Relaxing rail beats airport angst
THE spate of terrorist
attacks in Europe has
resulted in increased
security measures across
major airports, sometimes
resulting in lengthy delays and,
in some cases, high levels of
stress and frustration when
moving through security and
customs. For itineraries that
include multiple destinations,
trains can offer a comfortable,
hassle-free alternative, with
several operators reporting an
increase in business from the
South African market.
Annemarie Lexow, sales and
marketing manager for Travel
Vision, has noted a growth in
the European sector over the
past month. She says this
may be due to the fact that rail
travel is “slightly more relaxed”
than opting to travel by air.
“You do not have to go
through customs in some
countries, and in others this is
done on board the train,” says
Annemarie.
“Should you cross a border,
customs officials board the
train and passengers do
not have to disembark.”
Other benefits include much
quicker check-in times than
air travel – which means less
time wasted. “You also have
the leisure of wake-up calls
and breakfast at the time
of preference on some of
the European overnight train
services,” she says.
However, Annemarie adds
that rail remains a niche
product for the South African
market, making it very difficult
to gauge any growth trends
simply by looking at passenger
volumes. “South Africans’
perception of rail is based on
what they experience in South
Africa: either very expensive
or not safe. This is a total
misconception in terms of the
rail experience in countries like
Canada, Australia, Italy, Britain
and Peru, to name a few,” she
says, adding that rail tends to
be more popular with repeat
travellers who already have
some insight into the logistics
of train travel.
While rail is showing growth
in popularity, train travel is not
immune to security concerns,
with the metro being targeted
in the terrorist attacks in
Brussels in April of this year.
There are also other factors
that have affected train travel.
Inge Dobihal, owner of Austria
Connection, says that at the
height of the refugee influx
in Europe, there were some
issues with delays, with some
stations even being closed for
several days. “However, these
problems do not exist any
more and we have not seen
any decrease in the demand
for train travel.”
In fact, Inge says the
positives far outweigh the
negatives – not only when
compared to air travel, but
road as well. “Instead of
driving a car, you can relax in
a comfortable seat or move
around along the passage, go
to the dining car and enjoy a
cup of coffee, glass of wine
or a meal, while watching
the scenery passing by,” she
says. “This is especially true
for ‘city hoppers’. Most old
town city centres in Europe are
closed to traffic, so having a
car can be more of a burden
than a pleasure. Parking is
very difficult to find, mostly
restricted to a very short
time-span and expensive,”
adds Inge.
Three top tips for train travel
WITH rail not being a
common mode of travel for
South Africans locally, some
may feel a bit daunted by
the different options when it
comes to classes and ticket
bookings.
Inge Dobihal offers some
useful guidelines.
There is very little difference
between first and second
class. The upholstery in
first class will be a fraction
softer and there are free
additions like a copy of
the daily newspaper (in the
language of the country
they are in) and Internet
connectivity, both of which
the average tourist does not
really need.
Holding a ticket does not
guarantee travellers will
have a seat, unless they
have a separate seat
reservation.
It may happen, especially
in high season, that when
travellers board a train
all seats will already be
occupied and passengers
may have to stand or sit
on their suitcase in the
passage. Most of the
time, there are always
seats available, but school
holidays, public holidays
and long weekends may be
problematic.
The advantage of holding
a ticket without a seat
reservation is that travellers
can board any train on that
particular route on that
day, and often also on any
train within the next three
days. This gives them the
flexibility to decide on the
spur of the moment if
they want to depart in the
morning or perhaps in the
afternoon.
Warn your clients!
AGENTS should advise rail
travellers that in Europe,
some trains may split
halfway, with one section
going to one destination,
and the other section going
somewhere else, warns
Inge Dobihal
“It is clearly signposted
and, if in doubt, one can
always ask the conductor,”
she says. “This happened
to me in the freezing cold
winter time. I was sitting
in the right coach and
decided after a while to go
to the dining car. There I
got engaged in an intense
discussion with someone
about the problems of the
world, when I realised that
the dining car was heading
to another destination and
my luggage and coat went to
the destination I wanted to
go to! With the help of the
conductor, I was able to take
another train to my planned
destination and my luggage
and coat were waiting in
the ‘lost and found’ office,”
she says.
Five bucket-list rail journeys
SOME may argue that there
is no more stylish or elegant
way to travel the world than
by train. TNW rounds up
some of the most soughtafter,
once-in-a-lifetime rail
experiences.
