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When most people think of travelling, they think of taking an airplane to a foreign land. Honestly, I did for the longest time, too. I was hooked on air travel as my go-to method of transportation. Coming from Canada, the thought of travelling by train was nonexistent. It was either go by plane or drive!
It wasn’t until moving to Europe that I learnt the joys that can come from travelling by train. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good road trip, but let’s save that for another day. I regret not travelling across North America by train, and here are some of my reasons why:
11. Bigger Bathrooms
You know how when you go to the bathroom on an airplane, you have to cram yourself in? How when you finally get in, there is barely enough room to turn around? Then there is the horrible toilet that is only suitably sized for Santa’s elves. No? Just me? Well then. In all seriousness, there’s no room in those things to do anything. Plus they are always disgusting. Forget the mile-high club! Not worth it at all.
Well, with trains you have a very different experience. Most trains have a very spacious bathroom. Some even being bigger than a lot of hotels and hostels that I have stayed at in my travels. I’ll be honest, the cleanliness level can be hit or miss, but I have had good experiences with my international rides. With the mask mandates, it’s nice to have a safe area to get some fresh air. Especially when there is an openable window in here.
10. Better Food Options
I have never heard anyone rave about airline food. At least not outside first class. My experiences dictate that you’ll receive a very low-budget meal that will either taste too much of one thing or not enough of another. If you’re really lucky, your mouth will be filled with the lovely flavour of sawdust! All that atop a tray that will be thrust straight into your ribs if the person in front of you decides to lean back.
Train food on the other hand is an experience. If your stomach gets the rumbles, you can make your way down to the dining car. Grab yourself a table and look through a menu offering some tasty dishes. Chances are they will have dishes originating from one of the countries on the route the train is taking, and they put the alternatives to shame. Not to mention, you can have a lovely dinner date with a loved one.
Planning a trip somewhere warm? Check out what we pack with our packing list!
9. Smoke Breaks
Now not everyone will need these, but it happens regularly that the train will stop somewhere anywhere from five minutes to 30. This gives you a chance to stretch those legs, grab some food (If you didn’t want to dine on the train), breathe in some fresh air, or inhale a quick dart if you are a smoker. On a long ride, it’s a nice thing to have, and you don’t have to worry about a huge fine or going to jail for doing so.
8. Ability to Move About and Stretch Your Legs.
I don’t know about you, but I get restless. On a plane, just getting out of your seat is a pain. If you walk up and down those thin aisles, you have people just staring at you, or at least I do. Then there’s the bumping people and god forbid there is turbulence! You might just end up on someone’s lap!
On trains, no one cares. There is enough room to walk around and turbulence is a nonissue. Here, you’ll only end up on someone’s lap if you want to! As a tall man, there is also one joy that just made me fall in love with trains. All the legroom. Do I ever love my legroom, and I get all I need with room to spare.
7. Capability to Meet Interesting People
Most cabins and other sitting areas are pretty spacious. You’re not cramped and uncomfortable. This means that if you choose to hit up the person across or next to you, it seldom feels forced. You won’t be invading someone’s personal space by striking up the odd conversation here and there.
Do this, and I promise you that you will hear some of the most interesting stories. Not only that, but on trains in Europe, pets are allowed! So you might just find yourself cabined up with a cute little puppy companion that you can shower with love during your trip.
6. Night Trains
These are an absolute godsend. As a traveller, being able to spend a night in transit and not having to pay for accommodations is amazing. You have the option between being in a cabin or getting a sleeping room.
Let me tell you about sleeping rooms! You get a bed with plugins and you can sleep comfortably. At most, you may share a sleeping room with up to 4 people, but my experience is you’ll usually be with only one other. You’ll wake up in your destination well-rested. Most of these will also stop at one of the large cities on the way so that you can rest uninterrupted for several hours; arriving at your destination early the next morning. Saving you money on hostels and hotels.
5. You See More of a Country
Look out the window. What do you see? If you’re on a plane you will see the world shrink beneath you and before long it’ll be clouds, open skies and the sun as far as you can see. If you look down you might see swathes of the countryside all at a distance. Hey! I can see my house from here!
On a train rumbling through the countryside, you’ll peer out that window in awe. One moment rolling hills thunder by, the next you’re amid a deep dark forest full of deep dark greens whispering its secret to you and woodland creatures meet your gaze. Maybe you’ll pass a village promising warmth, culture and comfort with viable dating options, or mountains that tower over you as if reaching for the sky. Who knows? Only one way to find out.
4. More Time to Catch Up
Some train rides will only last a few hours. Most, less than a day. Others, however, can be longer, much longer; the longest in the world being over 6 days (Trans-Siberian Express). This will give you some valuable time to catch up on things you have been wanting to do.
Maybe grab a few books and have a reading marathon or binge Netflix; perhaps you have work you need to get done. This is the perfect opportunity to do so. You have the time and space to do almost whatever you want. Hell, if you want, you can start doing pushups in the hall if you need to exercise. However, that might get you a few looks.
3. Better for the Environment
Even before the pandemic, there was a huge movement starting due to rapid climate change. Since the pandemic, it has changed from just a movement to countries and continents declaring climate change a global emergency.
The truth is that this planet will last long after you, me, and every other human is long gone. It doesn’t need us, but we do need it. So we should be doing what we can to make sure our planet continues to be inhabitable for us for as long as we can. Until we get fully sustainable air travel, I try to take whatever alternative possible to reduce my emissions. That means a lot of train travel. The awesome bit about this is that some countries, such as Austria, have fully electric trains, making train travel an even better option. Even long after the change, I will maintain my carbon offsetting, as it just makes the world a better place for us.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be a part of a symbiotic relationship with the Earth rather than a parasitic one. So act as if every day is Earth Day!
2. Cheaper (On Average)
Prices for flights and gas can vary greatly. Even here in Europe, I might find a 4-hour flight for 30 euros (~36 USD) or it might be 250 (~303 USD). It’s kind of hit or miss. With the average train ticket being less than 100 Euros (~121 USD) some going as low as 10 euros (12 USD) you will save significantly compared to driving and maybe only marginally compared to flying. Even with saying that, there’s a whole list of reasons right here that accompany the money you save.
1. You Can Choose to Get Off Whenever You Want
This was the absolute clincher for me. Especially someone who travels almost constantly. With planes, you fly over all of these amazing places. Places you will dream of visiting sometime in the future, but probably never will. With a train, you can just get off and explore. Chances are there will be several more trains passing by throughout the day. If not, there will be one tomorrow, unless you’re in some of the most remote regions.
This allows you to explore a humble village in the mountains or an expansive coastal town sitting on a sea that expands out past the horizon. You can visit a city you have always dreamed of and be back on the road by dinner.
There are programs such as Eurail that have tickets just for this. Their popular Global Pass allows you to pick 10 days in 2 months (other options are available) that you can get on and off as many trains as you wish from midnight to midnight. At 350 USD for the ability to travel within 33 countries, it’s a hell of a deal. You don’t even have to choose a starting date until you arrive! Try getting that deal with a plane.
In Conclusion:
While air travel and road trips are both viable options, there is just something special that occurs when you travel by train. If you have never done it, you are missing out. If you are from North America like me chances are you’ve never even considered it or have no reason to. That’s why I’m giving you these 11 reasons to travel by train.
8. Ability to Move About and Stretch Your Legs
7. Capability to Meet Interesting People
1. You can Choose to Get Off Whenever You Want
So will you be taking your next trip by train? Are there some reasons we missed? What was your best train experience? Let us know in the comments below!
