When it comes to travel, I think I’ve found my favourite mode of transportation: trains.
After spending most of my life in car-dependent parts of the United States, train travel in the UK still feels like a bit of a novelty. Even an ordinary journey can feel like the beginning of an adventure.
Why I love train travel
When it comes to travel, I think I’ve found my favourite mode of transportation: trains.
I spent the first 40-some years of my life living in the suburbs of the United States. Public transport was always a bit wanting in the places I lived, so a car was a necessity. I’ve been driving since I was 16 but I’ve never really liked it. It’s just how I had to get around.
While I don’t like driving, I really dislike being a passenger. Admittedly, I have some control issues. Being in a car while someone else is driving cranks up my anxiety. I’m talking sweaty palms and a racing heart. There have been a couple of times when I had to stop myself from trying to jump out of the car because it felt like a safer thing to do. It’s not good.
Since moving back to London, I’ve been in a car maybe four times (two being Ubers). I haven’t driven since moving here and I’m pleased as punch about that. Happily, there are other ways to get around in London and outside of London.
Discovering train travel in the UK
I love trains. Again, it may be from my very car-centric existence in the US. Before the big move, I could count the number of times I had taken a train on one hand—and that includes the cogwheel railway at Pikes Peak in Colorado.
Now, train travel (even within greater London) is normal. And every single time I get on a train, it’s exciting. I love trains so much that we took a train to York to visit the National Railway Museum.
As I plan to travel more and add to my mental list of places I want to explore, I know there may be a car journey or two in the future. But, the plan is to take the train and the occasional flight, when necessary, as much as possible.
I know some journeys will still require a car or a plane. But whenever possible, I’ll choose the train.
In fact, one of those journeys is a day trip from London to Southend-on-Sea, where the main attraction was a train running along the pier.
Perhaps it is because train travel was so unusual during the first 40-some years of my life, but it still feels exciting. A train is not simply a way to get somewhere. It is the start of a new place, a new experience and, hopefully, another story to tell.
