# The Rise of Rail Part 1: The Most Iconic and Scenic Journeys with Railbookers

An episode of [Travel Trends with Dan Christian](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1689330635), 5 May 2026, 1 h 02 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2172036/episodes/19128803-the-rise-of-rail-part-1-the-most-iconic-and-scenic-journeys-with-railbookers.mp3

Send us Fan Mail May marks Rail Month, a celebration of train travel and the growing demand for more relaxed, immersive ways to explore the world. With 31 days of festivities, including Rail Week (May 11–17), there’s no better time to spotlight why rail is having a global resurgence. In this first episode of our 3-part Rail series, we sit down with Railbookers leaders Jim Marini (SVP, Strategic Partnerships) and Matt Foy (Senior Director, Rail and Transportation) to unpack why train travel is booming again—and why the best rail vacations make the journey just as meaningful as the destination. The clouds may look the same on every flight, but rail offers a front-row seat to the world. If you’ve ever wanted a trip that feels smoother, more scenic, and less rushed, this conversation is your roadmap. We dive into what makes a rail journey truly iconic: the history, the cultural pull, and the onboard experience that transforms travel into something memorable. Switzerland and Italy quickly take center stage, with legendary routes like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, along with the small decisions that elevate the experience, premium classes, panoramic dome cars, and regionally inspired dining. We also explore the often-overlooked social side of train travel, and why meaningful human connections tend to happen more naturally on rail than in the air or on the road. From there, we expand into some of the world’s most scenic rail journeys. Think Alaska with upgraded Gold Star service, and landscapes rail does best, lakes, mountains, fjords, and valleys. Matt shares why destinations like New Zealand and Norway are especially powerful by train, and why arriving in Venice by rail is a moment in itself. We also cover Railbookers’ expansion into Asia, the growing demand for Japan’s bullet trains, and how locally hosted support makes complex itineraries feel seamless. Plus: what defines a “grand tour,” why luxury rail is on the rise, and how travel advisors can streamline planning by packaging rail, hotels, transfers, and experiences into one cohesive journey. Learn more at Railbookers.com and Rail Week. Be sure to join us next Tuesday for the second episode in our Rail Series with Railbookers. The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

## Chapters

- 0:00 Three-Part Rail Trends Kickoff
- 2:00 Meet Railbookers Leaders
- 6:10 Why Rail Travel Is Surging
- 9:40 What Advisors Want From Rail
- 13:30 How Rail Itineraries Get Built
- 16:00 What Makes A Journey Iconic
- 22:05 The Onboard Experience Matters
- 25:20 Defining Truly Scenic Rail Routes
- 32:00 New Zealand Norway And Venice Arrivals
- 34:30 Japan Expansion And Local Hosting
- 40:00 Grand Tours Across Multiple Countries
- 44:30 What Makes Railbookers Different
- 52:10 How To Plan Your First Rail Trip
- 55:10 Luxury Rail Demand And Bucket Lists
- 1:00:40 Series Preview And Closing Notes

## Transcript

[0:05] SPEAKER_01: Hello, everyone, and welcome to a very special three-part series of travel trends with our friends at Railbookers.
[0:11] SPEAKER_01: And this is a series I've been so looking forward to bringing to life.
[0:14] SPEAKER_01: As many of our listeners know, we had a two-part series in season five where we focused on rail.
[0:20] SPEAKER_01: And one of our amazing guests from that series was actually the brother of one of the guests that you're going to uh to meet in today's uh podcast.
[0:28] SPEAKER_01: But we're doing a three-part series with railbookers to focus on first, the most iconic and scenic rail journeys around the world.
[0:36] SPEAKER_01: And I know my mom is gonna absolutely love this series.
[0:38] SPEAKER_01: She's such a huge fan of rail.
[0:40] SPEAKER_01: Um, the second episode, we're gonna have uh a couple of our friends from Railbookers join us to talk about luxury rail and the new golden age of rail travel.
[0:50] SPEAKER_01: And then we're gonna have Frank Marini, you're gonna meet his brother Jim here again shortly, to talk about the rise of rail, travel tech, and why trains are back.
[0:58] SPEAKER_01: And so for me, I love rail travel.
[1:01] SPEAKER_01: I think most of our listeners know that.
[1:03] SPEAKER_01: And so I've had the great privilege to work clo collaboratively with the Railbookers team over the last year.
[1:09] SPEAKER_01: Frank's spoken at our AI Summit.
[1:11] SPEAKER_01: We did a standalone episode at the end of the Railbookers Global Conference last year, the renaissance of Rail.
[1:18] SPEAKER_01: And I recorded a really fascinating for me and I think for many of our listeners episode where we had the senior executives from Railbookers and Jim Marini is one of those, and you'll understand why in a moment.
[1:28] SPEAKER_01: Join us.
[1:28] SPEAKER_01: And I highlight that because after you listen to today's episode, I definitely encourage you to go back and check out that spotlight episode on Railbookers and Frank's incredible keynote from our AI summit, since that's a big focus of their team and their business.
[1:43] SPEAKER_01: And uh, but today I want to get right into this conversation because I am so keen to discuss iconic and scenic rail journeys.
[1:51] SPEAKER_01: So I'd like to welcome in to this special three-part series, uh, Jim Marini and Matt Foy.
[1:59] SPEAKER_01: Let's start.
[1:59] SPEAKER_00: Jim, tell everyone about your role and where you're based.
[2:02] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, Dan.
[2:03] SPEAKER_00: And by the way, thank you so much for having Matt and I today.
[2:06] SPEAKER_00: And you are definitely a pro for all the listeners out there.
[2:09] SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoy listening to Dan as much as I do.
[2:12] SPEAKER_00: And by the way, Frank is three years older.
[2:14] SPEAKER_00: I just thought I would mention that.
[2:15] SPEAKER_00: But uh as far as uh as far as myself, uh, Dan, probably the senior vice president of strategic partnerships.
[2:22] SPEAKER_00: So basically, in essence, what I do is I oversee um all the fantastic travel advisors, travel agents, and our entire uh business development team um throughout the United States, Canada, and help uh support all the regions around the world, the UK, uh, Australia, New Zealand, uh, as well as even out in Asia as well.
[2:42] SPEAKER_00: And if you hear an accent, folks, as I go through today's great podcast with my good friend Dan, I am from Boston, but via Little Rhode Island.
[2:50] SPEAKER_00: For anybody that's ever been to that little state of Rhode Island, but been up here in Boston about 10 years and uh so excited to be here.
[2:56] SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much, Dan.
[2:58] SPEAKER_01: For sure, Jim.
[2:58] SPEAKER_01: It's great to have you back on the podcast.
[3:00] SPEAKER_01: I so enjoy getting that time to sit down together in Vegas, and I think many of our listeners got to really understand your role with regards to global partnerships and you guys have expanded into Asia.
[3:10] SPEAKER_01: There's so many exciting developments.
[3:11] SPEAKER_01: I know a lot of our travel advisors listen to this, and you work so closely with them, and we'll certainly touch on that today.
[3:16] SPEAKER_01: But we want to make sure from Jim and Matt's perspective that we really showcase the truly iconic and scenic destinations.
[3:24] SPEAKER_01: And we thought that would be a really special standout because I'd asked Jim about some of the destinations that he's traveled to and where he's considering to go next.
[3:31] SPEAKER_01: And it really opened my eyes to all the possibilities of rail travel around the world.
[3:36] SPEAKER_01: And so, Matt, we wanted to bring into this conversation as well, given your role as part of the team, because you are the senior director of rail and transportation, and you're based over in the UK.
[3:46] SPEAKER_01: So welcome and tell us a little bit more about your role.
[3:49] SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Dan.
[3:49] SPEAKER_02: It's great to be here.
[3:50] SPEAKER_02: And um, for all listeners, you're going to get another interesting answer now, just to add to the mix that we've got on the podcast today.
[3:57] SPEAKER_02: Uh so you're right, I'm senior director of rail and transportation here at Railbookers.
[4:01] SPEAKER_02: I've been uh uh working here for just over 20 years, uh, so quite some time.
[4:07] SPEAKER_02: Uh and what does that entail?
