Passing the Time on a Train
 

We are a group of adults (35-63) travelling by train this summer. Several of our trips are 5 - 12 hours. Aside from enjoying a picnic, napping and reading books, do you have any great ideas of how to pass the time but not annoy the other passengers?

We've already packed a deck of cards and the SkipBo cards.

Talking to the other passengers is a great way to pass the time and meet some very nice and interesting people. If you approach it right, you won't be annoying them.

If available, go to the dining car and have a very slow meal including a lot of wine. It's amazing how fast the time passes this way. Have a nice trip!!! Mike

Best thing I ever did was buy a portable DVD player. They're really quite cheap - half the price of an ipod! I also belong to an online DVD club, so I've always got loads of films to watch. I take the DVD player whenever I have a 3hr or more journey by plane or train. Two people can plug headphones in to watch.

Have you ever considered it might be better to fly than to sit on a train for 12 hours?

Not sure what your desinations are - but after about 6 hours on a train I start to get really stir crazy - and need to get back on ground that isn;t moving.

Regarding flying, we purchased a Eurrail pass, so each trip is now gravy. Also, one in the group wanted to do a night train (the 12 hour haul) for the experience of the sleeping car.

I think the DVD player is a great idea! I'll have to go check out the possibilities. Hope I can find a dual voltage one!

You seem to have just about everything covered. Two things to take advantage of are the fabulous scenery you will see on some train trips and the fascinating characters you will meet. We have met and talked with wonderful people on many train trips.

One of the suggestions I got, and plan to use, is to catch up on your travel journal and post cards to send out. Seems like a good time to sit and write! Hey - start working on your trip report for Fodors!

B. ;)

DVD question -

I'm looking at the DVD players online right now. None of them (thus far)have mentioned if they are dual voltage or not. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Also, many have listed battery time from 3 - 4 hours. Will I find something better than that?

Probably because the DVD player itself isn't "dual voltage" but the apparatus used to connect it to household power may very well be since most of these electronics are marketed worldwide.

When you get up and walk around on the train and you want an entirely different perspective of the passing-by scenery, go to the last car on the train and look out from the rear doorway.

I would totally agree with having a meal in the restaurant car...the food quality varies widely depending on the train but it is an experience that is harder and harder to find in North America at least and well worth the money IMO.

Some of the trains actually have "in flight entertainment" style movies showing on screens on the back of the seat in front of you.

We also bring a portable dvd player with split headphones so two can watch (and listen) to the movies without bothering other passengers. Most dvd players are dual voltage, so you won't need anything other than an adapter. Just bring movies that you don't mind playing over and over. Generally speaking, you will NOT be able to purchase movies in Europe unless you can find ones that are all range. Actually, I've been looking for a dvd player that will take both European and U.S. formated movies so I can purchase and play movies from Europe, and haven't had much success in the search.

We also love to go to the bar car and meet fellow travelers. It can be lots of fun.

I also use the time to write in my journal and catch up on postcards. I always carry a sheet of paper when I sightsee and scribble quick notes and observations when I can grab a minute. Sometimes it takes a long time to compile all those miscellaneous scribbles into a cohesive journal entry! Train travel time is perfect for that.

We took a night train from Paris to Venice, and had a lovely dinner, then headed back to our car...we ended up meeting a class of French kids heading to Genoa for a field trip, and their teacher and his wife shared a berth with us (we were in 2nd class).

We talked with the teacher, who spoke English and wondered out loud how we managed to make it in France without knowing any substantive amounts of French. (HA) When I said I wished I spoke French, but only knew English and Portuguese (I was born in Brazil but live in the States), I found out he had just returned from 7 years in Brazil teaching French there -- and we quickly switched languages. That really busted up the kids. :)

The kids were FASCINATED with us -- they obviously didn't have much contact with Americans, if any, and they tried out their English on us, and we just had a great time as they laughed at our French.

That train trip was one of the most fun experiences -- we didn't get much sleep, but it was a fabulous way to meet locals. The same happened on our 9-hour bus ride from Izmir to Istanbul...we had a group of kids going to the city to check out universities with their teacher, and again ran into very friendly people who wanted to talk. You should have seen the eyes pop open on the kid who swapped CD's with my husband -- He gave them Alice in Chains in exchange for a Turkish CD.

Anyway, enjoy the train travel, don't be afraid to approach and be approached. Teenagers are especially interested in you, at least that was my experience.

Also, study up on the language you're heading into, and review the sights you want to go see. I found train time to be a good time to regroup by writing in my journal about where I'd been, and preparing for the next stop.

Happy travels,

Jules

I am assuming you have already booked your couchette. If not, you may be in for a night of misery.

Yes, the seat reservations and sleeping cars have all been reserved. Passes in hand.


Well, except for one that can't be reserved until we reach Italy... that one is making me very nervous with the upcoming strike!

