Even just on paper, a train is a convenient mode of transport for a multitude of reasons. For a start, according to an Intergenerational Foundation report, train travel is seven times more environmentally friendly than flying.
Also, if you book your train tickets in advance, there can be surprisingly little financial difference between rail and air journeys.
If you are often stricken with stress, you might not have realised that going by train can help to ease your tension, too — for the following reasons…
It’s quick and easy to catch a train
When planning to board a flight, there is an awful lot to account for. So, there’s also more potential for things to go wrong.
Perhaps you fear that you will be held up at the airport — e.g. in a lengthy queue or at customs — and end up missing a crucial boarding time as a result.
Fortunately, getting hold of a train isn’t as complex or convoluted as doing likewise with a flight. You can book train tickets online, turn up at the railway station when your chosen train is due to arrive, and then… well, get onto the train. That’s largely it.
Trains provide an ideal route to… meditation
Since trains are literally on rails, they are great places to catch up on meditation. As you close your eyes (perhaps with some soothing audio stimulation, like a looped Spotify track of lapping wave sounds, in your ears), the train’s gently rocking motion could ease you further into relaxation.
In this situation, you could soon forget — for at least a short while — that you are even on a train. So, you can temporarily imagine yourself, say, reclining in a deckchair on a sunny beach.
You can observe nature in real time
Obviously, if you were to drive somewhere rather than take the train, you would need to keep your eyes on the road. Even if you boarded a plane, you would be left with just a small window through which to see what is happening outside.
In contrast, trains come with large windows fixed in lengthy rows, allowing you to enjoy a panoramic view of the natural world as the carriage passes through it. Perhaps the train will pass by a string of sandy beaches or more of a forested area? There are many exciting possibilities.
A great opportunity to indulge in some creativity
If you are a creative type, you might have booked the occasional ‘retreat’ where you are able to get on with some writing or sketching in peace, without the kind of distractions — like kids or pets begging for your attention — that would usually hamper your productivity at home.
On a train, though, it’s very easy to pursue arty endeavours without anyone interrupting your train of thought (yes, we couldn’t resist a train pun there) more than once in a while.
You could even stick to using a notebook and pen — rather than a phone app — to avoid seeing nuisance notifications pop up in front of you.
You can plan future adventures while on the train
As we have already implied, driving to your destination would require you to focus very much on those two things: your driving and the destination. So, along the way, you won’t have too much time to consider exactly what you will be doing after reaching your destination.
Conversely, as a passenger on a train, you can use your smartphone to do some online research into potential future trips. You can more easily put yourself at ease when you are planning well ahead, as this form of transport would let you do.