[4:09] SPEAKER_02: Well, really, it's all about collaborating, working with our rail partners all around the globe.
[4:14] SPEAKER_02: Uh, and one of the key aspects there is helping to shape the best rail itineraries for our guests to experience.
[4:20] SPEAKER_02: And rail travel, as I'm sure we'll touch on, uh it's something that's continually evolving, growing, changing slightly.
[4:26] SPEAKER_02: There's new routes, new opportunities coming up.
[4:29] SPEAKER_02: So uh there's always something happening to be aware of.
[4:32] SPEAKER_02: So uh things never get dull, as I'm sure Jim will agree.
[4:35] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's one of the amazing things about Railbookers, as I've come to understand, is that you know, I've got a number of uh fantastic colleagues that I've worked with for a number of years that have joined Railbookers in the last few years for all the right reasons, and it's great to see them thriving and see the company culture.
[4:49] SPEAKER_01: But the part that really has amazed me as well is just how many people have been with a company for an extended period of time, like you 20, just a quick 20 years.
[4:56] SPEAKER_01: And um and and this is where for uh a company like Railbookers to achieve the success and the global scale.
[5:03] SPEAKER_01: I mean, you guys have been going from strength to strength, but a huge part of that is the culture and the team.
[5:08] SPEAKER_01: So I'm I'm gonna be keen to ask you about that today.
[5:10] SPEAKER_01: But before we even get into that, let's talk about how you got into rail because my son is an avid plane spotter, and I know there's people that are avid train spotters.
[5:18] SPEAKER_01: I love rail travel.
[5:20] SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't consider myself a train spotter, but I do love watching trains as much as I like riding on them.
[5:24] SPEAKER_01: So I think if I had more time and better access, I probably could be.
[5:28] SPEAKER_01: But tell everyone how you actually got into this industry.
[5:31] SPEAKER_02: Well, I think um originally rail travel had this attraction as being slower-paced, a more experiential alternative type of transportation.
[5:41] SPEAKER_02: Uh, so that was the initial uh the initial hook, really.
[5:44] SPEAKER_02: Uh whilst I think that still holds true today, I think what we're definitely seeing is that more and more people are becoming aware of it as an alternative option, which is obviously great.
[5:54] SPEAKER_02: You know, as I'm sure we'll touch on, the awareness, the interest, that's all growing exponentially, and there's a real sense of a boom right now.
[6:01] SPEAKER_02: But I think this is really only the start.
[6:03] SPEAKER_02: It's just gonna keep going upwards and upwards.
[6:05] SPEAKER_02: So uh we're right, uh we're right in an exciting time right now, which I think is great.
[6:10] SPEAKER_01: Well, and and Jim, obviously you hear from partners all the time.
[6:13] SPEAKER_01: You're bringing on new partners into the program, and you are expanding a new destinations.
[6:17] SPEAKER_01: Since we're, you know, the overall theme of this three-part series is the rise of rail.
[6:22] SPEAKER_01: Let's just touch on that to begin with from your perspective.
[6:24] SPEAKER_01: What are you hearing from partners about the growing interest in rail?
[6:28] SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, one thing I did want to mention too, Dan, is for all the listeners, uh, first and foremost, proud to say uh we are actually preferred with every consortium, every travel organization in the US, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, and many partners now throughout Asia.
[6:43] SPEAKER_00: So that right there alone just gives us that much more support to all the great travel agents and advisors out there.
[6:51] SPEAKER_00: But what are we hearing?
[6:52] SPEAKER_00: What we're hearing is their clients are looking for something different.
[6:55] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, so often we speak to all these great agents and advisors that have booked us, quoted with us.
[7:03] SPEAKER_00: And what we hear is they have clients that are uh doing river cruises and they want to extend beyond the river cruises.
[7:11] SPEAKER_00: They want to spend more time before and after.
[7:13] SPEAKER_00: That's where Railbookers come in.
[7:14] SPEAKER_00: They also have clients that are celebrating a special birthday, anniversary.
[7:18] SPEAKER_00: Uh maybe uh they're going to a wedding and they want to tie in a trip again before and after.
[7:23] SPEAKER_00: Could even uh be a pre-opost extension onto a guided escorted tour.
[7:27] SPEAKER_00: Interestingly enough, we're seeing a trend also with more and more honeymooners.
[7:31] SPEAKER_00: And we may have even joked about this too, Dan, back in Vegas.
[7:34] SPEAKER_00: But, you know, as much as me, like anyone else, loves going, you know, out to the beach or sitting by the pool and having a you know all-inclusive experience, we're finding more and more uh of the younger generation getting married want to see more, do more.
[7:48] SPEAKER_00: And we're seeing uh a lot of those types of trips uh being booked by all of our travel advisors.
[7:52] SPEAKER_00: Uh interestingly enough, also um more families are traveling to maybe see their children, grandchildren who are studying abroad.
[8:00] SPEAKER_00: I might have mentioned this to you and I in our last podcast that my family and I a couple years ago went to Italy, Rome, Florence, and Venice took our oldest son uh as a graduation trip.
[8:10] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, multiple reasons uh and and we really make it easy because, you know, again, when it comes to rail bookers, we truly are that one-stop shop for worldwide independent FIT uh rail around the world, and uh we basically help take out the pain points, you know.
[8:27] SPEAKER_00: Something interesting too, Dan, to share one other point for all the listeners out there.
[8:31] SPEAKER_00: As as many of them may certainly agree with if they've been in the industry for years, you know, rail years ago um would be challenging to book, right?
[8:39] SPEAKER_00: Uh many times they had to wait until 30, 60, 90 days before they could even book or issue a ticket and make little to zero commission.
[8:48] SPEAKER_00: And that's totally changed with rail bookers, hence why I'm proud to say we're preferred with pretty much everybody around the world.
[8:55] SPEAKER_00: Um, with us, your listeners, all the great travel advisors and agents out there can book up to two years in advance, including pricing and scheduling.
[9:03] SPEAKER_00: So when we think about what I'm hearing from partners, it's literally everything and anything that I just mentioned uh from that question.
[9:10] SPEAKER_00: So lots of great, great benefits uh with railbookers for sure.
[9:13] SPEAKER_01: Well, what's interesting there, uh, Jim, is that you know, it really stood out to me from our last conversation is there really there's something for everyone when it comes to the type of options.
[9:21] SPEAKER_01: And so when I was even preparing for our conversation to look at the types of iconic and scenic destinations, I mean, you've got the concept of like first time to Europe, you've obviously got famous trains, you've got like around the world luxury, uh, once-in-a lifetime trips, culinary journeys.
[9:35] SPEAKER_01: So it's like, and um, and then people are trying to ask, okay, do I sleep on the train or do I you do have sleeper trains, but for the most part, as I understand, you know, the trains are how you get from one point to another during the day and have an incredible experience sightseeing, but then you're gonna get off and go have dinner, stay in a lovely hotel.
[9:52] SPEAKER_01: And so I I wanna I want to for all of our listeners that are trying to wrap their head around a rail holiday, um, Matt, since you're building a lot of this product, I would love to start this with you because before we get into some of the scenic and iconic destinations, I'd love for you just to give us an overview of what's involved in putting an itinerary together and so how you're actually creating these.
[10:15] SPEAKER_01: Because Jim, to your point, you now have something for everybody and you're working with all these partners, but the only way you ever get there is being able to create product that's right that people love and that they tell their friends about and they come back for, and then and then and then you have to introduce new destinations and other options for them to keep them coming back.
[10:31] SPEAKER_01: But yeah, tell tell us what the core experience is, Matt, of a railbooker's trip.
[10:35] SPEAKER_02: Well, uh, Dan, I think there's a number of different factors really, uh, in terms of what we're hearing and what we use when we're putting these type of trips together.
[10:43] SPEAKER_02: And one of the key drivers, I think, is the the slower, more relaxed pace.
[10:48] SPEAKER_02: I think that's really important for lots of travellers.
[10:51] SPEAKER_02: Many people are looking for a really different travel experience, and that's where rail can really fit the bill, uh, especially when you think about rail travel compared to other types of transport.
