Retirement Travelers
Train Journeys
Bucket List
“It’s not the beginning or the destination that counts. It is the ride in between…This train is alive with things that should be seen and heard. It’s a living, breathing something — you just have to want to learn its rhythm.”
~ David Baldacci, ‘The Christmas Train’
Why this Rail Journey list?
Nothing beats the rhythm of a train journey, whether it’s a butter smooth bullet train or an old clunky train from years of old. Being able to sit back, not drive, take in the views, read a book, eat in a dining car, or chat with fellow passengers is the perfect day of travel for us. Trains keep us out of airports and off highways; they connect us to the locals, and they help us live a life in another land.
This Canadian Rocky Mountaineer train has been on our list for quite some time, and we are planning to take it in the summer of 2023 with some dear friends. We are so excited to see Lake Louise and all the beautiful sights along the way. Stay tuned for details of what we thought of the journey.
#1 Rocky Mountaineer
Canada
#2 The Ghan
Australia
The Ghan is on our list for 2024 as well. This train travels from Adelaide, Australia to Darwin, south to north, in our case. It is another train trip we are excited to take. We can’t think of a better way to see the Australian Outback!
Every train aficionado we know has this train on their list. We have no plans to take it soon, but we want to do it once in our lives.
#3 Orient Express
Italy to England
#4 The TranzAlpine
New Zealand
This is a trip we took in 2023. In fact, we hope to add some more rail miles on the North Island and take the train from Auckland to Wellington. We then plan to take the Picton down to Christchurch on the New Zealand South Island. In Christchurch we will board the TranzAlpine Train to Greymouth. We hope it is a lovely journey!
This train isn’t really on many people’s lists, but it’s on ours. When planning a trip of traveling through Vietnam, it just seems like we’d be missing something if we passed on this experience.
#5 The Reunification Express
Vietnam
#6 The Indian Panorama
India
What a great journey to see some of the best sights in India on one rail journey. It’s on our list, and we hope to make it happen sooner than later.
Rovos Rail bills itself as the most luxurious train in the world. Judging by the prices, it might very well be. This is certainly on our wish list, and we may never get the chance to take one, but we have it here anyway. What a grand way to see Africa!
#7 Victoria Falls
Africa
#8 Indian Pacific
Australia
Traveling from one coast to the other across Australia is definitely a train journey worth taking. We hope to do this trip in the next few years.
This looks like a great trip from Singapore to Bangkok. We haven’t known anyone who has taken this one, but we are very interested and that is why it is on this list.
#9 Eastern and Oriental Express
Singapore to Thailand
#10 Trans-Siberian Railroad
Russia
We hope this train journey is doable in the next few years, but we just don’t know if it will be possible to get to Russia. It’s certainly a top trip for people who love rail journeys. When else do you get a change to see this very large country?