Riding the Rails: The Romance (and Reality) of Train Travel

Trains. Most people think of them as part of the daily grind — commuting, delays, and crowded cars. But rail travel can also be magical, maddening, and unforgettable.

In this episode of Explorations All Over, Russ takes you along on four very different train journeys:

🚆 VIA Rail “Yellow and Blue” (Canada) – A cross-country ride through the Rockies and across endless prairies.
🚆 Paris to Barcelona Overnight (Spain) – A smoky, surly, less-than-romantic night on rails.
🚆 Hiram Bingham (Peru) – A splurge from Machu Picchu to Cusco that promised elegance but delivered a mariachi-fueled conga line.
🚆 The Ghan (Australia) – A luxury run from Darwin to Adelaide with Outback stops, champagne sunsets, and even a cattle-truck mishap.

From cramped cabins to unexpected entertainment, from outstanding meals to meh service, this episode is all about the romance — and the reality — of train travel. Russ also shares tips and tricks for booking, what to expect onboard, and why “going with the flow” is the best mindset to have when riding the rails.

✨ Highlights:

• The highs and lows of service and food on long-distance trains
• Off-train adventures in the Australian Outback
• Unexpected mishaps (including a near trip-ending collision)
• Practical tips for planning your own rail journey

🎧 Whether you’re dreaming of crossing Canada, exploring Peru, or gliding through the Australian Outback, this episode will help you decide if train travel deserves a spot on your bucket list.

👉 Don’t miss the next Far Flung Adventures subscriber episode — we pick up in Africa, leaving Sanctuary Swala for the Ngorongoro Crater and on to the Serengeti. Subscribe today so you don’t miss a moment!

🔗 Stay Connected

Follow along on Facebook & Instagram: @ExplorationsAllOver
Join the conversation, see behind-the-scenes photos, and never miss an update.

Transcript

Riding the Rails: The Romance (and Reality) of Train Travel

Trains. Most people think of them as a daily grind — commuting, delays, maybe a crowded subway. But there’s another side to rail travel — sometimes magical, sometimes maddening, and often unforgettable. And Duncan and I have ridden four that really ran the gamut.

From cattle trains to conga lines, we saw it all.

Traveling by train.

That’s the topic and this is Explorations All Over.

[music]

I’m Russ and welcome to Explorations All Over.

I thought it might be fun to talk about Duncan’s and my travel by train.  It’s not something people think about very often, especially because of the means I mentioned above; that train travel is associated with the “daily grind”.

And FYI, these were our experiences over a span of 20 years of rail journeys, so your mileage may vary, literally.

We were watching a show, I can’t remember whether it was on PBS or the Food Network, that talked about the fantastic cuisine served aboard Canada’s VIA Rail “Yellow and Blue” service from Vancouver to Toronto.  Great photos and video shots to entice people to book, and we did.  We had high hopes for our first train adventure.

Our next train journey would be an overnight train we took from Paris to Barcelona, to meet up with friends for a Transatlantic cruise.  We booked the trip because it was the easiest way to get from point A to point B.  Luckily our expectations were pretty low. 

The third time we rode the rails was when we were returning to Cusco from Aguas Calientes after visiting Macchu Picchu in Peru.  We only booked the train one-way as it was pretty pricey, but we decided to splurge on what looked to be an experience similar to the Orient Express.  What we got?  I’ll talk about that later.

Our latest and most recent train adventure in 2024 was on The Ghan, a luxury Australian train that took us from Darwin to Adelaide crossing through the outback and making several stops for us to get off and explore the wild side of the land down under.

So let’s talk about what traveling on a train involves, starting with your room – or cabin.

On all the trains space was tight.  Very tight.  I have to say that with the overnight trains each accommodation was essentially the same, although with The Ghan they stored your large pieces of luggage so that you were free to live out of a smaller bag.  Imagine our surprise when we brought duffles for a two-week transatlantic cruise on the train to Barcelona and the bags took up as much space, if not more, than we did.

Let me take a minute to say that many of the multi-day trains offer different classes of service and usually the more you spend, the more space you have in your room.

In the rooms that we booked, during day the upper bunk is folded up into the ceiling and the lower bunk becomes a couch.  So if you wanted to stay in your room, there was a place for two people to sit.  VIA Rail in Canada actually did one better, the lower couch folded up and there was room for two armchairs.

