For people wanting to travel the world, there are many different ways to get from one place to another. You can drive in your own car or a rental, you can fly, you can sail, you can take a bus or coach or you can board a train. All of these methods of travel have their advantages and disadvantages. If you decide to travel in your own car or to rent one, you will be limited to where you go except for places that have ferries that take cars across bodies of water and because you will be focused on watching the road, you may miss out on some of the scenery. It will also take you longer to get to where you want to do and, with the cost of fuel these days, this may just be the more expensive option if you are traveling over long distances or for a long period of time. Flying is the quickest way to get anywhere but, unless you know how to score the best deals, it is the most expensive option and being thousands of feet in the air means you will miss out on everything you would have seen if you traveled by ground transportation. Sailing is the slowest mode of transportation but if you have the time, you will be able to travel to more places and you can get great deals on this type of travel as well. In this article, I will talk about train travel as it is probably the mode of travel that most people know the least about. For that very reason, most people assume that train travel is very expensive and are not aware that it is possible to get very cheap vacations while riding the rails. Here are some ideas of great train trips to get you started:
1) Canada – Take a trip from Truro, Nova Scotia and venture across the world’s second largest country all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia on Via Rail. You will experience the diversity of Canada as you pass through quaint fishing villages on the East coast, endless prairies in the interior and the Rocky Mountains on the West coast. If you prefer to just see parts of the country, it is possible to do various shorter journeys as well. Via also has a pass that allows passengers the opportunity to disembark the train at various points and get back on the train whenever they want for a period of a month with the option to buy extensions if you run out of time and want to see more.
2) Switzerland – Take a trip through the Swiss Mountains onboard the Glacier Express and see some of the world’s most spectacular mountain scenery. During this 7.5 hour long train ride, you will pass through ninety-one tunnels and cross 291 bridges.
3) Mexico – Travel from Chihuahua to Los Mochis and take in the stunning countryside in between. You will also see the Copper Canyon and pass over thirty-seven bridges that offer breathtaking views.
4) Southeast Asia – While onboard the Eastern and Oriental Express, you will travel from Singapore onto Malaysia and finally, onto Thailand and along the way you will see golden temples and experience a landscape that is like no other.
5) Scotland – See lakes, mountains coastline and countryside all in one shot when you take a trip onboard the Royal Scotsman.
Some other popular destinations that are great to see by train are Peru, South Africa, India, Turkey, Spain, Russia, Norway and Australia.
Once you have a destination in mind, you need to find the right package to suit your needs and budget. Here are some tips on how to get the cheapest possible train trip:
1) Generally, the earlier you book, the cheaper your ticket will be but that doesn’t mean that you cannot find last-minute deals! Search the internet and sign up for email alerts that let you know when deals are happening.
2) Look into purchasing Rail Cards or similar deals like the one offered by Via Rail. Deals like this are best for travelers who will be traveling by train for extended periods but it is possible to find some that are for shorter periods of time too.
3) If you are a student or a senior, make sure that you look into any cost-savings that could be available to you due to your individual status.
4) To find special deals on rail travel, go to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/toc_index.html and search their data base of deals offered by various rail lines.
5) If you plan to only use the train to get from point A to Point B and are not interested in what there is to see in between, consider traveling on an overnight run as this is almost always cheaper.
There is something romantic and old-world feeling about boarding a train and embarking on a long journey through unknown territory. Train travel offers something you cannot get while traveling by plane, car or boat and any traveler should embark on at least one good, long train trip in their lifetime and now is the time to get those cheap vacations!
Photo via nerveblood
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