The Man in Seat 61 | Website

Another epic travel resource.

If you’re planning a train trip anywhere in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America or Australasia — Seat 61 probably has some info. I used it a lot in SE Asia (Thailand in particular) and China and it was insanely useful — it tells you the ins and outs of booking (down to where exactly the ticket office is), what kind of train to expect, timings… the kind of stuff that it’s ridiculously hard to figure out if you’re dealing with a major language barrier.

The Man in Seat 61, Mark Smith, has worked a ton of jobs for UK railway companies in the past and now runs the site full time. He friggin’ loves trains and knows which routes are quickest, most beautiful, most comfortable. He’s also budget-conscious, so it’s worth checking out if you’re trying to figure out the cheapest mode of transport from A to B.

In the UK we’re used to just hopping on to Google Maps, asking for directions from A to B, then getting the train that it tells us to get. When you’re in a place where you can’t do this anymore (China blocks Google Maps), you can feel pretty lost. Seat 61 can be a real lifesaver. It’s awesome. Check it out.

LINK: https://www.seat61.com

Once you’re off your train, you might want to use maps.me to help you get around… it’s awesome too.