The romance of train travel is not hugely evident to those of us who spend a lot of time on trains, nor is it the first choice for most when considering international travel (other than maybe Eurostar). And yet Seat 61 manages to do this.
The Seat 61 website was set up and run by career railway man Mark Smith who felt that it had to be easier to find our way among the timetables to make trains a bit more of a likely choice. So Mark is the Man in Seat 61 (a homage to the notorious arms dealer Zaharoff who apparently always booked seat 61 on the Orient Express to Istanbul) providing information on how to get from everywhere from Albania to New Zealand.
I checked out Malta. The site provides lots of useful information about Malta – time difference, currency, some lovely pics of Valetta, transport operators and the ferry companies that provide the non-rail bit. It suggests alternative routes – how about seeing Venice, Rome or Catania en route? And provides a detailed itinerary breaking down each leg with total cost and additional elements and options itemised – £325 at the cheapest if you are interested. A step by step guide on how to book online or by phone is a further help through the process.
For more complicated destinations like China, the site provides train schedules, fares and recommended routes to make things manageable. And also provides loads of useful tips like how to read a Chinese train ticket and how you get your bike on board.
The Man in Seat 61 is a genius! Others obviously agree with awards from Guardian & Observer Travel, Wanderlust, Responsible Travel and the Oldie.
So for those who prefer not to fly, or prefer the train as a more authentic mode of travel, Seat 61 is invaluable. And the site should surely also be an inspiration for destinations and transport operators trying to present complicated information in accessible ways.