by Terry Dale
Last updated: 8:00 AM ET, Mon March 23, 2026
This article
originally appeared in the March issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe
here to receive your free copy each month.
At the beginning of the
year, The New York Times posed a question in this headline: "Are Trains
Now the Most Luxurious Way to Travel?"
And the answer? A
resounding yes.
As travelers seek
trips that force them to slow down, take in the world around them and connect
with new people, offering train travel to your clients is a no-brainer. And
USTOA tour operator members offer immersive rail journeys that will wow them on
nearly every continent.
Travelers can sip
South African wines in a Victorian-style dining car as Cape Town turns to the
semi-arid deserts of Great Karoo onboard the Rovos Rail, part of Audley
Travel’s Cape Town to Kruger: Luxury South African Rail Journey. They will see
African penguins — as well as lesser-known areas of the country — on this trip,
which concludes with a Big Five safari.
The Globus
Family of Brands takes travelers into the Australian Outback during its
Spectacular Australia With the Historic Ghan Train tour. This legendary train
ride is just one highlight of the epic 20-day trip from Melbourne to Sydney,
which includes visits to Kangaroo Island, Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef,
as well as classic sightseeing in the country’s urban meccas.
Guests will board
the famed Seven Stars in Kyushu for Abercrombie
& Kent’s Japan by Luxury Train small-group journey. This stunning
sleeper train was built with Western opulence and Japanese practicality in
mind. Travelers will ride in comfort between culturally immersive stops in
Kyoto, Hiroshima and other gems of southern Japan.
For clients who
love trains but would rather spend the night in a hotel, Goway
Travel’s Grand Train Tour of Switzerland is a perfect option. Each day
offers a new train journey that rolls past iconic sights such as Lake Geneva
and the breathtaking Swiss Alps, with leisurely overnight stops in the
glamorous town of St. Moritz, the Italian-Swiss border city of Lugano and Lake
Lucerne, with its alpine scenery.
The charm of South
America is on full display with Railbookers’
The Wonders of Peru, the Andean Explorer and the Nazca Lines tour. This
17-night rail journey showcases the country’s highlights, including Lima,
Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and the Andes Mountains. Stops in the
colonial city of Arequipa and the desert Huacachina Oasis round out this
authentic Peruvian vacation.
Guests will
experience the grandeur of the American West with Amtrak
Vacations’ Grand National Parks Discovery on the California Zephyr. This
trip balances urban buzz with the great outdoors, with stops in Denver, Salt
Lake City and San Francisco, as well as plenty of time to explore the red rock
formations of Bryce Canyon National Park, the granite cliffs of El Capitan in
Yosemite National Park and the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone National Park.
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