[11:02] SPEAKER_02: Pretty much everything is direct from city centre to city centre compared with, say, the out-of-town airport experience.
[11:09] SPEAKER_02: So that's that's that's very, very different.
[11:11] SPEAKER_02: Uh, and again, something we always keep in mind is the experiential aspect is the scenery, the fact that you really get a sense of place and you can immerse yourself in the landscape as you're travelling from A to B.
[11:23] SPEAKER_02: And that means that when we're putting these type of trips together, we don't necessarily always go with the fastest way of getting from A to B.
[11:30] SPEAKER_02: We do a lot of the time, but sometimes there might be a slightly slower option that's got great scenery, or it's just got that real experiential aspect that we know will make it stand out and appeal to people.
[11:40] SPEAKER_02: Uh, and I think you know, being able to pass through a region or an area that you might never get to experience otherwise, or having that uh experience that you just can't replicate, say on a plane, it is one of the real drivers for people to take this type of vacation.
[11:54] SPEAKER_02: So I think if I could sum it up, I'd say there's a a sense of hearkening back to the golden age of travel, if you like, uh combined with making the journey a really important part of the overall vacation, and we shouldn't always just think of it as a means of getting from A to B because it can be so much more than that.
[12:10] SPEAKER_02: And of course, there's things like there's the sustainability angle, obviously that's important for lots of people too.
[12:15] SPEAKER_02: So there's lots and lots of reasons uh that all come together, but they're just uh a few of the things that we always try to keep in mind.
[12:21] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what's interesting, interesting is that a lot of people will see rail travel as commuter rail and whether trying to wrap their heads around these, you know, especially with Europe, there's high-speed trains, people are getting your rail passes.
[12:33] SPEAKER_01: And when we did that first two-part series, we had uh Frank, of course, the CEO of Railbookers, and then we had uh Bjorn Bender, who's the CEO of Rail Europe.
[12:41] SPEAKER_01: And so I always want to make sure that I really clarify the distinction between these types of organizations and what they do, because Rail Europe effectively sells tickets on all the different trains across Europe, and it's great for the transportation option for you in Europe.
[12:54] SPEAKER_01: But what Railbookers does that's so special and unique is creates holidays out of these rail journeys.
[13:00] SPEAKER_01: And so they're not uh typically commuter, these are purpose-built, oftentimes, uh trains that are designed for leisure travel.
[13:08] SPEAKER_01: And what's really special, this is the part for me, and it's always the case, and my mom watches another series of like greatest uh rail journeys around the world uh and sends me another list of ideas of places she'd like to go, is that many of these places by virtue of the history are not accessible by road and not even necessarily by water.
[13:25] SPEAKER_01: And so the rail line itself is like the perfect vantage point to experience some of the most scenic, and obviously that's going to be a big focus of our conversation today, um, places around the world that you can only see by virtue of these rail lines.
[13:37] SPEAKER_01: But tell us, if you wouldn't mind, for the first-time traveler, when someone's thinking about a uh railbookers trip, what I found really fascinating is that Switzerland's your number one destination and Norway's right up there is one of the most popular.
[13:50] SPEAKER_01: Um, but tell us what a typical itinerary looks like in terms of duration, how much time they're gonna spend on the train.
[13:56] SPEAKER_01: I mean, I've got your website up, railbookers.com, looking at the first-time Europe trips.
[14:01] SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, eight, nine-day, ten-day itineraries.
[14:04] SPEAKER_01: Uh, but tell us a little bit more about like a week in the life of a railbookers trip.
[14:08] SPEAKER_02: That's a great question, Dan.
[14:10] SPEAKER_02: I mean, I suppose the first thing to say is there isn't a standard railbooker's trip.
[14:14] SPEAKER_02: There's a number of different options to suit uh all tastes and uh all durations depending on how long the traveller has available.
[14:22] SPEAKER_02: So it could be anything from you know five or six nights to the eight, nine, ten, or even longer that you mentioned.
[14:27] SPEAKER_02: Uh and really uh what they'll all have in common is, you know, we we focus on the the journey as much as the destination, as I was saying.
[14:35] SPEAKER_02: So everything will be traveling from city centre to city centre.
[14:39] SPEAKER_02: Uh, if we're say traveling in Italy, it could be you know traveling maybe every two to three days, you know, perhaps uh two, three, four hours by train.
[14:47] SPEAKER_02: So not too much time on board, uh, but enough to really get a feel of the landscape scenery and soak it all in.
[14:53] SPEAKER_02: On the flip side, some of the longer itineraries or slightly different ones, we might go a little bit more in depth on that uh that rail experience.
[15:01] SPEAKER_02: So, for example, on some of our really popular Swiss itineraries, I will go uh, you know, right through the Alps.
[15:07] SPEAKER_02: So, really, that slower pace is what it's all about.
[15:10] SPEAKER_02: One of our most popular trips is on board the Glacier Express in Switzerland, which is a little bit of a misnomer, really, calling it an express train, because uh they also refer to it as the slowest express train in the world, and it's it's all about the scenery.
[15:23] SPEAKER_02: Uh and uh you're traveling just over uh seven hours if you take the full route, but really it's just about relaxing and uh and taking it all in.
[15:31] SPEAKER_02: So on one of those Swiss uh itineraries that I mentioned, we might have then you know perhaps three nights in the destination afterwards just to make sure that uh you know we're spreading the travel out and then get a chance to soak uh in in the destination and really enjoy everything that Switzerland has to offer.
[15:45] SPEAKER_02: So it can mean uh all kinds of different things depending on you know what the what the traveler's looking for, really.
[15:51] SPEAKER_02: There's some shorter options and some lengthier options as well.
[15:54] SPEAKER_01: Well, let's get into what makes a rail journey iconic.
[15:57] SPEAKER_01: And so for those people who are looking to make sure that they actually uh find out what are the truly iconic trips, but before we do, what actually makes a trip iconic?
[16:08] SPEAKER_01: I think that's one of the there's certain destinations I can think of, and for me, it's usually the historical connection.
[16:13] SPEAKER_01: That for me is what makes a specific uh route or itinerary uh iconic, and you just you want to go see that, it's connected to an important part of a country's history or it has specific cultural significance.
[16:26] SPEAKER_01: And so, Jim, you know, given that you're often doing presentations for travel advisors around the world, and I'm probably getting asked a similar question, what would you say are the most iconic rail journeys?
[16:38] SPEAKER_01: And what do you think actually there are the characteristics that elevate them to that status?
[16:42] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[16:43] SPEAKER_00: Great question.
[16:44] SPEAKER_00: I mean, to us, I mean, our two most popular destinations really around the world are Switzerland and Italy, exactly like Matt uh touched on.
[16:52] SPEAKER_00: I mean, when I think about Switzerland, you know, you have uh Glacier Express, right?
[16:57] SPEAKER_00: One of the most iconic uh trains in the world, uh without a doubt.
[17:02] SPEAKER_00: And that train, about a seven to eight-hour train ride across uh the heart of Switzerland.
[17:07] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, interestingly interestingly enough, I think Matt mentioned it, but it's you know, it's known as the slowest high-speed train uh in Europe.
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: But for us, you know, the best way is to consider upgrading the excellence class, which is really the premium level on board the train.
[17:22] SPEAKER_00: You know, we find, and probably no surprise to all your listeners, the categories that sell the fastest and get booked the most are actually the most premium level, which also are the most limited amount of uh seats available.
[17:35] SPEAKER_00: That one I think there's about 20 seats in every departure.
[17:37] SPEAKER_00: But when they upgrade any of the uh any of your listeners' clients upgrade to Excellence class, uh they they have priority boarding, they have their own iPad that's given them commentary.
[17:48] SPEAKER_00: They ha they sit in the big, beautiful glass dome uh portion of the train car.
[17:53] SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's it's what we call one-by-one seating.
[17:56] SPEAKER_00: So two seats facing each other with the table in the middle, five-course meal.
[18:00] SPEAKER_00: I mean, it to me it's the way to travel, you know.
[18:02] SPEAKER_00: For a little bit more, it'll it give them that much more of an experience.
[18:07] SPEAKER_00: Um, that's just one of the trains among many in Switzerland.
