All Aboard!!

It’s early January and train fares have gone up again!! It’s always an annoying headline at this time of year, but it also made me think how enjoyable train journeys are, and how lucky I have been to experience different rail experiences everywhere I’ve visited.

Ranging from the means to get around a country to top-end, dress-to-the-nines luxury experiences, trains are always worth thinking about as part of your travel plans. Here are a few I’ve travelled on, and some I have high on my Bucket List:

Asia

If you have the time, then traveling by train in Asia is a wonderful experience. When I say you need time, this is no understatement as the trains tend to run slowly, usually overnight whilst you sleep, but they are generally cheap and open-up a world of new experiences, giving all your senses a really good work out.

Whether it’s a train from Beijing to Xi’an to visit the Terracotta Army, or travelling down the length of Malaysia to Singapore, train journeys in this fascinating region live long in my memory. Load up with snacks, pot noodles, tea (and obligatory flask), and perhaps a comfy pillow, and look forward to hours of chatting with locals and fellow travellers, enjoying an everchanging landscape gliding gloriously past your window.

One astounding journey is aboard the Reunification Express, which rumbles its way up the spine of Vietnam from Saigon to Hanoi, with some awesome stops to visit along the way. It’s a great way to visit different parts of this once-torn country, serving as a timely reminder of the vital lifeline it provided during the war with America. Staying in South East Asia, why not experience the ultimate luxury on board the Belmond Eastern & Oriental Express, which travels between Singapore and Bangkok. True luxury travel from the same company as the Venice Simplon-Orient Express. Elegant, colonial opulence on wheels.

In India, you could opt to join the locals cramming on to overcrowded carriages or board the luxurious Maharaja Express, which takes up to 8 days to travel between ‘must see’ sights, such as the Taj Mahal, Jaipur and Delhi. You kick back and relax, with your own private butler tending to your every need, whilst an array of ever-changing landscapes passes your window

Australia

In Australia I’ve been lucky enough to dip my toes in to the world of luxury travel, with a journey on the Sunlander train (now known as the Spirit of Queensland) from Brisbane to Cairns in Far North Queensland. A two-day journey past Pacific beaches, rugged hinterland and sugar cane fields, whilst dining on sumptuous 5 course haute-cuisine, washed down with some of Australia’s finest wines. It is great to dress up for dinner, mingle with the other guests, whilst being entertained by a pianist, before returning to your private cabin to be rocked asleep by the travelling train.

Two iconic rail trips are also available in Australia and are well worth experiencing if visiting down under. The Ghan travels from Adelaide in the far south, right the way through the Red Centre of Australia, finishing off in Darwin at the tropical Top End, arriving 3 days later. It’s an extraordinary journey, where you can hop off in crazy Cooby Pedy, historic Alice Springs or dramatic Katherine. If you have less time, why not travel one section, say from Darwin to Alice Springs, spend a few days touring the Red Centre, visiting Uluru, the Olgas and Kings Canyon, then take a flight on to your next destination.

The Indian Pacific travels from Sydney in the east to Perth in the very far west, a truly epic transcontinental crossing. Travel through mountains, arid deserts, rocky valleys and goldfields before arriving at the beautiful Pacific coast. An adventure within an adventure.

North America

Then there’s North America with the Amtrak services criss-crossing the USA to connect all the great cities, or Canada, where you can take the train from Toronto in the east, travel through the expansive plains, prairies and rocky mountains, before arriving 4 days later in Vancouver on the west coast. If just wanting to visit the west, why not fly to Calgary in the Rockies, pootle up to Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper, then climb on board the famous Rocky Mountaineer for one the great railway journeys of the world. Take in the breath-taking views from the comfort of your seat or the Goldleaf Dome carriage, as the train winds itself through the Canadian Rockies.

There are so many amazing train journeys worth considering – too many to detail here. I haven’t even mentioned the luxurious Blue Train which runs between Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, the Copper Canyon Railroad in Mexico, the Andean Explorer which crosses the Alto Plano between Cusco and Puno in Peru. What about the Trans-Siberian railway, all the way from Moscow to Beijing, via Mongolia with many an adventure on the way. And of course, there are the many fantastic journeys you can embark on in Europe, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Japan……….

Train journeys are a brilliant way to meet people from all sorts of backgrounds, cultures and countries. You chat, share stories and travel tips, devour extraordinary food and drink, and all the while the views out of your window continually change. Never a dull moment

“Trains are wonderful…to travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers – in fact, to see life” (Agatha Christie)

So, if you are considering any of these train expeditions, or many more that are available, please get in touch. I can certainly help set you up on th