In Europe, flying is cheaper than taking the train.
It's an embarrassment, and a major problem: we have to stop flying for silly short distances. Realise that the overheads of flying (reaching the airport, awaiting 2 hours, the flight, the unloading, reaching the destination) largely cancel out any time gains of flying. And the carbon costs are utterly untenable. Not to speak of the modern, dire conditions of the whole flying "experience".
Another embarrassment is that train connections can't be guaranteed when across countries or companies. They aren't even coordinated. As if those who commission and set the schedules didn't travel by train themselves, at least not internationally. In considering how tiny most European countries are, it's frankly bizarre.
There are so many destinations one could travel by train to, yet in practice, it's not sensible. A disgrace.
My train from Ruse to Bucharest is half an hour late. I'm already in the train, the passports have been collected and a man with a sizeable hammer walks around the aisles. I guess they are changing locomotive or something. The train is somewhat empty, first class comfortable.
A bit of personal nostalgia: 20 years ago today, I bought a ticket for the following morning's train from Belgrade to Kolašin - my first trip on the Belgrade to Bar railway.
At that time "Serbia and Montenegro" was still notionally a single country, but already felt like two separate states. The name "Yugoslavia" had been dropped by then, but survived for a little longer in tickets like these, issued in the name of "Jugoslovenské železnice" (Yugoslav Railways).
In the latest episode (#34) of travel podcast The World Awaits, I talk with host Belinda Jackson about rail travel - including the allure of sleeper trains and my favourite rail journeys.
Listen in via your favourite podcast platform, or via the link from this page: https://theworldawaits.au/
Today I am travelling (almost) transcontinental by train. Few changes so what could possibly go wrong… 😑 probably a few things but I’m prepared!🤣 I will add to this thread during my trip today
So, my short #interrail dash into Balkans and back exploded into maybe even two months’ tour in Eastern Europe. Contrary to my habits, I haven’t planned the trip! Living in the moment and carping the diem!
Ok, I do have an excel, but I haven’t done seat or hotel reservations.
Ok, I have done reservations, but only for the first days… weeks of the trip.
Milestones.
5yo admitted today, that she in fact prefers looking at books or drawing in her own train seat over being in the play carriage with all the noisy smaller children. #trainTravel
Now free for all to read... I spent two days in the middle of nowhere, rolling across the Nullarbor Plain aboard the Indian Pacific train. Here's what it was like:
Of course being a black person on a train has always to come with an extra stress + double guessing.
Is it normal for white people to be disrespected and yelled at because you didn't download and screenshot the digital ticket's QR code and the train conductor has to wait 40seconds for the train to pass a region with no internet signal?
Mocking you like you have the arrogant presumption to have WiFi on board (which actually happens on a fair amount of trains even for Deutsche Bahn)?
If you are planning on taking the train long distance in Europe in 2024, Interrail is currently having a sale with 15% discount on passes until the 5 March!
»Sleeping across Europe. Night Train Map 2024« is a beautiful map of Europe's night train network. i love the colors and the vision behind it! it was created by @jurim of @backontrack who are "campaigning for more, better, affordable, long-distance and cross-border #nighttrains in Europe"
Today, I have to make the long trudge down to Sydney. I find the city really hard to handle. The concrete, the disturbing taste of the air, the crowds.
But there was a mob of roos bounding along beside the train for a bit as we twisted and turned through the forest, the mountains, the mist and a gentle summer rain.
That makes my heart happy, and I know I have a safe and beautiful place to come back home to, where I belong.
Okay, we've agreed to (splurge on) #traintravel to from #Salzburg to #Lyon this summer and #flixbus it back. If it goes to shit (weather, strike), we drive. Why does it feel so impossible to get there anyway? #CrossBorderRail
Our train arriving from the south doesn't allow us time to switch stations and catch it at the "new" Stop. The app invites us to search but shows zero alternatives.
When I search on the site separately, I see I can catch the same train via #Munich and #Mannheim. Do I just hop on those trains or do I have to rebook? Do I have this right even though I'm going on a different route? If they canceled the train, can I ask for a full #refund ? Or am I expected to find an imaginary alternative route on the same route? Are they entitled to the 10e fee if cancel? The #passenger rights page isn't fully clear to me. Halp