How to enjoy a ‘really’ long train journey, that too alone

I love the long train journeys; No fast/hep show-off airport crowds where MOST (not all) are trying to make a fashion/status statement, no start-to-end AC journeys; No surety of Clean Toilets; forget toilet paper, even soap MIGHT not be there; No need to talk in a foreign language, read English, UNNECESSARILY; No assurance that your slippers/shoes will be at the same place where you left them or that they are even there at all! In short, the uncertainty the journey brings.

You have all the time in world to finish your pending movies, that’s what i use my laptop for, apart from writing blogs like this one; you meet people from different dialects. From Punjab/Haryana/Delhi to UP to MP to Maharashtra to Andhra to Karnataka – Wow that’s 7 states!
And don’t forget – you have all the time to sleep, that’s why i always prefer the Upper Berth πŸ™‚

I hate kids especially when are crying/shouting and I guess somebody was listening when I booked my tickets. 3 times I took a train last week and all 3 times they were there in my seating of 6 berths! What’s worse is that twice it were infants and thanks to them I never got to sleep on those occasions πŸ™ But that’s what life is, you get what you least want πŸ™‚

Plan to do such a marathon ?

Things to do in order to enjoy such a experience

    1. don’t carry the a USB modem and you will explore the real India. No, you don’t need to travel how Shahrukh did in Swades πŸ™‚ to explore real India

    2. travel alone

    3. carry minimal luggage

    4. have inexpensive items in luggage. Yes, believe me, you won’t enjoy or better said, will ruin your journey if you find out your stuff is stolen!

    5. a good camera helps, unfortunately i didn’t have one. It’s there on my wish list – right up there!

    6. Most Important: step out once in a while, even if you are traveling in AC, open the door and stand there holding the support bars. No, DONT light your cigarette – feel the breeze on your face and if you’ve done that before, you already know how it feels. Simply Amazing

    7. forget/ignore if there’s a beautiful gal or a smart guy in your vicinity – or else you’ll get conscious and won’t do things for yourself. Yeah, you may laugh but you’ll still do the same; you know it πŸ™‚

My journey was a little tampered as there was a rather stupid family that occupied 4 out of the 6 seats. They would turn off the lights all the time, put the curtains on and not let anybody even sneak, forget talk, not even the pantry guys. Would go back to sleep at 11 in the morning and won’t wake up even their kids ping them. They even won’t let me sit or put my luggage even though I own, at least for the journey, 1 complete berth. In short, they would have a problem with every one and every thing apart from their own selves. Pathetic! Anyways, i hope you don’t find such people, but if you do, probably do what i did. Blandly IGNORE.

Experienced such journey/s ? Let’s share our experiences, just scroll down and there’s that comments section! All of us can learn a few more points then πŸ™‚

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17 thoughts on “How to enjoy a ‘really’ long train journey, that too alone Add Yours?

  • Apart from anything else, I am selling my (almost) unused Canon 1000D with bag, box and complete manual, CD, cables, etc. I realized I have no time to take pictures and I am lazy enough to carry it all the way. :). Let me know if there is someone willing to buy. It’s up for a little over 25K on the website. I am selling it for 21K. Let me know.

  • Hey Abhinav,

    You have beautifully described the train journey situation. I do practice all those 7 points you have mentioned. However, there are few other interesting elements in train journey. One should consider themselves to be lucky if they are not disturbed by un-reserved passengers & office goers (who hold railway passes) during the journey. Once, I was travelling from Delhi to Ahmedabad and had boarded the train from Gurgaon, however some 4-5 uncles occupied our two seats. When I boarded in Gurgaon and said them it was my seat, you know what they said? “We are travelling in this train since last 18 years, you just sit in the side, we will get down within 3 hours”. I contacted TC only to be told that “adjust yourself, anyhow they will get down SOON”. I am sure many of them would have experienced this menace in Sleeper coaches.

  • πŸ™‚ Nice points….all are very true right from style Q to ToDos!
    While traveling in 2nd AC if you are the extra (3rd) person sitting on the berth for sure either of the two passengers will express how uncomfortable it is to ‘adjust’….Sooner or later you’ll experience that ‘attitude’ category too πŸ˜‰

  • I did the same from ndls to sbc few months ago and loved to talk
    to a Korean, who was a Prof. of Theology. Wow, had a great
    debate on India Vs Korea nd of course, on his own fav. subject,
    theology.

  • Hey Abhi

    Really nice description and very true also !!! πŸ™‚ Even i hate kids who keep on crying in trains and even in movie halls !!! πŸ™‚

  • Good One!!!
    Feeling the breeze is the best part of train journey especially at early morning time. I love it totally. For passing the time on route where you have been before and nothing else to see outside except the people in the train, the best thing to do is to SLEEP. Once, on 36 hours journey from Bangalore to Kanpur, I slept for almost 30 hours. Even my co-passengers started asking me “Beta, Is everything all right. You have been whole time.” I said “Ok” and went back to sleep.

  • very right description of journey through train…….but aapne yeah nhi bataya ki wat to do while travelling in GOMTI EXPRESS…. πŸ™‚

  • I am a very regular train traveller. I find difference in myself from my first journey to today’s.

    Really, I also met same kind of family in second AC, they occupied entire place for their luggage and kept on talking loudly for the entire journey. I bought expensive ticket to find some sleep so that the moment I reach family, I wont find sleeping myself and give some qauality time. Shame on such families who are not bothered about privacy and confirm of others.

    On top of that, they were acting as if I am a trouble for them. Felt, better I could have travelled through second sleeping, which is way cheaper than Second AC.

    Any ways, its fun travelling through train. Enjoy yourself. Its as if, you are with yourself.

    Last journey I watched ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ around 10 episodes on my tab. Probably now, I got to finish remaining episodes.

  • dear friends please share some important tips to travel in guwahaty to seccundrabad train as i am new to travel in this route. and i am frome north east

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