Luxury train rides offer the opportunity to sit back and relax and enjoy the view
Railways have made a comeback as a means of transport to kick back and relax in, not to mention the amazing views and fun activities on the way
have replaced yesteryear's rail travel for the most part, as speed and efficiency supersede the decadence of taking your time to get anywhere. The modern day nomad now comes equipped with an iPad, some fast talk and a whole lot of haste. But old-school rail and classic, faithful locomotives have come to remind us that an unhurried journey can prolong the enjoyment and luxury of a true escape.
"People have a fascination with trains - even those who aren't engineers can appreciate the sense of history that you get from trains that you just don't get from a plane," says Marianne Grimshaw, a senior travel consultant at Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel in London. "Travelling by train is a relaxing and interesting way of moving around with the scenery out of the window, and of course to easily converse with fellow travellers."
The ambience of luxury train travel is much the same as 100 years ago. It was the American industrialist George Mortimer Pullman who introduced what some called a "hotel car" in 1864. Soon after that was the dawn of luxury trains as they spread to Europe and Asia, with the first being the Orient Express, its maiden journey leaving Paris and travelling across the continent.