[18:10] SPEAKER_00: Bernina Express, another iconic train.
[18:12] SPEAKER_00: In fact, in fact, with the Bernin Express, the entire train route, uh, which is about a four-hour train ride, uh, is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site that even dips down even into Italy uh during the journey.
[18:23] SPEAKER_00: But Snowcapped Mountains, I mean, I remember, and uh I I often I often joke about it too, Dan.
[18:29] SPEAKER_00: I remember when I was in Switzerland, you know, I had my uh iPhone, my mobile device, right?
[18:34] SPEAKER_00: And I'm taking pictures, I'm taking videos, and no sooner I would put it down, I had to grab it again.
[18:39] SPEAKER_00: Because I didn't want to miss that next site and that next great iconic uh you know picture.
[18:45] SPEAKER_00: And I just ended up never putting it down because literally everywhere you look, almost pretty much throughout both of those train journeys, uh, you know, it's just one amazing site after another.
[18:56] SPEAKER_00: Not to mention, you know, the Fondue and uh, you know, the Swiss chocolate.
[19:00] SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, Switzerland, again, just one of those destinations uh of a lifetime.
[19:05] SPEAKER_00: And interestingly enough, not only is that one of our top most popular packages in the world, but I touched on, you know, uh river cruises uh before.
[19:13] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, the one of the big reasons it is our most popular is because so many folks are doing uh river cruises, let's say on the Rhine River, but they want to see more, they want to do more.
[19:23] SPEAKER_00: As many of your listeners may know, a lot of the river cruise companies, they may offer an option to stay a day or two, either before or after, where with railbookers, we go way beyond the port city, right?
[19:34] SPEAKER_00: So for folks that are starting and ending in Basel, for instance, well, the river cruise companies will give them an option to have one or two nights in Basel, but we'll take them from Basel, as Matt knows way better than I do.
[19:45] SPEAKER_00: We'll take them to Zurich down to Geneva over to Zermot, Zermont to St.
[19:49] SPEAKER_00: Moritz, where then they could even end in Milan, Italy and fly home.
[19:53] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, when you think about, you know, uh the the renaissance of rail, I mean, years ago, uh river cruises were not even something that existed, and we know how popular they are today.
[20:04] SPEAKER_00: But one point you mentioned, Dan, and I love that you mentioned this, there's only so many rivers around the world, but there's trains everywhere.
[20:11] SPEAKER_00: And wherever the trains go, uh, wherever, whenever, uh, we can help take your listeners' clients there anytime.
[20:19] SPEAKER_00: And again, we do so much more rail, hotels, sightseeing transfers, and and so much more.
[20:24] SPEAKER_00: So, but Italy and Switzerland, definitely two of our most popular for sure.
[20:27] SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you sharing that, Jim.
[20:28] SPEAKER_01: And obviously, many of our listeners know my background as well as you do with you know, tour operators and a lot of coach tours or uh uh adventure travel, which adventure travel, you know, you're using local transport with most of the uh tour brands, you're using coaches.
[20:43] SPEAKER_01: And but one of the things that I genuinely love myself uh is being able to experience a country by rail, because for me, I don't want to be on the road, I don't want the stop and start, I also don't want to just go back and forth to airports, and and so the idea that you can start in one destination and and have like a grand tour of Europe or you know, it's and some of the train journeys themselves, uh keeping on the topic of iconic, uh, you know, you have some of the most famous rail lines in the world, part of your itinerary.
[21:13] SPEAKER_01: So the GAN stands out to me because I love Australia.
[21:16] SPEAKER_01: That's a treat trip I would love to do.
[21:18] SPEAKER_01: I still haven't done the Rocky Mountaineer, which is like way up there on my list.
[21:22] SPEAKER_01: Um, I had friends last year that did the Orient Express and were absolutely just like um just it was an astounding trip.
[21:30] SPEAKER_01: And it and so when I think about those rail lines, it's the combination of the scenery and the destination, and we'll come to scenic in a moment.
[21:38] SPEAKER_01: But so scenery is just one part of it.
[21:40] SPEAKER_01: But in terms of iconic, I mentioned history, you obviously mentioned culture, you highlighted Italy and uh Switzerland being two of the destinations that have some of the but given the types of rail cars that you can you can board, like the Orion Express, the presidential suite, and you look at these like the the food, the cuisine, the music, the you know, that what goes into the Onboard experience.
[22:01] SPEAKER_01: I'm keen, uh Matt, from from your vantage point, when you're putting these together like truly iconic journeys, how important is that onboard experience?
[22:09] SPEAKER_01: And what would you point out to our listeners as far as what you consider to be some of the most iconic journeys?
[22:15] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um I mean I think um the onboard experience is really, really important.
[22:20] SPEAKER_02: And it's the combination of everything, really, from the type of accommodational seating that's available on board, you know, the level of of service that you come to expect when you're traveling, and also the opportunity to socialise and interact with your fellow passengers, which is very, very different, I think, on a rail experience compared to, you know, say travelling by plane or by bus.
[22:40] SPEAKER_02: It's just a completely different, uh, different uh experience.
[22:43] SPEAKER_02: The fact that you even the fact as simple as being able to get up, walk around, you know, chat with uh with fellow passengers as you do so, and all of these things come together to make the the whole trip an experience rather than just a journey, uh as I was saying before.
[22:57] SPEAKER_02: And I think if you can can combine that with some great scenery, then that's when you've got something really special on your hands and you know that you're on to uh onto a winner.
[23:06] SPEAKER_02: Um you've named some great ones already.
[23:08] SPEAKER_02: I mean, the journey on the Orient Express from Paris to Venice has got that great combination of of history.
[23:14] SPEAKER_02: You really do feel like you're travelling back in time with the the decor, and everybody dresses up and makes it a special occasion.
[23:20] SPEAKER_02: So that's one that immediately comes to mind.
[23:23] SPEAKER_02: You know, some of those great journeys in Switzerland.
[23:25] SPEAKER_02: I mean, Jim was mentioning excellence classes on the Glacier Express, which is you know a real must-do.
[23:31] SPEAKER_02: And I think it's the combination of the five-course meal that they serve.
[23:35] SPEAKER_02: It's all got that local feel, it's all local ingredients, uh, and that kind of just gives you a sense of of location where you are, really helps you immerse yourself in the in the history, the culture, the landscape.
[23:47] SPEAKER_02: And it's it's all these things coming together that I think can make these types of journeys really, really special.
[23:52] SPEAKER_01: Well, you put out something interesting there, and I hadn't even thought of that, Matt.
[23:55] SPEAKER_01: So I'm glad you mentioned that is the social connection that people have.
[23:57] SPEAKER_01: I certainly know that from, you know, we talk a lot this year about transformational travel experiences, and a big focus of that is being able to come back feeling changed by virtue of the experience you've had on the trip and uh whether that's connecting with locals or connecting with other travelers, people are seeking uh human connection more than ever in this age of AI and and and uh the uh when people are consumed on their social channels and feeling more disconnected than ever.
[24:23] SPEAKER_01: So it's interesting you mentioned that because I definitely don't talk to people on a bus.
[24:27] SPEAKER_01: That's a big number.
[24:28] SPEAKER_01: Maybe, maybe your coach trip, sure, with like, but definitely not on a plane, because for me, you know, even you recline that seat, Jim, uh it's not it's not therapy all of a sudden just because your chair is tilting back.
[24:39] SPEAKER_01: You know, when you get someone next to you on a plane, you're like, oh, we got a live one here.
[24:42] SPEAKER_01: This is a talker.
[24:43] SPEAKER_01: We got a talker.
[24:44] SPEAKER_01: Yep, yep.
[24:45] SPEAKER_01: And so it's interesting you say that because in other forms of uh transport, you put a wall up.
[24:50] SPEAKER_01: Whereas if you're if if you're in a rail car and everyone is having that awe-inspiring moment, we took a rail journey up to uh Machu Picchu.
[24:58] SPEAKER_01: That was one of one of the standouts for me, and the scenery was so stunning.
[25:01] SPEAKER_01: And sure, everyone was talking to each other, taking photo.
[25:03] SPEAKER_01: Oh, can I take a photo with you guys?
