I scrap the plane - and jump on the train! There are AT LEAST 10 reasons why it’s a no-brainer:
1 - The journey becomes a part of the holiday - rather than the hell you have to go through before getting there.
2 - Way less stressful than the airport / security checks / cramped space experience
3 - I meet locals on the way - they tell me about the land, the history, the way people live - livelier than any travel guide will ever make it
4 - I meet other travellers too, and everyone’s eager to share their tips
5 - Food is often better than in planes
6 - I can bring my own drinks
7 - Tickets often offer much more flexibility than air fares
8 - You can either study the landscape (bit more varied than clouds-clouds- and more clouds) or get lost in your thoughts staring at the horizon…
9 - If I need to work, I’m sure to have more time to use my phone and laptop (more and more trains have wifi on board)
10 - And, er… oh yes, the journey will usually account for 10x less carbon emissions than by air
Basically - it’s just way more fun!
A great place to start is the great British website http://www.seat61.com/ — lots of train options & tips for train travel anywhere in the world!
This post was submitted by Laurent.
I LOVE the train !!!
Comment by Cat — March 21, 2011 @ 12:20 am
so inspiring..never thought like that before…thx..:))
Comment by ndanda — March 22, 2011 @ 4:55 pm
I have to agree that travelling by train is ususally more pleasant than travelling by plane for all of the reasons you have listed. I live on an island where there are no trains, however, when we go on vacation we try to take at lease one train trip. It is usualy one of the most memorable parts of the whole trip.
Comment by Susan — March 29, 2011 @ 10:40 am
Some countries are a paradise for train lovers (like me). E.g. Switzerland. But it is expensive … unless you do not have a car (who needs it anyway?), then it is cheaper
Comment by Nicole — April 27, 2011 @ 2:01 pm
With AMTRAK you just have to be at the Train Station about 30 minutes before train departure unlike two hours before for the airlines with the TSA scanning, and groping you now. I was on AMTRAK yesterday, and had a good experience, but coming back as we are in the middle of a heatwave here in the Mid-Atlantic States we was delayed by 40 minutes, but the conductor gave us updates, I give thumbs up to our conductor yesterday.
Comment by Frank Genovay — June 9, 2011 @ 12:58 pm
I completely agree with you bud! But uh which train do I catch from Florida to the Dominican Republic :p lol
Comment by Alex C. — October 23, 2011 @ 11:11 pm