2023-07-03 07:55:36
Do rail travelers deserve more vacation days? Traveling far away by train takes time, almost as much as it did a hundred years ago. Image: Getty
If you go on holiday by train, you don’t need kerosene, but you do need a lot of time. That would be worth a bonus. But even the booking can become a nuisance.
Munich main station, platform 12 shortly before 8 p.m. It will start soon. Astrid Egeressy and Thomas Heckmaier stow their luggage on the night train to Rome. Wagon 255, two berths below in the four-seater compartment, they were lucky enough to get hold of a few weeks ago. If nothing comes up, the couple will be at their stage destination by nine tomorrow morning. Three days later, the two continue to Palermo in Sicily. Another 13 hours. Again on the night train, then in the sleeping cabin for two.
If you want to cover longer distances by train, you need time and stamina. For many travelers, this is an exclusion criterion, especially on the way to vacation. The vacation days are precious, every free minute should be spent on the beach or in the mountains. A direct flight from Munich to Palermo would be there in just two hours – and is not even more expensive. The couple from Munich made a conscious decision to take the train this year. They want to keep their carbon footprint as small as possible.
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