Every team shares its Live Location with the Helpdesk all day. Keep everything legal and sensible, and never take a risk that is not worth the points.

Game Map & Resources

• Rail map: We use the official 2026 NS map, which you can find here. Learn it well, because knowing the network is half the game.
• Allowed apps: To keep things fair and skill based, you may only use certain apps. Route-generating software is not allowed, so the planning is on you.

Interested?

Rulebook and game information/description: click here!

Forms to sign up: click here!

Questions? Drop them in #general in the BeNeLux JetLag Discord and ping the host @QuFox.

About the Netherlands

Few countries are as made for a game like this. The Netherlands runs one of the densest and most punctual rail networks on Earth, nearly 400 stations crammed into a country you can cross corner to corner before lunch. Intercities speed across the flat landscape at full speed while sprinters operate on the quieter lines and stations, and the right connection is almost always just minutes away if you know the timetable.