[25:04] SPEAKER_01: And or take you know, because the background, uh, backdrops were so spectacular.
[25:08] SPEAKER_01: People were offering to take pictures of us and our family, and instantly there was that connection.
[25:12] SPEAKER_01: I and I hadn't even thought about that, but I'm glad you called that out because that that certainly adds to the experience.
[25:18] SPEAKER_01: But um, but let's uh so iconic.
[25:21] SPEAKER_01: Uh let's talk about scenic.
[25:23] SPEAKER_01: And clearly there's a connection between the two.
[25:25] SPEAKER_01: But Jim, I'm gonna come back to you on the uh the scenic side because I'm sure you have you know the images that uh resonate most with uh travelers and travel advisors when they see a picture of a destination.
[25:37] SPEAKER_01: One of them that stands out to me is uh Sri Lanka, um, which is a destination that I didn't get to take the train, and I keep looking back and thinking, man, that would have been the way to experience Sri Lanka to see um the beautiful colors.
[25:49] SPEAKER_01: And uh but yeah, what are some of the most scenic itineraries and and how would you classify what a truly scenic train journey would be?
[25:57] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
[25:59] SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, one thing that actually I uh I'll share one of my favorite lines for this is for all your listeners out there and all the great travel advisors and agents the clouds look the same, Dan, anywhere we fly in the world.
[26:11] SPEAKER_00: So there's another big reason, folks, to always consider railbookers via clients.
[26:16] SPEAKER_00: But uh, you know, uh I could go on and on when it comes to scenic.
[26:20] SPEAKER_00: But you know, obviously we talked about Italy, we talked about Switzerland, those are by far two of our top destinations.
[26:26] SPEAKER_00: Um, Europe in general uh is just such a huge uh popular area, especially for a lot of Americans and Canadians.
[26:34] SPEAKER_00: I mean, interestingly enough, like even last year, before I touch into the scenic, there was over one billion people, Dan, over one billion people that traveled on rail just in Europe, right?
[26:45] SPEAKER_00: Now, that's all types of travelers, not just uh you know, people on vacation or holiday, um, local travelers, whatnot, but over one billion, um, there's over 26,000 train stations just in Europe itself.
[26:57] SPEAKER_00: So when it comes to scenery, obviously throughout Europe, you really can't go wrong from Spain, Portugal, Norway, as you mentioned, and uh, you know, and so much more.
[27:06] SPEAKER_00: Um, but interestingly enough, what comes to mind when I think scenic uh is funny enough, right uh here uh in the United States, Alaska.
[27:14] SPEAKER_00: You know, Alaska is is one of those destinations where uh the folks get to travel on Alaska Railroad, right?
[27:23] SPEAKER_00: And just like I talked about Excellence class as well, Dan, on board Glacier Express in Switzerland.
[27:28] SPEAKER_00: Well, in Alaska, uh they have what is called Gold Star Service, right?
[27:32] SPEAKER_00: Now, you could probably tell my theme is always for your listeners, as many of them may do already, to encourage or suggest their clients um to take to take advantage of that upgraded option, right?
[27:45] SPEAKER_00: On any tour, any trip, anytime on any rail, right?
[27:49] SPEAKER_00: Alaska is no different.
[27:50] SPEAKER_00: Gold Star Service, I always say there's five reasons um clients want to consider to upgrade, okay, uh, on Gold Star Service.
[27:56] SPEAKER_00: And this is on board again, Alaska Railroad.
[27:59] SPEAKER_00: We offer northbound, southbound itineraries.
[28:01] SPEAKER_00: It is train travel during the day, which also gives them the beautiful views.
[28:05] SPEAKER_00: It does give them great views of Denali National Park, but they could start an Anchorage, they can go as far north as uh uh Fairbanks and down south to Seward.
[28:14] SPEAKER_00: Um they could do it as a standalone trip, you know, an independent land FIT tour.
[28:19] SPEAKER_00: Uh, but when they upgrade to Gold Star service, um, number one, they get to uh sit inside of the big, beautiful glass domed car, you know, just has the big picturesque windows, giving them the beautiful scenery, the snow capped mountains, the wildlife as they travel.
[28:32] SPEAKER_00: And that season usually is from May to September.
[28:34] SPEAKER_00: Um, they also have their own tour guide on board the train while they travel day to day from one uh destination to another.
[28:41] SPEAKER_00: They also have all their meals included on board the train uh when they travel during the day.
[28:46] SPEAKER_00: So if they're traveling in the morning, they'll have breakfast.
[28:48] SPEAKER_00: If it's in uh the afternoon or evening, they'll have lunch and or dinner.
[28:52] SPEAKER_00: Uh and they also have access to uh the outdoor area, a little uh kind of uh outdoor area within uh the gold star service, uh giving them that fresh air.
[29:03] SPEAKER_00: And uh and then they also have two complimentary adult beverages, not to mention access to the entire train cars, not just where they sit inside of the gold star service.
[29:13] SPEAKER_00: So um that's just on board the trains.
[29:15] SPEAKER_00: But then, you know, we have those fantastic uh uh iconic lodges.
[29:19] SPEAKER_00: Um Denali uh lodges is actually one of them, uh, which is only about eight or nine miles outside of uh Denali National Park.
[29:28] SPEAKER_00: I want to say in Alaska too, uh approximately, I want to say approximately one out of every ten residents uh in the state of Alaska actually has his or her own pilot's license, just to kind of put it in perspective, uh what a large, magnificent area it is.
[29:42] SPEAKER_00: But Alaska is one of those destinations too for us, Dan.
[29:46] SPEAKER_00: As much as Europe is by far our most popular, in particular, again, Switzerland, uh Italy, Norway, uh, England, Scotland, Ireland, uh, and Spain, Portugal, beyond, um, Alaska, we call it the gift that keeps on giving because people they want to see more, they want to do more, and uh it's just it's one of those destinations.
[30:05] SPEAKER_00: And funny enough, very popular too, even for a lot of our um folks from Australia, New Zealand, combining that with the cruise as well, um, uh either before or after, or as well as even the Canadian Rockies and going across Canada.
[30:18] SPEAKER_00: So those are some of probably what I consider some of the most scenic routes in the world.
[30:23] SPEAKER_01: Well, you brought up something important there too, which is the seating style and the options that you then have to be able to choose the rail car and the type of seating and the type of service you want, which is obviously incredibly important based on um the comfort that you're gonna have and the experience.
[30:39] SPEAKER_01: But obviously, there's a commonality amongst all the rail bookers' uh journeys, which is you know, these are uh packaged holidays where rail is obviously the primary mode of transport, but you get to stay in hotels and you get to eat at restaurants in addition to having the on-train experience.
[30:53] SPEAKER_01: And I know it obviously varies.
[30:55] SPEAKER_01: The um um you mentioned obviously the scenery with Alaska.
[30:58] SPEAKER_01: Clearly, you know, we were talking about Europe and Switzerland meets all of these because obviously pretty much every trip you could take in Switzerland is incredibly scenic, and there's yeah these uh so many trains like the Jungfrau and the the the you know to the highest glaciers, and some of them are are quite harrowing.
[31:15] SPEAKER_01: So look at the pictures because you'll see there's some of these small train cars that are going up such steep mountains, yeah.
[31:20] SPEAKER_01: Um but still incredibly safe.
[31:21] SPEAKER_01: But then there's like places like the Amalfi Coast or the French Riviera, and that's to me when I look at all the different I kind of uh scenic and iconic destinations.
[31:29] SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's there's um uh like I could I easily put a list together of 10 that I'm keen to do.
[31:36] SPEAKER_01: And so uh when Matt, you think about scenic.
[31:40] SPEAKER_01: Obviously, uh Jim's touched on a few destinations.
[31:43] SPEAKER_01: What are some of the most, as far as you're concerned, from your experience being with a company for 20 years and also seeing what travelers are are selecting, what would you consider to be some of the most scenic uh itineraries that you offer?
[31:54] SPEAKER_02: Great question, Dan.
[31:55] SPEAKER_02: I mean, excuse me, there are certain landscapes I think that are really, really suited to rail travel.
