. . . Train Travel is the Best Travel: An Incomplete List
Do I always travel by train? Of course not, I'm American.* But when I have the chance, I love to travel by train, especially European trains. On this trip I have a Eurail pass that allows me to travel on any train for five days in a month-long period. Some trains require a specific seat reservation, but none have been required on my routes so far. With the pass you can download an app that has all the train routes and lets you put in your to/from location and times.
In no particular order, here is why I think train travel is the best:
- No security lines! No need to sort your liquids into baggies, you can keep your shoes on, and you don't need to feel awkward when you stand in the body scanner with your legs spread and hands up for what is definitely longer than five seconds.
- You don't need to be there hours early. This is probably because of reason #1 but since you can jump right on the train, there is absolutely no reason to be to the station more than ten minutes before departure. Do I still show up too early because my father** has made me paranoid? Of course I do, but I'm trying to make it only about 20 minutes early and then I buy a baked good to take on the train so it's all worth it.
- There are reserved and unreserved seats. I enjoy the freedom of unreserved where you can pick your seat for best window view or whatever your pleasure is. Sometimes it's nice to have a reserved seat, though, so you don't have to hunt around and can just plop yourself down.
- The View!
- You can walk around all the time. On a plane*** you're very limited. Sometimes the seatbelt sign is on, sometimes you're in the window and would need to trip over strangers, and sometimes you're faced with the fact that there's nowhere to walk to. Not on the train! You can walk to other cars and move around freely.
- Wide aisles and no seat belts. I mean, you're either moving forward or stopping so there's not too much to secure. As for the aisles, I don't know why this feels like such an absurd luxury, but it does.
- You are often reminded of your favorite train songs. Mine include:
- "Casey Junior" from Dumbo
- "C'mon Ride the Train (Whoot Whoot)" from 1990s Jock Jams
- "This Train is Bound for Glory" (this train)
- "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain"****
- "Midnight Train to Georgia "(I got ta go, I got ta go)
- You can get on and off the train quickly. Ever feel like the plane is loading but everyone in front of you has simultaneously lost the ability to walk or function as a human? Not on the train.
- You can get food all the time! They have a car for that!*****
- Want to get there at a different time? Take a different train, no bigs! You don't need to change your ticket or talk to a gate agent. Just get on a different train.
- Unlimited baggage. Sure, you have to carry it, but if you want to bring eight different bags, no one will stop you.
- Free Wifi. It hasn't been on every train but when it has, it has, again, felt like a complete luxury.******
- Finally! A chance to use all those vocab words from Spanish class! It was never explained to me in eighth grade Spanish why we learned all about the train station. Now I get it.
Go ride a train and discover what living is really like.
-KT
*Meaning I am not freight, there is an ocean between my departure and destination, or it's just really far, y'all.
**Love you, Dad! Happy almost-Father's Day!
***Do not even get me started on road trips.
****I don't think this song is even train specific but it really works.
*****It feels wrong that this falls so late in the list. I remind you that these are in no order.
******This post is coming from inside the train.
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