Travelling overnight in a train is, I think, a very special experience. I've slept peacefully on overnight trains in Russia, Finland and Vietnam, and will happily do so again, for many reasons. Spending extended periods of time on trains is a wonderful way to get chatting to other travellers, a comfortable way to really see a country's landscapes, and of course, it's also more environmentally friendly than flying.
My first guest on this episode is Justin Meneguzzi, who recently included overnight train travel to replace domestic flights on his trip to Thailand. It was great to hear about his experiences in both first and second class and has definitely inspired me to test out the Thai rail system on my next trip there.
I then chat with Julie Kaplan, who not long ago spent four months travelling in Iraq. She took her first overnight train trip while she was there, and tells me about her experience travelling from Baghdad to Basra.
Finally, I speak with Imogen Lepere about her trip across Russia on the Trans-Mongolian. As is often the case with overnight train travel, she struck up some kind of connection with the local travellers sharing her cabin.
Links:
- French ban on short plane trips - https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/02/is-france-banning-private-jets-everything-we-know-from-a-week-of-green-transport-proposals
- 12 Go Asia https://12go.asia/en - booking transport in Asia
- Justin Meneguzzi - https://www.justinmeneguzzi.com
- Julie Kaplan - https://www.juliekaplan.com/
- Julie’s YouTube channel, Julie from LA - https://www.youtube.com/@juliefromla
- Imogen Lepere - https://www.imogenleperewriter.com/
- Imogen’s book The Ethical Traveller - 100 ways to roam the world without ruining it - https://amzn.to/3Pj7KO7
- Trans-Siberian Train Journeys, Episode 194 - notaballerina.com/194
- Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
- Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
- Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/295
Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/
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