Around the world by train

Jim Louth, the founder of our partner Undiscovered Destinations and the mind behind this ambitious journey, is, it’s fair to say, not a man without a sense of adventure. Nor does he lack experience. He spent 14 years in the rail industry before going into business for himself, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. And he has travelled the world extensively by train, including from Japan to the UK aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway, and coast-to-coast across North America.

“My goal has always been to help people explore the world in ways that feel real and connected, and rail travel is 100 percent the best way to do that,” says Jim. “We intentionally avoid the famous ‘hotel trains’, where you’re mostly traveling with high-spending tourists, in favour of normal trains that anyone can travel on. So there may be other tourists, but you’ll also be with local people. The accommodation is as comfortable as possible because you want that after a long journey, and we’re always booking the highest class of travel, but we avoid the super-luxury trains because we want to give travelers a different experience.”

Although cost and time would rule out traveling all the way around the world by rail for most of us, trips like this also serve as an inspiration. There are many long-distance routes by train that may be more achievable, with new rail links being forged all the time. If you have a trip in mind, we can often help you to put it together.

Thirteen countries in 100 days means you’ve got a lot of ground, and water, to cover. But a vacation like this is just as much about the experiences along the way as it is about the journey itself.

In Vienna, you might catch a performance of classical music and ballet at the prestigious Kursalon concert hall; in Bulgaria, you can explore the rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arriving in Istanbul on the sleeper from Plovdiv, you may enjoy a private class in Turkish marbling (ebru), a UNESCO-listed artform, then in Georgia tour renowned vineyards in the renowned Kakheti wine region.

Reaching Xi’an in western China three weeks later, there is the chance to indulge in a cultural evening and banquet showcasing life during the Tang Dynasty, and afterwards, in Japan, to roam the country’s rural heartland by bullet train, taking part in traditional tea ceremonies. And on reaching the shores of North America, as you transfer to a comfortable minivan to cross the continent, you might take a memorable seaplane flight above Vancouver, and wallow in the awe-inspiring landscapes of America’s western parks and prairies.

These long vacations, with the freedom for you to really take your time, offer abundant opportunities to take in the culture of different regions, and by extension to spread the economic benefits of tourism to many small businesses. Over 100 days you’ll clink glasses in family-run wine cellars, bite into street food in bustling local markets, and learn traditional crafts from artisans in their own workshops. The carefully curated itineraries on our round-the-world by train vacations mean that you have something new and exciting to look forward to at every stop.

Firstly, of course, you can’t go the entire way around the world by train alone. And this vacation hinges on two ocean crossings. The first, a 23-day luxury cruise from Tokyo to Vancouver across the Pacific on what’s called a repositioning voyage; the second, a week-long crossing from New York to Southampton, England, aboard the iconic Queen Mary 2.

“A lot of it has to be by road in the United States as well,” Jim points out, as the rail network is so patchy. “But from our arrival in Vancouver to the Atlantic cruise there’s a three-week gap. Rather than rush across the USA to meet an earlier sailing, we choose to round the trip up to 100 days and take our time instead.”

Time is the essence of these vacations. You’ve got long stretches of it to bask in, on sections like the overnight sleeper train from Plovdiv in Bulgaria to Istanbul, or the 20-hour journey through the stark and empty landscapes of western Kazakhstan into the desert wilderness of neighbouring Uzbekistan. Plenty of opportunities to get to know your fellow travelers and learn their stories over tea.

And keeping track of time is a well-travelled and multilingual tour leader who will accompany you all the way except for the weeks when you’re at sea, ensuring that you always make your connections and everything runs smoothly. You’ll also meet up with local guides at every stage, helping you to experience and understand the culture, history and nature of the regions you pass through while also channelling tourism income to many different communities.

Most of the trains on our round-the-world by rail routes depart daily, or several times a week. The potential for delays is acknowledged, with ‘buffer days’ built into the itinerary. But our vacations make use of up-to-date information from expert partners along the route, so any timetabling issues can be skilfully worked around.

On the move near-constantly for 100 days, getting on and off trains, you will need to be comfortable with packing light. But you will also need suitable clothing for the desert, for mountain hiking, for visiting temples and churches, and for Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as dressing for dinner on cruise ships. With regular stays at high-end hotels, you can take advantage of their in-house laundry services – and the cost of this is included in your tour price. You can also engage a luggage forwarding service, so that, for example, in New York you can discard your walking boots and khakis in favour of formal evening wear.

For the most part you will stay in luxurious hotels, often global brands, on a four- or five-star basis. However, in some places, such as the ‘Stans, our vacations also make use of independently operated hotels, thereby ensuring that considerable tourism income remains in these communities rather than ‘leaking’ out of the local economy.

These are small-group trips, with a maximum of 12 people. It will naturally be a niche demographic, given the cost involved, and the length of the trip necessitating travelers with a lot of time on their hands means that the group is likely to skew older. And, considering the long rail journeys, and some of the more challenging sections such as a 24-hour crossing between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan aboard a cargo ship, it will also appeal to experienced, intrepid people content to travel light. This kind of vacation is ideal for adventurous solo travelers, as well as couples and friends.