- I’ve been afraid of flying since I experienced an emergency landing as a teen.
- In 2019, I took a trip to Europe with my son and husband, and we opted for train travel over planes.
- My son was more manageable in trains, and I would do it all over again.
I have never been a fan of planes. My first plane ride alone, when I was 13, ended in an emergency landing — ever since then, I have had to power through every plane ride I’ve been on.
Now, as a parent, I find plane travel even more traumatic, but in unique and unexpected ways. Honestly, my son has been pretty awesome on every plane he’s been on. It’s me that’s the problem.
A trip to Europe made me appreciate trains
In 2019, my family took a one-way flight from USA to Italy to explore Europe. We fully expected to take advantage of all the cheap flights Europe had to offer, setting aside my dislike of flying. We packed light and went off to see where this adventure would take us.
Once we landed in Italy, it was clear I was never getting on a plane again. Once again, there was an unexpected landing, this time not in the city we bought the ticket for. This time, our humble amount of luggage didn’t make it with us.
Panicked and exhausted, we had no idea how to get from Bologna to Florence, so we couldn’t relax at our hotel after our long journey and settle our now restless child.
Then it dawned on me we could take a train. It was our first train ride, and it opened my eyes to another mode of travel.
The whole experience was so chill
Booking the train was incredibly easy, something I didn’t anticipate. There were machines at the station where you could book your tickets — with the option of doing it all in English — and people in booths to help.
The price for a same-day train trip was a fraction of what we expected and was far less than a plane ticket. Our uncertainty around booking a plane ticket, as we knew thousands of people were in the same position as us, made buying a train ticket a no-brainer.
The train was clean and comfortable. There were a lot of bathrooms. There was an awesome food cart filled with snacks, meals, and drinks. It was way less frantic, we had more room, and, best of all, it was less anxiety-inducing for me.
It made me want to travel only by train
Once we reached our destination, I started booking trains everywhere: trains that went underground at high speeds from London to Paris and back, trains that hugged the south of France with the most breathtaking views, overnight trains that didn’t let my husband sleep in the same room as my son and me.
I didn’t know someone else could book the extra bed in our three-bed bedroom. In our case, it was another woman, so my husband was sent to sleep in the men-only car for safety. Now that I know, I always book all beds so we can sleep together.
My son thrives on trains. It’s easy for him to spread out and walk around. The meals are usually great. While dining, it felt like we were at a restaurant on a lot of the trips we took.
Almost every train ride had free internet and plugs. If you forgot something in your suitcase, you could just grab it. Parenting on a train was much easier for me than on a plane.
Trains provided something planes couldn’t during our very long and exciting trip around Europe. I am forever grateful for that last plane ride. For those wondering how to get back to America plane-free, repositioning ships are a whole other story.