The VIA Rail and The Ghan itinerary were both three nights long, the train to Barcelona was overnight and the Hiram-Bingham was, as mentioned, a few hours.

So if you didn’t want to hang out in your room, or you got cabin fever, where did you go?  This is where the two longer-duration trains differed.  On the Yellow and Blue there were a couple of dome cars where you could sit on the upper deck and watch the scenery go by.  Sometimes there was commentary about where the train was and what was outside the window.  

There was also a bar lounge below with a bartender, but he was so busy smoking that the small space was full of smoke and kept most people away.  A bloody mary?  *Cough* *Cough*  “No thanks”.

There was also a car at the rear with large picture windows.  Most people using it spent time reading.

On The Ghan each carriage of rooms was assigned a lounge car and dining car, with plenty of seating to watch the Australian outback zoom by.  It was great; light and airy and the attendant was professional and friendly.  It was the perfect place to wait before lunch and dinner or just hang out with a cup of coffee.

The train to Barcelona was essentially get on, eat dinner, go to bed, get up, eat breakfast and get off.  The room was standard, but it did have a full bathroom.  More on that in a minute.

We booked the Hiram-Bingham because it was owned and operated by Belmond, a leader in the premium hospitality industry.  Online, the train looked elegant and the accommodations top notch.  At our hotel in Aguas Calientes we changed into non-hiking clothes before we boarded so as not to stand out from the other passengers, who we assumed would be tastefully dressed.  Hang on to hear what we actually got.

Let’s take a step back and talk about planning a rail trip because you know we’re all about planning.  Do you need to plan far in advance?  If you’ve been listening to Explorations All Over you’ll know my answer.  Always.

And especially for a journey like these.  Unlike an airplane that has hundreds of seats or a cruise like that has hundreds of cabins, a train has very limited availability.  So to get what you want, when you want it and where you want it to go requires lots of pre-planning.

Because of the limited amount of space on the train, travel on trains is less forgiving when it comes to cancellations, so you need to be aware of the cancellation policy of the journey you’re looking to book.  Again, if you’re not a DIY’er, this is where a great Travel Advisor is invaluable.

Most train trips are only a few days, although there are some that are up to a week or more.  Your cost per day, compared to say a Caribbean cruise as I talked about in episode 13, is much higher.

Why?

Shorter travel.  Less passengers.  Somewhat inclusive. Exotically appealing.

Getting to and from the embarkation/debarkation point is also something you need to consider and include in your travel plans.

For each journey we took, Canada, Paris, Peru and Australia we included a “mini” vacation either before, after or both simply because the time on the train was so short in every case.

I’ve already told you about our overnight in Paris before the train to Barcelona, so let me give you another example: When we booked the VIA Rail “Yellow and Blue”, which as I said left out of Vancouver, we decided to fly from New York to Seattle and spend 2 nights there exploring the Pacific Northwest – highly recommended by the way!

We then rented a car and drove over the border and up to Vancouver.  We spent 2 nights in an amazing bed and breakfast that had duvet covers so deep you lost yourself in the fluffiness.  We explored Vancouver for 2 days before boarding the train.  We loved Vancouver.

At the end of the line we overnighted in Toronto and the following morning caught the train to Montreal.  So, what was a 3-night train journey turned into an 8-night adventure.  Just goes to show that you can make a short train trip into more of a vacation.

SERVICE

I’ve kind of referenced service, it’s what attracts a lot of people to train travel.  In our experience the service ranged from excellent to slightly better than poor.  Let’s start with the best.

The Ghan has a reputation to uphold, and they did.  From our cabin attendant to the bartender to the servers in the dining room everyone was focused on providing excellent service and a memorable experience.

I guess I’ d have to say the good but inconsistent service was on VIA Rail’s “Yellow and Blue”.  Our cabin attendant was friendly, service in the dining car was efficient, but there was no level of service that stood out; there were no “wow moments” when it came to service.

The train from Barcelona and the Hiram-Bingham could best be described as mediocre.  My dad once told me, “There is nothing worse than mediocrity.”  And mediocrity is hard to describe until you experience it.

It’s just…meh.  Nothing great.  Nothing horrible.  Just.  Meh.

