10 reasons to travel by train
Road trips are fun and air travel is fast, but boarding a train is one of the best ways to see the world — in style. Here, 10 reasons to consider riding the rails:
1. The comfort
Airplane seats can get a bit squishy, cars — depending on how many people (and suitcases) you cram into them — are cramped, and buses are bumpy. Perhaps the most significant advantage of train travel is the space so stretch out, curl up, and get cozy.
2. The food (and drink)
Forget brown-bagging it: whether or not it has separate, dedicated dining cars — which are an experience unto themselves — a train offers the opportunity to dine in your seat, in style. While G Adventures Rail itineraries generally don’t include meals on board, most of our train journeys include the opportunity to purchase food and drink: in India, for instance, you can buy a cup of chai from vendors who board the train during stops.
3. The speed
Waiting in line is a necessary evil of travel, but rail travel eliminates much of this inconvenience. There’s no airport security check, shorter baggage claim processes, and a shorter distance between your feet on the station floor and your derriere in your designated seat.
Great food and drink is often available for purchase on long train rides.4. The scenery
Rail travel offers a view to some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery, up close and personal. And since many train tracks traverse paths where other modes of transportation simply don’t — or can’t — go, you’ll be getting a front-row view to parts of the world that are basically exclusive to you (and your fellow travellers, of course).
5. The kid-friendliness
Since many trains offer the flexibility to stretch out, get up, and walk around, they’re much better for small, easily bored passengers who might have difficulty sitting still for long journeys. (All that flexibility works for grown-up riders too, of course.)
6. The convenience
Many major airports are located great distances from city centres, meaning that, once your (potentially lengthy) plane journey has wrapped up, you’ve still got a bit more travelling to go before you reach your destination. Train stations, by contrast, are usually centrally located; getting from your seat to the city is just a matter of a few steps.
Rail travel allows you to stretch out, make friends, and enjoy the ride.7. The peace and quiet
Long, meditative train journeys offer plenty of time for reflection — especially since, when travelling by rail, there are generally fewer announcements and security procedures. Combine this with a relative surplus of space, and you get plenty of distraction-free travel time.
8. The cost
Flying from one country to another (to another, to another…) can get expensive, and fast. Taking the train may take a bit more time (though, given all the perks listed above, it’s more than worth it), but it’ll save you big bucks in the process.
9. The environmental implications
According to the Guardian, worldwide, road users (motorists) account for 71% of transport CO2 emissions, air travel makes up 12.3% and shipping comprises 14.3%. By contrast, rail travel claims a measly 1.8% — making it, clearly, the greenest choice.
10. The romance
If the speed, convenience, price, and comfort of train travel still doesn’t have you sold, perhaps the charm will. There’s just something very quaint, old-school, and, frankly, romantic about riding the rails, no matter where you’re coming from or travelling to.
Getting there
Ready to take a trip by train? G Adventures can get you on board. Check out our full roster of Rail tours around the world here.
By Rick Steves
It's wise to carefully compare passes to find the best fit for your itinerary and style of travel. The range of options may seem intimidating, but mostly it's a matter of simply knowing which countries you intend to travel in and for how many days.
Where To?
First find the pass that best matches the area you'll be traveling in. If you're planning on covering a lot of ground by train, you probably want a Global Pass, which gives you Europe by the tail, buying you unlimited travel on public railways in most of Europe. Even if you're traveling by train in just two countries, the Global Pass is likely your best option, as it generally makes little sense to cobble together several single-country passes.
A few multicountry regional passes, available for Scandinavia and parts of eastern Europe, can be cheaper than a Global Pass if one of them happens to fit your plans.
Virtually every European country has its own single-country pass. The relative value of a single-country pass over individual tickets really varies across Europe, so it pays to price it out before buying one. Also factor in convenience — as passes save some hassle in countries where seat reservations usually aren't required — and the unique bonuses offered by certain passes, such as Switzerland's (which covers much more than just trains).
Flexipass or Continuous?
While not all passes offer a non-flexipass option, understanding how a flexipass works is key to being a savvy pass shopper.
A flexipass lets you pay only for the days on which you actually travel. You don't have to decide beforehand which days you'll travel on, but you do have a certain window in which you must use up your train days (for most passes, that's either one or two months after you start using the pass). You can take as many trips as you like within each travel day, which runs from midnight to midnight (though most direct overnight rides can count as only one travel day).
A few passes are also available as a continuous pass, which can save you money if you plan to travel nearly daily and cover a lot of ground (whereas a flexipass is likely better if you plan to linger for a few days at most of your destinations). Global, BritRail, non-Eurail German, and Swiss passes offer this option. If you have a 15-day continuous pass, you can ride the trains as many times as you like for 15 days.
Passes that span a certain number of months last through, but not past, the date that's one day less than your start date (that is, if you started a month-long pass on the 12th, it'll be good through midnight on the 11th of the next month). This means that the number of days you can travel with a month-spanning continuous pass depends on the month you start traveling: If you set off with a one-month pass on any day in February, the pass is only good for the next 28 days; if you start in July, it's good for 31 days.
For those with open-ended plans, continuous passes can provide an extra sense of flexibility. Let's say you're planning a three-week trip and choosing between two versions of a Global Pass: a three-week continuous pass and a cheaper 10-days-in-two-months flexipass. For not much more money, the continuous pass gives you the freedom to take any train without wondering if a particular trip justifies the use of a travel day.