If you want to follow along on my journey across Canada, either check in regularly on In Search of a

At 10.31pm delta airline tickets on a typically grey and moody evening in Vancouver, the Canadian pulls slowly away from the Pacific Union station. It's a low key affair, another passenger delta airline tickets train departing for Canada's east. Champagne is served in the last of the train's 24 carriages, the Park car, as the windows darken with the onset of night.
The Canadian is one of VIA Rail's flagship transcontinental passenger trains and a train so iconic that, in 2013, it will be featured on Canada s new 10-dollar bill. The Canadian is a refurbished stainless steel return to the 1950s when voyaging by train sat firmly alongside air flight as a romantic and exhilarating way to travel.
I haven't travelled by train in years and I've never crossed a country on one. I've driven, flown, sailed and bused, but I've never been lured by the prospect of train travel. VIA's management suggest we sit back and soak up the ride, relax and appreciate the experience of a slower paced form of transportation. It's not about getting to the destination quickly, but about appreciating the beauty outside and the comforts within.
I recognise this trip will be special delta airline tickets - the push through the Rockies to Jasper, the sweep across the Prairies to Winnipeg, and the final run into Toronto in the heart of Canada's largest province, Ontario.
I'm struck down with gastro early into the night and spend the next morning curled up in my bed, incapable of any movement or normal sentences. I'm conscious of the large numbers of elderly people onboard versus the very small percentage of passengers my own age - it feels disconcerting but not entirely unexpected. And we sleep that first night in bunk beds - cosy but not exactly superior comfort class.
delta airline tickets The mountain ranges fill the near horizon, white-capped peaks ringed by clouds, rivers of snow streaming down their sides. The forests are thick with all manner of enormous trees creeping right up to the edge of the train tracks, while rivers of frigid glacial water rage beside the train making its way along valleys and over mountain passes.
The Canadian sways from side to side on the rails, a soothing sensation, but not quite a clickety clack. I sit inside the panoramic car, head back, looking up through the glass ceiling. I know I'm one of a fortunate few, lucky enough to experience this extraordinary ride.
John from Edmonton, a fellow passenger riding the Vancouver to Jasper leg with his wife and two kids, tells me it's not a cheap journey but one they often take in preference to flying. "It's about appreciating what we have around us," he says, a knowing look on his face. "We see elk and bear along the route, delta airline tickets sometimes eagles delta airline tickets and moose. I want my children to understand what we have on our doorstep and I want to take the stress and hassle out of trying to get home. This train ride allows us to do both."
There's nowhere to go on this train, no Internet or Playstation 3 to entertain. delta airline tickets By taking the Canadian through Canada, you have no choice but to sit and watch, delta airline tickets talk and listen. Daily life is stripped down to its bare basics where you learn how to socialise again - dine with new friends, play card games or read books, talk about the world outside your window splendid in all its natural beauty, delta airline tickets untouched and serene.
This seemingly regular train ride allows me to rediscover the power of conversation and social delta airline tickets interaction with the people around delta airline tickets me. Previously, thirteen of the world's best travel bloggers, writers and photographers would sit with their heads in iPhones, iPads and laptops.
We make Jasper by nightfall delta airline tickets and a few days later leave for Winnipeg delta airline tickets on a 36-hour train-a-thon. By the time we pass through the vast lakes and forests of Ontario, I find myself yearning for a return to the glory days of train travel, wishing this 4,500km journey would never need to end.
She goes on to say that they often get requests from folk who climb onboard with kayaks delta airline tickets and canoes and who ask to be dropped off at any number of locations along the Canadian National delta airline tickets railway, only to disappear into remote bush on their quest for an outdoors adventure in the middle delta airline tickets of absolutely nowhere.
The Canadian is frequently delayed - CN, not VIA, own the rail line and so freight trains in the vicinity take precedence while our own train sits waiting patiently in a local siding. The one and two-person rooms are on the small side, but it's fair to say they're perfectly formed. And the ticket price is high, although we were fortunate to be sponsored by VIA for this particular travel blogging trip.
The majority of VIA's customers may be from an older generation and the Canadian may not be the fastest thing on 172 or however many wheels, but it is a national treasure and a true Canuck experience.
Crossing a country as vast as Canada by the most basic of means and being privileged to witness some of the greatest natural sites on the planet makes this one of the world's great transcontinental travel experiences, up there with the likes of the Orient and the Ghan.
