In this short article, we take a look at long train journeys and analyse the various types of people that you are likely to meet when you book a luxury train journey.
Most people have never been on a train for more than a few hours, yet very few have actually slept on a train, with their own berth on a sleeper carriage. Think about a 10-night train journey that takes you across Europe or Russia; being on a locomotive with a few hundred other people inevitably means you make some friends and if you are curious about the type of people who enjoy luxury train holidays, this article has put together a short list of people types that you are likely to meet on a long-distance luxury train journey.
The Annual Train Traveller
Once you have sampled 5-star travel of a special train, you will definitely wish to repeat the experience; typically, a couple in their 50s or 60s would book every 2-3 years and South African train trips are usually very popular. Some single people in their middle to later years are regular train passengers, as they wish to explore different regions of the world. A solo traveller might be very independent, preferring to head off alone when the train arrives at a station, rather than join a group tour. Such people typically choose the low season, when prices are lower and there are less passengers on the train.
The First-Timer
Like yourself, you will meet others who are on their first luxury train holiday; perhaps one in three passengers are on their maiden trip and ages are typically younger, in their 30s and 40s. You might meet a few pensioners who have finally taken the leap, never having been abroad before and once they realise what they have been missing, they become a regular train passenger and enjoy the wonders of Europe, Africa, the US, Canada and Australia.
Local People
Of course, not all passengers are foreign tourists; indeed, a percentage would be locals who wish to travel in style in their homeland and to visit neighbouring countries. This provides you with golden opportunity to make friends with locals and find out more about their culture. The locals are always happy to meet foreign tourists, and they appreciate why you would wish to step into their world and are genuinely curious about your culture and lifestyle.
The Group Tourer
When you book a berth on a luxury train, you will encounter small groups of 8-10 people who booked together. Chinese and other Asian nations prefer to travel in an organised group, which is much less stressful, as everything is pre-planned. You may meet Koreans, Thais, Japanese or Russian people who travel as a group and a translator would never be far away.
Journalists & Bloggers
When you read a great travel blog, someone actually booked the trip and enjoyed the holiday in order to write an accurate piece for a travel mag or website. You might even get a mention in their article if you happen to meet, which often happens. Some travel writers make a very good living travelling on luxury trains all over the world, commissioned by major media outlets to do a centre spread for a magazine or even a TV documentary. You are likely to meet travel writers when you book a berth on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which is the best-known luxury train journey that takes you across Russia and into China.
Regarding local passengers, it does depend on the time of year, and most do not ride the entire route, rather they use the train to get from A to B. University students might book a 3rd class berth as it would be cheaper than flying, while travel guides might hitch a ride if there are vacancies.