All Aboard: Train Travel Etiquette for Modern Travelers

If all you know about train travel is what you read in Murder on the Orient Express, then you're probably off to a good start. The stately train may have harbored a murderer, but the protagonist was the picture of class. Good manners and courtesy are always de rigeur in close quarters and among strangers.
 
Good manners aren't old fashioned. In fact, they make difficult situations tolerable and open the door to interesting conversation and great learning opportunities. Here's how to hone your train travel etiquette before the next Orient Express leaves the station.

Moving Around

The joy of train travel is that you're not confined to your seat. Elegant dining cars, lounges, and glass-domed cars invite passengers to a splendid vacation on wheels while someone else does the driving. The freedom to move about is particularly great if you're traveling with kids.

While train travelers condone moving about and seat switching, a few behaviors should be avoided, particularly on crowded trains where every seat is occupied or worse, some passengers are standing.

  • Stow backpacks. No one likes to be crosschecked with a dome tent.
  • Don't sit with your knees so far apart that your seatmates can't get comfortable.
  • Keep your voice down and stow that cell phone until you reach the next station.
  • Give up your seat for elderly people and pregnant women. Never sit in seats reserved for them.
  • Don't brush your hair or freshen your makeup in public. Confine personal grooming to lavatories and sleeper cars.

Children and Train Travel

Children love to travel on trains. Not only can they walk around, but they also have your undivided attention since you're not behind the wheel. If you travel with children, assume you're teaching them the civilized behaviors that will prepare them for their first adventure aboard the Orient Express. Keep them closely supervised at all times and don't let them run in the aisles. Leave noisy toys at home and pick up crumbs and trash when leaving your seat.

Overnight Train Travel

Railway sleepers are narrow and crowded. In any case, one of the rules of train travel etiquette is that Person A remains on his bed or bunk while Person B moves about the cabin. There's just not enough space for both people to be moving around at the same time.

Showers should be kept very, very short. Three minutes is a good rule of thumb. Some trains require reservations for using the shower cubicle. (Because the shower is shared, remember to pack and wear bath slippers.)

Because of space restrictions, your travel will be more comfortable if you restrict luggage to what you can easily stow in the tight little spaces of the railway sleepers.

Train Travel Overseas

While the Orient Express may offer the height of luxury travel, other countries' rail systems may have more primitive accommodations. For example, if you're thinking of train travel in Russia and other exotic countries, bring along a roll of toilet paper.

Experienced travelers have also found that a piece of nylon rope used to secure the door to your sleeping compartment, lavatory or shower is a good security precaution. The locks can be compromised very easily. Check with the porter or sleeping car attendant if you're not sure whether the practice will be frowned upon.

You may have to learn local customs and laws by painful experience, but some general rules apply everywhere:

  • Avoid obstructing aisles with your baggage.
  • Let people off the train before you attempt to board.
  • Never smoke unless it's very clear that the practice is allowed. Ask the porter for the smoking area (on train trips within the U.S. you won't find one).
Finally, don't forget to tip attendants and porters.