1 The Trans-Siberian
Railway
At almost 10 000km, the
Trans-Siberian Railway is
the third-longest single
continuous service in the
world, linking Europe with
Asian destinations like
China and Japan. The
train is used by locals and
was not designed purely
with tourists in mind, but
that doesn’t mean it isn’t
extremely popular with
travellers, as it offers them
the chance to view many of
the region’s most remote
destinations, from the
warmth of a comfortable
train coach. Passengers
are each allocated a flat
berth to sleep on, which can
be converted into a seat
during the day. There are
washrooms and toilets, as
well as a restaurant car.
2 Venice SimplonOrient
Express
This is one of the world’s
most well-known luxury
trains, travelling from
London to Venice. The
overnight journey takes
about 24 hours, during which
passengers can relax in
the vintage carriages, while
being served four-course
meals, breakfast in bed, and
some of the world’s best
wnes and champagnes.
The 1920s and 1930s cabins
have been restored to
recreate a sense of what
it was like to live in the
‘golden age’ of rail travel.
The Venice Simplon – Orient
Express is operated by
Belmond.
3 The Canadian
Rockies on the Rocky
Mountaineer
The ‘Journey through the
Clouds’ gives passengers
the chance to view Canada’s
spectacular scenery
along scenic valleys, the
Coastal Mountain Range
and the Fraser Canyon
while on board the Rocky
Mountaineer. The journey
takes passengers from
Vancouver, through Kamloops
and ends in Jasper. This
train trip is included in
Travel Vision’s seven-night
Canadian Sky itinerary.
Guests travel by train but
overnight in hotels in each of
the destinations.
4 The Indian Pacific
on The Great
Southern Rail
The Indian Pacific is the
longest stretch of straight
railway in the world across
the length of Australia
Landscapes shift from the
coastline of Perth, through
the barren outback all
the way to Sydney. The
total distance covered is
4 352km, taking three
nights and four days.
Passengers can choose
between Platinum- and
Gold-class cabins, with all
meals and drinks included
in the fare. Coast-to-coast
trips can be booked through
Travel Vision, with Sunday
departures until March 31,
2017, starting from Perth
along Kalgoorlie, Cook,
Adelaide, Broken Hill and
ending in Sydney.
5 Kruger on the
Blue Train
The iconic Blue Train offers
charters between Pretoria
and Hoedspruit, stopping
at Hoedspruit station,
where passengers are then
transferred to their preferred
lodges in and around the
Kruger National Park.
For 2017, special routings
will also depart Pretoria on
March 17, July 7 and
August 11, arriving in
Hoedspruit the following
day. Return trips will depart
on March 18, July 8 and
August 12. The one-way
journey takes approximately
19 hours, during which
guests can enjoy the luxury
facilities the Blue Train
has to offer, including fine
dining, WiFi and on-board
entertainment such as
movies and music.
Austria and Solvenia by train
ONE of the key benefits of
rail travel is that it allows
passengers to take in the
sights and scenery along
the way, while easily fitting
multiple destinations into
a single itinerary. Austria
Connection’s ‘Austria
and Slovenia by Train’, is
an interesting route and
includes accommodation,
train tickets and select
excursions, says Inge
Dobihal.
Inge provides a summary
of the itinerary below:
Days 1 and 2: Salzburg,
Austria
Fly into Salzburg, or take
a train from Munich to
Salzburg. This city is
renowned as Mozart’s
birthplace and the location
for ‘The Sound of Music’.
Travellers can take an
optional half-day Sound of
Music Tour, or explore the
scenic Salzkammergut lake
district.
Days 3 and 5:
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Travel by train through
countryside to Ljubljana,
the capital of Slovenia.
Travellers can explore at
leisure. On day four, guests
will be taken on a half-day
tour to Bled to view Lake
Bled and Lake Bohinj, while
on day five, a half-day tour
to the Postojna Caves is
included.
Day 6: Graz, Austria
In the morning, depart
for another scenic train
trip to Austria, stopping in
Graz. Here, travellers can
learn about the Middle
Ages through a visit to the
Armoury, the world’s biggest
collection of medieval arms
and weapons.
Days 7 and 8: Vienna,
Austria
The last train trip travels
along the Semmering Pass
to Vienna. Optional activities
include a half-day city tour,
or a hop-on, hop-off tour.
Travellers can also walk
through the old town, and
shop in Kaerntnerstrasse
and Graben.
Day 9: Departure
The Austria and Slovenia by
Train itinerary costs €775pps
(R11 537) and includes
accommodation, breakfast,
excursions to Bled and
Postojna Caves and train
tickets.