[32:00] SPEAKER_02: So anywhere with lakes and mountains, I think the whole journey really does come alive.
[32:05] SPEAKER_02: I mean, Jim's touched on Alaska there, we've mentioned Switzerland, uh, New Zealand, Norway, Canada, all of those types of destinations I think have got great scenic journeys available.
[32:17] SPEAKER_02: Uh, and in many of those places, the area that the train passes through is inaccessible, really, for any other form of transportation.
[32:24] SPEAKER_02: So you really do get to see parts of the country or from a different viewpoint that you wouldn't be able to experience any other way.
[32:32] SPEAKER_02: I mean, if I can pick, say, uh just New Zealand as one example there.
[32:35] SPEAKER_02: Uh, if you travel on the uh the Transalpine and you go out through the New Zealand Alps across to South Island, you know, there's no railroad running by it.
[32:42] SPEAKER_02: So you really are the only travellers who are going to get to experience the landscape in that particular way.
[32:48] SPEAKER_02: Similarly, uh, Norway, uh, on some of those wonderful journeys on the Flam Railway and similar, it's just an amazing way to soak in all that wonderful scenery from the fjords to the valleys to the whole picture.
[33:01] SPEAKER_02: And and I can give you one other one, slightly different, but this is one of my favorites, is if you travel to Venice by train, it really does give you a sense of arriving in the destination that I don't think you get anywhere else.
[33:14] SPEAKER_02: And I'll explain what I mean by that.
[33:16] SPEAKER_02: Firstly, when you travel to the main train station, Santa Lucia, which is on the on the islands themselves, first of all, the train crosses over the lagoon as you approach the station.
[33:25] SPEAKER_02: So you've got water either side of you, you get the feel of exactly where you're going to be approaching.
[33:30] SPEAKER_02: And then you exit the train, you step out of the station, and the Grand Canal is right in front of you.
[33:34] SPEAKER_02: You've got all the sights, all the sounds that you've come to expect.
[33:38] SPEAKER_02: Even if you've not been before, you've just seen pictures, videos, footage on TV, whatever it might be.
[33:43] SPEAKER_02: You know exactly where you are, you're right there.
[33:45] SPEAKER_02: And that's not something you get if you arrive by you know, by car, by coach, or from the mainland, or if you fly in.
[33:51] SPEAKER_02: It's really the only way that you get to experience that.
[33:53] SPEAKER_02: And I'm lucky enough to have visited Venice a couple of times by train, and it doesn't get any less special the more times you do it.
[34:00] SPEAKER_02: It's still a really, really wonderful experience.
[34:02] SPEAKER_02: So that's one I definitely would pick out.
[34:04] SPEAKER_01: Well, and you guys have expanded into Asia more recently.
[34:06] SPEAKER_01: I know you've opened an office in Singapore, you've introduced Japan.
[34:10] SPEAKER_01: I spoke to Dan, who does all of your communications, fantastic part of the team.
[34:13] SPEAKER_01: And he I saw him in New York a couple of months ago, and he was just heading off to Japan.
[34:18] SPEAKER_01: He was so honored to be amongst the first team members from Railbookers to have the privilege to travel to Japan and to experience some of these new itineraries.
[34:25] SPEAKER_01: So I was keen to ask you about that, Jim, because clearly, you know, you've been with this business for many years and you're still seeing railbookers expand to new scenic or iconic destinations.
[34:34] SPEAKER_01: I'm keen to just get a sense of how important Asia has been, especially given your success in markets like Australia as well, which obviously is that much more accessible for Australians, but everyone around the world wants to go to Japan right now.
[34:46] SPEAKER_01: We've seen that for the last two years.
[34:47] SPEAKER_01: So how is that destination starting to take for you?
[34:49] SPEAKER_01: And any standouts, uh, whether it be scenic or iconic there.
[34:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
[34:54] SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, of course, in Japan you got the bullet train, right?
[34:57] SPEAKER_00: Which is truly one of the most iconic trains in the world.
[35:01] SPEAKER_00: Uh Asia is booming.
[35:03] SPEAKER_00: I can't even begin to tell you how many requests we get uh for Japan, and it is doing fantastic for us.
[35:10] SPEAKER_00: You know, what's unique too, also about our packages to Japan and some of our more exotic destinations as uh as of today is in certain areas around the world, we also offer what we call locally hosted.
[35:22] SPEAKER_00: Now, I'll give you a funny example, Dan.
[35:24] SPEAKER_00: And it's funny enough, I was sharing this recently on one of my trainings as well.
[35:28] SPEAKER_00: So again, this is uh a good fun little tip for all of uh your listeners and the travel advisors and agents out there.
[35:35] SPEAKER_00: Um when I when Frank and I actually uh traveled to Asia uh recently as we expanded in Asia for the Asian market, traveling around the world with railbookers.
[35:46] SPEAKER_00: So now again, we have uh travel advisors and travel agents um booking and supporting railbookers all over the US, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, and now throughout Asia.
[35:56] SPEAKER_00: But as we have been in the process developing more and more Asia packages, including we have Japan and uh really a great relaunch of our product.
[36:05] SPEAKER_00: Uh, they are locally hosted trips.
[36:08] SPEAKER_00: And really what that means is they have uh a guide with them during the day, just kind of helping to give them ideas, suggestions, take them to different areas.
[36:17] SPEAKER_00: And I will say, when I was there recently myself in the fall this year, I had a connection uh through Tokyo uh on my way back to Boston again for the listeners that are still with us and with my little accent, uh, you know, and I had uh I had a good amount of time at the airport, and I thought, you know, son, let me go, let me go down uh let me scoot out to Tokyo.
[36:36] SPEAKER_00: I had a little bit of uh time.
[36:38] SPEAKER_00: So I did, and I will say the fact that we have locally hosted trips to certain destinations around the world, Japan now being one of them, uh, it's a game changer.
[36:49] SPEAKER_00: Because I will say, even when I went there myself, and I'd like to consider a pretty adventurous, right?
[36:55] SPEAKER_00: Um, but I noticed uh not as many people spoke as fluent English as I I think I've been accustomed to or spoiled to, I should say, as I've traveled around the world.
[37:06] SPEAKER_00: And I have to say our product team, including uh Matt, who it makes magic happen with all our rail uh around the world, uh that was probably one of the greatest exciting uh updates that we've been fortunate to share with all the listeners out there and the advisors, is we not only have Japan, we have several different packages to Japan, but again, it'll also be locally hosted with a local tour guide who knows the area.
[37:29] SPEAKER_00: He or she is with them uh during the day, giving them help and advice.
[37:33] SPEAKER_00: And again, folks, for those of you who may not be as familiar with railbookers, we are truly a worldwide independent FIT tour operator that just happens to specialize in rail.
[37:42] SPEAKER_00: And and one thing I wanted to mention too, Dan, you know, as as we talk about uh Asia, and again, we're we're in the process of expanding even much more throughout Asia, throughout uh China and and Thailand and beyond.
[37:54] SPEAKER_00: Uh Japan right now, by far the hottest within all of Asia.
[37:57] SPEAKER_00: Um, and we have, again, several packages.
[38:00] SPEAKER_00: But the analogy I always give is we're we're really like a mechanic, right?
[38:04] SPEAKER_00: Um we know the make of the car, we know the model, we know the year, we have packages put together, um, but any of them can also be customized.
[38:12] SPEAKER_00: We pretty much book everything for all the listeners, all the advisors out there, pretty much with the exception of rail.
[38:18] SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's what makes it easy.
[38:21] SPEAKER_00: You know, when we also talk about just real quick, I like to mention this, you know, so many advisors and agents, again, one of many reasons we've been fortunate to now be preferred with everyone, we do instant quotes as well, Dan.
[38:33] SPEAKER_00: So when any of the listeners reach out to us, we do it right there and then on the phone, right?
[38:37] SPEAKER_00: We get it right back to them so they can get back to their uh customers.
[38:41] SPEAKER_00: If they like the person they're working with, they can work with the same person time and time again.
[38:46] SPEAKER_00: They don't have to call 10 times and speak to 10 different people.
[38:49] SPEAKER_00: Something that we just started a couple years ago is we also offer three-way calling.