It is a journey from another time, when the romance of train travel was a deeply alluring thing, but it still has its place firmly rooted delta airline tickets in modern times albeit at half speed and far, far away from the madding crowd.
If you want to follow along on my journey across Canada, either check in regularly on In Search of a Life Less Ordinary to read my blog posts or jump onto my personal page on the Keep Exploring delta airline tickets tumblr site here . The Canadian Tourism Commission and VIA Rail hosted me for the train portions delta airline tickets of this cross-Canada journey.
This sounds absolutely amazing! I am a lover of train travel and prefer it to flying but flying often wins out because of time constraints. I doubt I would do this journey until I move back to Canada but I can live it through your eyes for now. I ve travelled from London to Cornwall via train, my bf insisted actually delta airline tickets as he said it would be a scenic journey and he was right it did not disappoint. The longest train right I ve taken in Canada was Toronto to Montreal delta airline tickets and that is fairly boring with not much to see.
I love train travel. I ve gone up and down the East Coast of the US three times by train - twice from upstate NY to Orlando, FL, once from Orlando to Washington, DC. It s a wonderful way to travel, and I d love to do more of it. (Especially in Europe and Japan where it s anything but slow!)
Sounds delta airline tickets great, Susanna. Is this with Amtrak? It s not the fastest way to travel but it is the loveliest - you get to see so much and slow right down. One of our group is a train enthusiast and blogs about great train journeys - she was in train heaven on this trip :)
Yep, time constraints often win over, don t they? I ve never really delta airline tickets travelled in the UK by train further than the south coast to London and, again, it s not a very interesting ride. To start this one by passing delta airline tickets out of Vancouver, delta airline tickets through the Rockies, and into the heart of Canada was breathtaking. Two days into the journey and we d all taken hundreds and hundreds of photos, there was just too much to see and capture!
Wow, you would have been not too far behind us, David, as our train journey into Toronto was ending on the 30th. The domes were a fantastic delta airline tickets part of the whole set-up delta airline tickets - the ability to climb up into the car and get a 360 degree uninterrupted view of your surroundings. Quite magical. Our train was quite busy and we made slow progress but it didn t matter. I agree that the food was much better than I expected, the attendants friendly and helpful, and we stayed in a variety of accommodation delta airline tickets - bunks at first, then 1 bedroom, then 2 - so we got to experience the range on offer. Some great memories from my time onboard.
I once planned on taking the train from Vancouver to Toronto. I m wondering, did you happen to be on the sleeper cabin ? I m planning to travel but only in Economy. Do you happen to know if people travelling in Economy have access to showers ? (lol funny question i know)
Hi Daniel, we tried all three sleeping options - the bunks and sleeper cabin (for 1 and 2). I did go to the front end of the train to check out the economy seats but I m not sure if they had access to showers. I d check out the VIA Rail website for deals because I saw some really cheap offers for the sleeper cabins. Let me know how you get on.
When I rode the Canadian I was in a Cabin for 1 but I went up to check out the economy seats as well. They seemed nicer than what you might find on a regional train in other parts of the world but for the long haul it wouldn t be a very good time. They do not have showers nor do they have access to any of the train behind the first dome car, so you re only allowed to walk around the two coaches and one of the dome cars which has a small cafe, everything behind that is sleeping passengers only. I feel like if you want a really positive experience on the Canadian you should go for a cabin. You get to experience the whole train that way and have more room to move around, plus gourmet meals in the dining car are included. I think VIA mainly offers the economy delta airline tickets class for locals who are hopping the train in the daytime to get from one town to another in the same region.
I took the train in the early 80 s from Ottawa-Toronto, Toronto-Calgary, Jasper delta airline tickets to Vancouver. Initially traveling alone, but met up with friends in Toronto. We shared the cabin between 6 of us!!! If you didn t have a cabin you did not have a shower!!!!!!!!!!! the train seats did recline delta airline tickets quite well, some slept there at night some in the day! (There was a Student car, had to be really delta airline tickets cheap as they sat on bench seats, lay on the floor always lots of laughter in that car. That was roughing it.) You get to know almost everyone when you re on a nonstop journey as you walked through most if not all cars daily. Nothing but books, crochet hooks and conversation in those days!!! I made 2 baby blankets, read 3 books in the long haul across this vast country! We made it a rule to sit and eat breakfast delta airline tickets dinner in the dining car, remember it being quite reasonable? Lu