It occurred to me, after a contest Passion Passport ran on Instagram a month or so ago (I’m still a little bitter I didn’t win), that I’ve actually done a fair bit of traveling on trains. If you’d asked me at the time, I wouldn’t have said that I’ve spent a lot of time on trains but when thinking about it I realized I had – I did a two week trip around Ontario on the VIA Rail, I’ve passed through the Chunnel from London to Paris, took an overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thailand, used trains as transportation to get from city to city in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and within the city in London, Chicago, Paris, Rome and my hometown of Calgary, Alberta. I’d never really considered it before, but trains are an amazing way to get places and see things!
- Freedom – You can get on and off wherever you want, especially if you have a day use pass in a city. You also have freedom while you’re on the train – you can walk around whenever you want (no turbulence to worry about!), there are typically bathrooms on ones that travel outside of only one city, and you’re not restricted by a seatbelt.
- Speed – You don’t get caught in traffic jams, although trains themselves do hold up other traffic sometimes! As well, there aren’t typically a ton of stops like there are when you’re riding buses.
- Sights – You get to view a lot while riding on trains, easily and quickly, without the work of driving yourself. Because they go through cities and the countryside you often also see things you may not see while driving, such as farms, little neighbourhoods or forests.
- Convenience – Trains are everywhere, and go everywhere! Most cities have a subway, metro or other train system, which are an awesome and cheap way to get around, and most countries offer train routes throughout themselves, to big and small cities alike.
- Comfort – Other than a few horror stories I’ve heard from Asia, trains are a comfortable way to travel. The seats are typically large and fairly padded, you don’t have to wear a seatbelt, and the windows are large and let in lots of light during the day.
- Fun – Trains are an exciting way to travel, because most of us don’t use them as often as other modes of transportation (driving, flying). Plus, you can play games, read, write, sleep, walk around, look at scenery, and some even offer wifi these days!
My boyfriend did a six week trip traveling all over the USA by Amtrak with a friend a few years ago, and I think he visited (or at least passed through) almost every state, and hit up nearly every big city in America. As far as train travel goes, that’s the next journey on my list! Where’s the coolest place you’ve traveled by rail?