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It isn't just the nature of rail travel that has changed. The internet has changed travel forever; as mentioned in the article, Paul Theroux set out with only a

by pcrh 4y ago

It isn't just the nature of rail travel that has changed. The internet has changed travel forever; as mentioned in the article, Paul Theroux set out with only a few books to guide him, today he would have pictures of sites all along the planned route. No doubt travel is still an enriching experience, but perhaps it affords fewer chances for adventure and discovery than it used to.

prawn 4y ago
I think it's less that there are fewer chances, but more that with a constrained number of travel opportunities in life, people typically take trips where adventure and discovery are limited. If you pick things based on what looks good on social media or what was sold via the brochure, you'll usually have a limited experience of course. I do wonder though if there's an increase in things like vanlife roadtrips in the US, people doing laps of Australia, etc. Though the travellers are often hitting the same list of destinations, doing it under your own steam means that adventure and discovery are inevitable. You often don't know where you'll be sleeping on any given night. (I've been on adventurous train trips in various countries, and also on luxury hosted rail trips. They both have their place for different types of people, though the adventurous trips, whether rail or otherwise, are my thing.)
cgh 4y ago
Yes, absolutely. My first long trip was to what we called the Near East in the mid ‘90s (I am still amazed my parents allowed me to go as I was barely out of school). I had an outdated guidebook and word of mouth from the other occasional traveller and that was it. Most villages had at most one phone and often none at all, and of course there was no cell network. You just sort of headed off with only a foggy notion of what to expect. Traveling to Thailand a few years ago was quite different. The internet allowed us to preview every leg of our journey and there’s really not much mystery. On the other hand, it’s easier to get deals and figure out efficient ways to get around. But something has been lost, for sure.

by pcrh 4y ago

prawn 4y ago

I think it's less that there are fewer chances, but more that with a constrained number of travel opportunities in life, people typically take trips where adventure and discovery are limited. If you pick things based on what looks good on social media or what was sold via the brochure, you'll usually have a limited experience of course. I do wonder though if there's an increase in things like vanlife roadtrips in the US, people doing laps of Australia, etc. Though the travellers are often hitting the same list of destinations, doing it under your own steam means that adventure and discovery are inevitable. You often don't know where you'll be sleeping on any given night. (I've been on adventurous train trips in various countries, and also on luxury hosted rail trips. They both have their place for different types of people, though the adventurous trips, whether rail or otherwise, are my thing.)

cgh 4y ago

Yes, absolutely. My first long trip was to what we called the Near East in the mid ‘90s (I am still amazed my parents allowed me to go as I was barely out of school). I had an outdated guidebook and word of mouth from the other occasional traveller and that was it. Most villages had at most one phone and often none at all, and of course there was no cell network. You just sort of headed off with only a foggy notion of what to expect. Traveling to Thailand a few years ago was quite different. The internet allowed us to preview every leg of our journey and there’s really not much mystery. On the other hand, it’s easier to get deals and figure out efficient ways to get around. But something has been lost, for sure.