It’s when the staff go through the motions; doing merely what is required.  Essentially, “We’re here to do a job and don’t expect anything more.”

Sad really, because even the slightest bit of extra effort would have made a HUGE difference.  This is where review sites come in handy.  Check and see how people who have taken the trip rated the experience.

By the way, our Hiram-Bingham experience was back in 2015, so hopefully things have improved since then.

FOOD

Next let’s talk about the food on the trains.  For us food is a barometer of travel regardless of the method of travel.  Bad food can ruin a trip; excellent food can make it outstanding.

Ranking the four rail journeys from best to worst I would say The Ghan would be the top, the Hiram-Bingham next followed by the Yellow and Blue and finally the Barcelona overnight.

Understand that the chefs on these trains are working in insanely tight spaces in a kitchen that is pitching left and right.  There’s not a ton of storage space no less space to move around, so whatever is placed in front of you is a small miracle.

The Ghan stopped several times, which I guess would give the kitchen more stable working conditions and stopping also meant the chefs could get fresher ingredients, where possible.  The menu was always varied, even at breakfast and you were always offered a choice for each course regardless of the meal.  As I said the service in the dining car was excellent.

Dining on the Hiram-Bingham was very good because the focus on the trip, besides being on a luxury train – we’ll talk about that in a moment – was on the food.  Since the journey was so short I have to believe some of the food preparation was done before the train even left Aguas Calientes.

Regardless, it was still a wonderful meal and was truly the highlight for us.

As I mentioned we found VIA Rail’s “Yellow and Blue” watching a show on PBS which, for those of you who might not know, is the Public Broadcasting System in the U.S.  We booked the trip primarily because the show talked about how nice the accommodations were but how even better the food was.

If you’ve been listening to Explorations All Over from the beginning, you would know that one of my mantras is “manage your expectations”.  Our trip on VIA Rail was a perfect example of when Duncan and I didn’t.

Breakfasts were pretty much the same from day to day with the standard selection of breakfast items.  Lunch offered a small selection and dinner offerings were somewhat larger.

What we found surprising at dinner was that each entrée was served with the exact same sides.  So if I ordered, let’s say the beef and Duncan ordered shrimp, we would both get the same rice and vegetable.  I don’t know, I just found that odd.  Again, with limited space the chefs did what they could considering.

The food was good and, I guess in the end, that’s what matters.  But what PBS had described and what we experienced were completely different.

So now I come to the Barcelona train.

I should give you an overview of the itinerary: Board in Paris around 9:00 p.m., get settled in your cabin, I’ll talk about the accommodations shortly, have dinner, go to bed, get up in the morning, have a quick breakfast and get off the train.  Pretty cut and dried.

We walk into a very crowded and smoky, this was in 2007 when smoking indoors in Spain was still the norm, and were directed to a table with menus dropped in front of us.  The selection was okay, and we knew we were not in for a gourmet experience and decided to go with safe bets.

Honestly, I don’t recall what we had.  It just wasn’t that memorable.  What I do remember is the service.  Our waiter was best described as surly.  He came over, brusquely asked what we wanted, wrote it down and started to leave before we could order a bottle of wine.

When I got his attention and ordered the wine, I got an aggravated harrumph.  He returned with the bottle and two glasses, which were promptly plopped on the table, opened the wine, dropped the bottled on the table and left.

The food came, we ate, left the money on the table for the wine (dinner was included), took the unfinished bottle back to the cabin with the glasses and left.  A rather inauspicious meal.

Next, I want to share with you our “off train” experiences, when there were any, and wrap up with, probably the most important, the accommodations.  Afterwards I’ll offer some helpful tips about traveling by rail and suggestions if you’re thinking about booking a train journey.

“Okay, let’s pause here for a quick break. When we come back, I’ll share what happens off the train, some quirks of life on board, and a couple of unexpected moments — including one that brought the whole journey to a screeching halt. Stick around.”

Two of our train journeys were single-day or less outings: the overnight from Paris to Barcelona, and the Hiram Bingham in Peru. The Yellow and Blue across Canada was three nights, but it only offered a single stop in Banff — just long enough to stretch your legs. No excursions.

The Ghan, on the other hand, got this right. Each stop offered options to actually experience the Outback, not just race through it. Two standouts: an opal museum in Coober Pedy — the world’s opal capital — and a dinner under the stars at a working ranch. Our hosts looked like they’d stepped right out of an Australian tourism ad.

