Commuters
reading this might disagree, as they sleep walk to work every morning on
overcrowded trains and return in the evening to find their favourite window seat taken by
a grubby traveller who hasn't showered for a week.
I've been the suite-and-tied, nine-to-five
commuter and I've been the curious traveller. And I prefer being the traveller in need of
shampoo and hot water; sorry if I was in your seat.
We'll feature some of the great
railway adventures in future articles, but this space is reserved to help you plan
your own departures.
Trains are a great way to travel. They'll pick
you up and drop you off in the middle of major cities, and they travel through some of the
best countryside on the planet. Slide up to the glass and look through your moving lens to
the world.
European trains are frequent, you can get a
ticket for an immediate departure and they generally run on time; although you shouldn't
take arrival times for granted in Italy -- major train stations even have a ritardo column
for late train arrivals. If a train is always late, why don't they simply change the
timetable?
Train travel in China and India can try your
patience as you struggle to get a ticket for the next day, and they can be extremely
overcrowded.
Oh well, if you're not travelling on business,
what's the rush? Sit back and enjoy the journey.
Car hire
is all very well, but on the train you'll meet more of the country's people -- some of the
longer train journeys can even turn into a party.
Making Plans:
Once you have your flight ticket, you'll already know
where you'll start. How much time do you have, how many countries or states do you want to
visit and how much ground do you wish to cover will be questions already half-answered.
More and more major
airports have convenient train connections into the city, and there are numerous train
passes to help you get the most out of your time and money.
For the budget-minded,
overnight trains are a great way to save on accommodation, and you'll wake up in a new
city, or even a new country. The romantic can enjoy a lakeside breakfast on the move, with
views of snow-covered mountain peaks.
To get the best out of your journey, it always
helps to have a rough idea of when the trains will be where. There are some parts of the
countryside that really must be seen in daylight, and you wouldn't want to arrive in a
strange place at three in the morning.
Our featured sites will help you get the most
out of rail travel, from choosing passes and finding out more about countries, to getting
information on train times.
Train times and special offers are
subject to change, and you should always double check at the station in person.
Just because you have a train ticket or a rail
pass, does not always mean that you'll get a seat. If that's important, you'll need to pay
a supplement for seat reservations. On some trains these supplements are compulsory, even
if the train is half empty.
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Rail Passes and Tickets
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