For me, the idea of taking the train has a certain romance to it. My mind immediately fills with images of high class railways in foreign lands and the excitement of watching the world pass as I stare out the window. The first train ride I ever remember taking was when I was around 7 years old, an overnight train ride from Union Station in Washington, D.C., 15 hours south to Sarasota, Florida to visit family friends. I remember nothing from Florida, as my favorite and only memories from the trip are wandering the train cars, talking to kind strangers, staring out the window at sights I had never seen, and being in total awe of seeing a piano being played on a train!

Sadly, few see the train as a desirable mode of transportation anymore. In a world that wants fast everything, few choose to sit back, relax, and take their time on a train - but they should, and here's why.

It's All About The Journey

Taking the train allows one to truly see the world around them, and at a reasonable pace as well. I love boarding jumbo jets, falling asleep after a pre-cooked meal and two bad movies to find myself in a completely different hemisphere, but something is lost in the journey that way as well. There is something to be said for seeing the world pass by out of your window, field by field, city by city, seeing the snow gradually disappear, watching plains turn to mountains and skylines to tree lines.

The world is a beautiful place, and it's well worth taking the time to watch it go by. Some of our favorite memories together are sitting in a train car slowly passing through a village at sunrise in Thailand, or arriving into a busy city and feeling the vibrant hustle of a new place - feelings which are not quite the same when huddled in the immigration line at an airport.

Meeting Fellow Travelers

Recently we boarded the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiangmai, and once settled into our bunk cabin, made our way to the "party" car. Nothing more than a car with a few booths and a disco ball, it was filled with other young travelers looking to be social and meet fellow journeymen. We met a young couple from the States on their honeymoon, shared a lovely and lively night, and even took a cooking class together in Chiangmai once we arrived. Of the many great friends we have met along the road, few have been met on an airplane, while the vast majority have come along as a result of heading off the beaten path, adventuring into the unknown, and taking the road less traveled.

This is not to say we haven't met some great people on airplanes as well, but we love the open minded type of traveler you are often able to meet on a train.

The Cost

Flights these days can get pretty bloody expensive! It's important to remember that while not every city or country has a railway, many do. The train can be a cost effective and comfortable alternative to air travel, and can be heaps more comfortable than that 12 hour overnight bus you thought was the only option other than flying.

If you have the time and don't mind the slower pace of a train, jumping aboard at a railway station and working your way by land across a country (or even a continent) can be an extremely easy, fun, and cost effective way to travel. Especially throughout Europe, where a euro rail pass can give you unlimited access to up to 24 countries for around $500US, you just won't beat the price of train travel.

Spontaneity!

It's a lot easier to jump on and off a train than an airplane! By traveling on a train, you are putting yourself in a position to see a country in a much more personal and up close manner. See a city that intrigues you? Meet a group of backpackers poised for an epic journey and feel like tagging along? Go for it! Traveling by train makes it so much easier to be spontaneous and change plans at a moment's notice. Who knows who you will meet, or where you will end up, with a backpack and an open mind aboard a train.

While airplanes will always remain the mainstream and most common people move from point A to point B, think twice about your journey and see if taking the train is a possibility somewhere along the trip. Who knows who you'll meet, what you'll see, and where you'll end up? And isn't this why we travel anyway? To embrace the unknown, take the leap, and trust the open road (or tracks) will take care of you just fine, because trust us, they will.

Jeff Johns and Marina Dominguez are the co-founders of Latitude 34 Travel Blog, and the Adventure Travel Editors for Wandering Educators. Through 65 countries on 6 continents they have accumulated a seemingly endless stream of odd information, interesting stories and helpful tips and tricks to better travel. Their goal is to visit all 204 countries on Earth before they are too senile to remember them all.

Both graduates of the Visual Journalism program at the Brooks Institute, their true passions lay in honest visual storytelling, documentary filmmaking, Thai food, and a good laugh.

Together they run Latitude 34 as a source of helpful information for those who love to travel or those who simply dream of it.

All photos courtesy and copyright Latitude 34.