One afternoon, after returning from an outing, the staff surprised us with champagne and canapés outside the train so we could watch the sun set over the Outback. It was one of those moments where you think, this is why we travel.

And that ranch dinner? It came with live music that turned the evening into a celebration.

Now, longer rail journeys — especially the luxury week-long ones — will often include multiple city stops, guided tours, and evening entertainment by local performers. Shorter trips, not so much. Most of the time, your “entertainment” is the view outside your window. On the Yellow and Blue, that meant snow-capped Rockies, tiny prairie towns, and endless farmland. For me, that was plenty. But if you need more, you’d better bring a book, some cards, or just lean into a good nap.

And no, there are no televisions in the cabins.

Quirks of Train Travel

Train travel also comes with quirks. The constant sway can make sleep tricky for some, but for others it’s like being rocked in a cradle — their best night’s sleep ever. Mobility can also be an issue: those sudden jolts will keep you on your toes, so the handrails in every car aren’t just decoration.

Amenities vary, too. On the Ghan and the Barcelona overnight, our cabin had a private bathroom with shower. On VIA Rail’s Yellow and Blue, our cabin had only a sink and toilet, and the shower was at the end of the car. You scheduled a time with your attendant, who set you up with a towel and toiletries. It worked fine for us, but for some people, that’s a deal-breaker.

And trains aren’t like planes or cruise ships when it comes to timing. Schedules are more…suggestions. The Barcelona train was the only one we took that arrived exactly on time. The others? Always late. Sometimes hours late. If you’re booking onward flights or hotels, plan for that.

Unexpected Moments

Travel loves to throw curveballs, and trains are no exception.

Take the Hiram Bingham in Peru. We cleaned up a bit, expecting elegance: vintage rail cars, maybe soft piano music in the lounge. Instead, a mariachi band marched in and launched into loud pop covers — including “Hot, Hot, Hot.” A large group on board loved it so much they formed a conga line weaving through the bar car. We couldn’t help but laugh, but it wasn’t exactly the refined Orient Express vibe we’d imagined.

Or the Ghan. On Day 2, somewhere between Darwin and Alice Springs, we heard a loud thwump. The train slowed… and slowed… until it stopped completely. Crew members hurried past with toolboxes. Eventually, an announcement: we’d collided with a “cattle train,” an Australian term for a multi-trailer truck hauling livestock.

They told us to pack an overnight bag in case the trip had to be canceled. Instead, they worked miracles on the tracks, and while they did, we were bussed off for an incredible Outback dinner — food, wine, live music, the works. What could have been a disaster turned into one of the most memorable nights of the whole trip. Talk about turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse.

Final Thoughts & Tips

Train travel has its charms and its challenges. If you’re tempted, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Plan ahead. Trains have far fewer cabins than cruise ships or planes, and cancellations are less flexible. Book early.
• Consider logistics. How will you get to the starting city? Where will you go afterward? Build that into your plans.
• Know your limits. If you’re prone to motion sickness, a light sleeper, or the kind of traveler who can’t handle delays, a long rail journey may not be for you.
• Manage expectations. Brochures and websites are designed to sell the dream. Do your homework, read reviews, and go in with eyes open.
• Most of all, go with the flow. Mishaps and surprises are part of the story. Sometimes they even become the best part.

Closing

So that’s our journey riding the rails — from the Rockies to the Outback, with mariachi bands, cattle trucks, and a few surprises in between.

The next episode continues our Far Flung African adventure. We left Sanctuary Swala and all the incredible memories we built with our elephant family, hopped on a bush plane, and headed to the Ngorongoro Crater for a two-night stay at one of Sanctuary Safari’s migration camps.

What’s a migration camp? It’s a camp that’s broken down at the end of every season and rebuilt the next year in the best possible location. It’s still glamping — but with a hot water bottle in your bed every night. Pure heaven.

Make sure to like and follow the podcast Facebook and Instagram pages.  I also have a fun YouTube channel, too.

The Ngorongoro episode is subscriber-only. You are NOT going to want to miss this one, so join my latest subscriber, Sue, and don’t miss a single moment.  Subscribe today.

I’m Russ, and this is Explorations All Over. I’ll see you soon.