[38:52] SPEAKER_00: So, as an example, again, we're talking Japan.
[38:55] SPEAKER_00: If any of the listeners may not be as familiar with the destination or how the trains and how it works, no worries.
[39:01] SPEAKER_00: We'll hop on a call with you and your client if you would like with it and just help support the advisors any way we can.
[39:07] SPEAKER_00: So want to make sure I mention some of those unique um, you know, highlights and advantages um as examples when working with railbookers.
[39:15] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[39:16] SPEAKER_01: One of the things I think is really fascinating as I've come to learn more about uh railbookers and as you mentioned there, Frank, about FIT and how you package trips together, rather than just going to a particular uh rail line uh and trying to book yourself direct, the idea is that you can book these remarkable packages that often involve uh multiple destinations and this whole concept of the grand tour, which I know is really important for people traveling to Europe for the first time, but also for uh many retirees that have the time to be able to have an extended trip and they look at the options and they don't want to just go to Switzerland or Norway, they want to go from Berlin and finish in Rome.
[39:53] SPEAKER_01: And so, Matt, tell us a little bit about what a grand tour is, because I'm keen to know how you actually package together these grand tours and what you're seeing for interest and demand in them.
[40:02] SPEAKER_01: Great question, Dan.
[40:03] SPEAKER_02: I I think again, there's a number of different examples that we're seeing.
[40:06] SPEAKER_02: I mean, firstly, there's the grand tour that you mentioned that might be in one country.
[40:11] SPEAKER_02: So there's that classic itinerary of linking the big name cities, they always remain popular and for really good reasons too.
[40:18] SPEAKER_02: So it could be that classic Italian combination of uh a Venice, Florence, and Rome, maybe finishing up on the Amalfi coast, that type of trip.
[40:26] SPEAKER_02: But as you correctly say, we're seeing a lot of interest in those longer multi-country grand tours.
[40:32] SPEAKER_02: One really popular example is uh Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Imperial Cities.
[40:38] SPEAKER_02: And I think one reason for that is rail travel just works so well connecting all these major hubs.
[40:44] SPEAKER_02: None of the journeys are particularly long.
[40:46] SPEAKER_02: Everything starts in the city centre of the first destination.
[40:49] SPEAKER_02: You arrive right in the heart of things in the new destination as well.
[40:54] SPEAKER_02: Uh, and we're also seeing another trend which is slightly more experience-led grand tours, which might include, say, smaller, more characterful destinations along the way, as well as the big hitters.
[41:07] SPEAKER_02: And that could be because the traveller wants to include a particular journey as much as a destination.
[41:13] SPEAKER_02: Uh, and our Swiss Lakes and Mountains itineraries are a really good example of that, which again is a grand tour really in the one country of Switzerland.
[41:21] SPEAKER_02: Some of those itineraries run into Italy and other places too.
[41:24] SPEAKER_02: But that really does hit home that uh the experience along the way is just as important for the destination for many travelers now.
[41:32] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and Jim, obviously, you're seeing that from partners, I'm I'm assuming, with the like the idea of taking longer multi-country journeys.
[41:38] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what's what's standing out to you from a partnership point of view with those type of itineraries?
[41:43] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
[41:43] SPEAKER_00: You know, it it's funny.
[41:44] SPEAKER_00: All I could think about when you were asking that question, Dan, is how often, even myself, I'm speaking to travel advisors, travel agents all the time, uh every week uh of every month.
[41:56] SPEAKER_00: And I hear it myself, I hear it from our team globally, is those types of requests from clients, especially to Matt's point, more and more, where, you know, they want to go from one city to another city to another country to another country.
[42:09] SPEAKER_00: And for travel advisors and agents out there listening, folks, as you can attest and know better than all of us, um, that can be extremely time consuming.
[42:17] SPEAKER_00: Those types of requests could literally take any advisor like days, if not a full week or so, just to try to put together, to try to book independently on their own.
[42:27] SPEAKER_00: Again, that goes back to my point.
[42:29] SPEAKER_00: We make it easy, instant quotes, and really especially traveling to multiple countries, multiple cities, because again, there's this train tracks everywhere, and it makes it very seamless to go from one city to another, and again, also have that flexibility um to customize as well, which is which is good.
[42:47] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, one other thing I'm keen to ask you both, and this is coming from uh the Tolman experience of learning the travel industry, you know, learning a lot from Stanley Tolman and Brett as well, of course.
[42:58] SPEAKER_01: The travel corporation, one of the largest privately owned group of travel brands, that was sold to Apollo in the last uh couple of years, big private equity firm.
[43:05] SPEAKER_01: Um but Stanley built a remarkable empire of travel companies.
[43:08] SPEAKER_01: And one of the things that we all know, and Frank obviously knows this, and uh, you know, he worked there.
[43:13] SPEAKER_01: Jim, obviously you were well aware as well of the and what but one of the things I always found fascinating in our executive meetings, in the board meetings he would bring together uh when he would challenge the executives on their plans for each of the businesses, he was always looking for what is going to be their unique selling proposition and what is what is truly unique, why should they take an insight or a trafalgar or a kantiki?
[43:32] SPEAKER_01: And I'm keen to ask you both that question because I know how important it is from a uh a traveler point of view, they just want to get on the trip and have an amazing experience.
[43:40] SPEAKER_01: But so much methodical planning goes into creating these customized itineraries and even you know the concept of flourishes or tiny noticeable touches or like these little details that at the end of the day, a traveler just has a delightful experience.
[43:54] SPEAKER_01: But a lot of planning and then execution goes into delivering against that.
[43:58] SPEAKER_01: And so if someone's taking Taking a railbookers trip for the first time, or people are coming back to Railbookers.
[44:04] SPEAKER_01: What are some of those things I'll ask you, Matt, first, and then keen to get your take on this, Jim?
[44:09] SPEAKER_01: But like Matt, what are some of the things, given you're on the product side, what are some of the things you're actually building in to make sure that someone has a truly unique experience with railbookers?
[44:19] SPEAKER_01: Great question.
[44:19] SPEAKER_02: I think it's uh it's a combination of the destination uh and the experience, really.
[44:25] SPEAKER_02: I mean, one of the things that we're seeing a lot is the uh uh the attraction of that the slower pace, kind of harkening back to you know the the golden age of travel, if you like.
[44:34] SPEAKER_02: I think particularly as our our lives in general get uh get get faster paced by the by the day, it feels like.
[44:40] SPEAKER_02: Uh so we're really very much trying to focus on the destination, but also the travel experience in between those destinations, and then to uh to add in unique sightseeing experiences in the destination as well, particularly where we can you know offer something slightly different, whether it's uh you know a private tour of the Vatican, something that's maybe just uh a little bit different from the regular experience that that can be offered.
[45:06] SPEAKER_02: So that's just uh uh a couple of things.
[45:08] SPEAKER_02: And we what we're also conscious of is we don't really try and tram uh cram too much into any one particular itinerary or vacation, um, because I think that can sometimes be something we're all guilty of at times when we're look when we're planning our own travel, is we we try and uh almost uh you know check off on the list and include as much as possible, but really we try and focus on getting you know the maximum out of each destination uh uh and journey uh and look at things that way.
[45:36] SPEAKER_01: That's great.
[45:36] SPEAKER_01: And Jim, obviously, when you're speaking to travel advisors, I know one of the things that customers are so focused on, and this is the thing I always, and I'm sure you feel similar to this, the one thing I always hate hearing is someone who had you know had best ambitions for a trip and they tried to plan it themselves, and they were booking rail and they're trying to book these hotels.
[45:52] SPEAKER_01: When you think about the time and effort, because Matt, you know what it likes to, what it looks like to plan out these itineraries.
[45:56] SPEAKER_01: And so when someone goes on a trip, and I've heard this actually, especially post-pandemic, the number of people rushed back to Europe and they were you know taking trains and they were overheated and overcrowded and and they didn't have the experience that they, you know, they spent a lot of money going to Italy, but they came back a bit disenchanted with the overall experience.
[46:14] SPEAKER_01: And and that kind of breaks my heart about travel sometimes.
