Taking Our Time Off

Indeed, the rails may be the slow traveler's best friend. Mark Smith's Web site, seat61.com—long an established favorite of train junkies—is drawing all manner of holidaymakers eager to know the best train fare from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, or what kind of food to expect on the 11-day Trans-Siberian Express trip. Last month the site attracted 350,000 visitors—up more than 50 percent over the same period last year, and more than twice the 2005 figure. He's tapped into what more and more travelers are starting to see: that trains provide a comfortable, relaxing and environmentally safe alternative to air travel and all its hassles, from queues and security checks to luggage limits and weather delays. "The journey should be as important as the destination," says Smith, a civil servant at Britain's Ministry of Transport. "When I travel I want to be treated like a human being."

It helps that train travel is not so very slow these days. The leisurely charms of the railway—no queues, comfortable seats and the freedom to stroll the aisles—are now on offer at ever-greater speeds as a lattice of new lines extends across Europe. In June, French state operator SNCF will launch a new link between Paris and Strasbourg 450 kilometers to the east, with trains capable of traveling 320kph, slashing the journey time from four hours to two hours and twenty minutes. Travelers can also enjoy new amenities, relaxing in seats designed by Christian Lacroix while their kids amuse themselves in the "family area," a carriage with game boards on the tables and special tip-up seats to allow extra room for toddlers. Meanwhile, another new high-speed track, between Amsterdam and the Belgian border, opens this summer. And later this year, the first trains will leave a spiffy new rail terminal in London en route to Paris and Brussels; thanks to some new stretches of track, journey times will fall by as much as 30 minutes.

Savvy rail companies are already exploiting their return to favor. SNCF is developing a network of designated tourist lines—slated to rise from eight in 2004 to 40 this year—with added features. Passengers on one route though central France are joined not only by a tour guide but also by farmers offering samples of local produce. "There is a real urge for a gentler mode of transport, for going somewhere without the car," says Eric Succab, of SNCF. "It's a developing trend and we are trying to respond." And why shouldn't the journey become the holiday? The private company that took over much of Canada's failing long-distance network in the '90s has seen traffic soar as sightseers return to the railways. "People want to get back to the way things were, before there were cell phones and computers," says Graham Gilley of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations.

Of course, the anti jet set isn't dependent on trains alone. Niche operators offering slow holidays from walking tours to barge cruises report ever-brisker business. "Traveling 10 miles a day down a French canal with the odd pause for wine-tasting is a much better way of seeing the country than hurtling down the highway," says Derek Moore of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. For some, the opportunity for exercising while touring only heightens the appeal of going slow. Susan Achmatowicz, an American banker, quit the fast-lane life in the '90s to establish her own bicycle touring company in Britain's national parks: just pick up a bike from the railway station and pedal off into, say, the New Forest for three days. "The trend is all about doing things at a pace people can enjoy," says Achmatowicz. "But they also want the healthy lifestyle." Over the last few years, she's seen her own business grow at a healthy rate of around 15 percent.

The idea of getting there being half the fun is behind the recent boom in chartered-boat trips, which allow travelers to pull in and out of ports as the mood strikes. Geoffrey Kent, head of the luxe travel company Abercrombie & Kent, recently planned a six-week private Arctic diving trip aboard a small cruise ship for a well-known CEO client. "This is someone who's done everything," says Kent. "He's got his own Gulfstream V. What he wanted was to really get away for a slow, extended vacation with his family and friends."

Conventional cruise operators are also enjoying resurgence; global bookings rose 7 percent last year. But demand is also climbing steadily for the no-frills but high-priced alternative: taking a berth aboard an oceangoing cargo ship. Ranko Zunic, of the Montreal-based agents Maris Freighter Cruises, says he has little trouble these days filling space on round-the-world trips, with retirees happy to pay $14,000 to escape the everyday world. "You get some people who have tried ordinary cruises and are tired of all the entertainment," says Zunic. "On a freighter they feel more comfortable because they are in charge of their own time. All that's scheduled are the meals."