Maybe someone who is in Italy (like a hotel concierge or travel agent)can make it for you

<picnic, napping and reading books>
Talk with other passengers
Read up on your next city/stop
Write postcards
Spring for a nice dinner in the dining car, if available
Drink wine
Listen to an audio book tape/CD

I agree with Suze but I always bring a bottle of champers, crackers or other aperatif snacks and the time flys by with the scenery

I was on a train from Amsterdam to Berlin & they had a bar in the drink cart. I drank beer, BS'ed with the bartender, and brushed up on my German. It went by pretty quick.

Hi MHAG,

Seeing as you are hip on the portable DVD player idea - I will let you know that we love ours.

The only warning I will offer is with ours, when two people watch it, thus a splitter being used for the two sets of headphones, the volume is not as loud as when just one headset is used.

To remedy this, we purchased a headphone amp (from Radio Shack)it is little and plugs into the dvd first and then you have an outlet for up to four headsets with equal amounts of volume, and loud enough to be heard over plane/train noise. It worked well.

Not all DVD players may have this problem, it could be just ours, so I would give it a "test run" before you leave.

Have fun! Tiff

We have almost ended up chatting with other passengers. Mrs. Fly has a special knack for carrying on long conversations with people with whom she shares no commmon language. They'll have about 10 words of one another's languages, yet she'll know their entire family's life stories after a two-hour train tripl.

That's a priceless talent, for sure, Rufus!

I have a travel/art journal. I write about my trip in it every night, and while I travel. I may write thoughts and a poem sometimes. I carry a little
glue stick in my bag and I paste little post cards, tickets and things in it.

I leave some space through out it to use my rubber stamps and other mixed media art stuff when I get home.

I write out post cards to be sent to people I know. I also send them to myself! I like having them to put in my journal or scrapbook.

I sketch and might do a funny top ten list on something I have done or seen.

On our way to Edinburgh from London I was writing and looked up for a second, and my best friend was looking at me all stupid, and I wasn't sure what he was doing. He had his wife's journal and was sketching me. Complaining all the while, "I just can't draw with a pen!" over and over again. So I drew him, drawing me.

Silly, but it was fun, and is a part of my trip, my journal and help pass the time. He gets teased everytime he picks up a pen now.

Thanks for all of the great ideas!

I bought an inexpensive dvd player tonight. I would hate to damage a nice one during our travels so I was able to save some money.

It has a battery life of about 3 hours before it needs to be recharged. Is there access to electrical plugs on a train?

The trains are a great way to "mingle" with the native people. I spent a wonderful train ride from Venice to Rome, just chatting with my Italian seatmate. She spoke very little English, and I spoke very little Italian, but I knew her life story by the end of the trip with the aid of the Italian/English dictionary on my palm. (Also, I improved my Italian)
You could also just catch up on your sleep, as my sister did!

Travel Scrabble.

Topping to see if anyone knows about electricity on the train.

:)

I basically agree with everyone else. I love checking out the scenery, although I admit that it gets old after awhile and I start to fidget. I usually try to nap while on long train rides, but I usually bring a portable cd player, a couple of magazines and a book to help. Having conversations with others is definitely fun as well. The people we met have been great and have been from all parts the world. Its a great experience. We actually got some great advice on our trips from locals whom we met on the trains.

LOL RufusTFirefly. I think your wife and I have a few things in common! :)

Tracy

I didn't read everyone's reply but bring a travel journal and get it up to date, listen to music or watch a movie, bring a deck of cards too.

Am I the only one who travels by train with an open map and guidebook? I enjoy passing through countryside and towns and following the route on the map, also looking at a guidebook possibly to see what there is in some of those towns. That's the way I've seen many places I later decided to return to.
I understand getting bored on a plane, but I'm never bored on a train. I really enjoy the scenery, but perhaps I'm in a major minority there.

Patrick - Nope, you're not the only one who does that! I do that, too! First class on German trains is especially nice because they give you the little route brochure -- it's fun to "follow along" on a map, and see where all those other towns are that the trains connect to. (good grief, my grammar) Of course, I love maps anyway -- if I find myself with nothing to read, I'll start reading a road atlas. :)

I think train travel is one of the best ways to travel. Have done it many time on Amtrak and would LOVE to do Eurail one of these days. I spend alot of the time just watching the world go by. After all, that's alot of the reason for taking a train in the first place - so you can see the country rather than fly over it. I find I always bring lots of book to read and then never get to them because I'm so mesmerized by the passing scenary. Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks again for all of your ideas!

I mentioned early in the post the card games we had packed. Does anyone else have suggestions for easily transportable games? My family loves them!

On electricity: in the compartments, there's a shaver outlet that can be used to recharge the dvd battery. On some of the day trains (most, but not all of the Eurostar Italia and the Norwegian Signatur trains, for example), there are outlets at your seat, because a lot of people bring their laptops.

I can't answer your games question, but I'd like to add something to the "conversation" factor. I also usually end up in a conversation with a local. Something that I bring just for those occassions are a few postcards of my town or family snapshots. When you talk of your home or extended family, having visual images really adds to the conversation.

One time a retired Italian man was on board going to visit his family. He had pictures that he was going to show them. We started talking and sharing pictures. It was fun. I'll never forget him.