[46:17] SPEAKER_01: If someone just you know doesn't necessarily know how best to plan and organize their itinerary, I'm like, why didn't you just book with railbookers?
[46:23] SPEAKER_01: Why didn't you just use a tour tour operator?
[46:25] SPEAKER_01: So like you could have saved yourself all this hassle and you could have like ensured that you would have been having a great experience.
[46:30] SPEAKER_01: So what what are the things that stand out to you when you're just like to avoid anyone listening to this, ending up in that situation?
[46:35] SPEAKER_01: Like, what what are the what what are the key standouts for you on why why railbookers?
[46:39] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, talk to folks, talk to your friends who have already booked with us because I that's probably the biggest number one reference that I hear all the time is they found out about us from fellow travel advisors.
[46:50] SPEAKER_00: They're like, I wish I knew about you sooner.
[46:52] SPEAKER_00: I can't tell you how many times, Dan, that I hear at on the phone at conferences from advisors that, you know, I did all this work exactly to your point, Dan.
[47:00] SPEAKER_00: It took me, you know, days and I made zero to little commission on all this work and this and that.
[47:06] SPEAKER_00: And it literally been one call, one time, much higher commission, because again, we're preferred with everybody, including I'm sure all of the listeners out there.
[47:13] SPEAKER_00: Um, and really, again, it's a we make it easy, one stop shop, truly, with the exception of flights, we pretty much book everything else for them in one shock.
[47:23] SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, let's face it, time is money, right?
[47:25] SPEAKER_00: For any, any of us out there, especially the travel advisors who, you know, work so hard, put in a lot of hours, you know, we we kind of take away the pain points, right?
[47:34] SPEAKER_00: We uh we uh help kind of fill that void, so to speak.
[47:38] SPEAKER_00: But, you know, to to one of your points, what what we also do to enhance any of the trips as well for any of uh the your listeners' clients.
[47:47] SPEAKER_00: Um it and I think of myself too, Dan, and my brother and Frank, who are kind of in that age range, right?
[47:53] SPEAKER_00: We're kind of, you know, uh we're really the best balance um of structure, but also flexibility, right?
[48:01] SPEAKER_00: The the days of the past where, you know, and there's a market, of course, of folks that want, you know, uh a structured guided bus tour, but the days of the past where, you know, uh from six to eight in the morning, it's breakfast, from eight to uh, you know, at 12, there's sightseeing from 12 to 2, it's lunch, from 2 to 5, it's more sightseeing from 5 to 7, it's dinner from 7 p.m.
[48:21] SPEAKER_00: on, there's evening activities, 7 to 10 to 14 days on a trip.
[48:26] SPEAKER_00: Those days are kind of a little bit behind us.
[48:28] SPEAKER_00: Folks, especially in my like the upcoming, you know, retiree age group, right?
[48:33] SPEAKER_00: I'm not there, I got a little ways to go.
[48:35] SPEAKER_00: But, you know, we like structure, but we also like flexibility, right?
[48:39] SPEAKER_00: So, like as an example, it made me think when you were asking Matt this question a big highlight is we provide transfers in most uh areas around the world.
[48:47] SPEAKER_00: Now, the beautiful thing is most trains let travel advisors' clients arrive in the city center, downtown, local, literally in most hotels we use, which Matt knows this just as well as I do, are within either walking distance or a short cab ride.
[49:02] SPEAKER_00: That's a huge game changer because then the travel advisors and travel agents out there don't have to try to figure out, okay, how am I going to get my clients, you know, because I tried to save them$100 in there an hour outside the city to get in and out of the city every time, especially if they're in Europe.
[49:16] SPEAKER_00: Most train stations are literally downtown city center, right in the heart of where really, really where they want to be, right?
[49:22] SPEAKER_00: Um, so most hotels we use are either, again, within walking distance or a short cab ride, but any times it might be a little farther, or if they're getting uh if they need transfers to the cruise port or from the cruise port to the airport, whatever it may be, we now have private transfers available throughout most major cities around the world.
[49:40] SPEAKER_00: That's a game changer.
[49:41] SPEAKER_00: That could also take a lot of extra time for advisors to book that.
[49:44] SPEAKER_00: And one last point I'll mention, and Matt touched on it, and thank you, Matt.
[49:47] SPEAKER_00: I think about my own trip to Italy, Rome, Florence, and Venice, right?
[49:50] SPEAKER_00: Only two hours by train in between each city.
[49:52] SPEAKER_00: You can't beat it over 200 miles up to 300 kilometers, right?
[49:56] SPEAKER_00: Uh, to to go, you know, uh per hour.
[49:59] SPEAKER_00: You know, when my wife and I and our family went to Italy, perfect example, Dan.
[50:04] SPEAKER_00: I looked at the itinerary, right?
[50:06] SPEAKER_00: And like I mentioned, some days we had uh a full day locally guided tour, other days we had a half a day, and then on other days we had a free day.
[50:13] SPEAKER_00: And I thought, okay, I don't know if I want a full free day in each city, um, which was offered on the trip.
[50:18] SPEAKER_00: Uh many of the days already had a full day or a half a day guided tour, and I thought, let me add in another guided tour.
[50:24] SPEAKER_00: And folks, we offer this on all of our trips all over the world.
[50:27] SPEAKER_00: And again, Matt uh and our product team are the ones who make the magic happen.
[50:31] SPEAKER_00: We have a whole page on our website of all the different optional excursions that can be added from private tours like Matt mentioned to secret food tours, by the way, Dan, which is what I added in to my trip for our family.
[50:45] SPEAKER_00: And we did a secret food tour in Rome, we did a secret food tour in Florence and a secret food tour in Venice.
[50:50] SPEAKER_00: But what I loved about them, they were only three hours each tour in each city.
[50:54] SPEAKER_00: They were small groups.
[50:56] SPEAKER_00: It was only about eight to ten of us with a local tour guide in the city.
[51:00] SPEAKER_00: We never knew where we were going to eat.
[51:02] SPEAKER_00: So one day, you know, uh we could be going to have uh, you know, some perjut and cheese to uh pizza to cannolis, uh, you name it.
[51:12] SPEAKER_00: And it was one of the greatest highlights, interestingly enough, in addition to traveling on board the train as well, um, among many of the sightseeing tours.
[51:21] SPEAKER_00: But that those were additional optional excursions that we were able to add in to the tour uh to really, you know, customize it, as I mentioned before, which is great.
[51:31] SPEAKER_01: No, that's awesome.
[51:32] SPEAKER_01: I think that really brings it all together.
[51:33] SPEAKER_01: Because one of the things I'm sure you're hearing from partners or even the relationships you have with certain plot suppliers, given the influence you have and the scale you've built, you can add in something that is uh more unique for your travelers into those itineraries.
[51:48] SPEAKER_01: And this is where, you know, um uh for me, it's clearly one of those types of trips that you keep coming back for, which is obviously why you've built such great loyalty.
[51:57] SPEAKER_01: And I the the one thing I just want to uh finish off with is a couple last questions for you guys.
[52:01] SPEAKER_01: I don't ever want to leave any of our first-time uh rail journey uh potential guests behind.
[52:07] SPEAKER_01: And um and uh and and so one of the things I was keen to ask Matt, um, given you are, as you pointed out, Jim, he's doing a lot of the planning, is that for someone who's planning their first major rail journey, where would you suggest they start?
[52:21] SPEAKER_01: And I obviously that's uh that's that's the multiple ways you can obviously take that question, where should they start in terms of destination, where they should start in planning?
[52:29] SPEAKER_01: But really, I guess what I'm keen to know is like what are all the things that they should be considering when they're deciding to go on a rail journey?
[52:35] SPEAKER_01: Because when as we started the conversation, there is now something for everyone.
[52:39] SPEAKER_01: There are first-timer trips, but there's so if anything, you can get overwhelmed with with the options of places you want to go.
[52:46] SPEAKER_01: So, where would you suggest they start when it comes to planning their first uh major rail trip?
[52:50] SPEAKER_02: That's another great question.
[52:52] SPEAKER_02: Uh, I mean there's there's a numerous different ways that you can start, as you mentioned, Dan.
[52:57] SPEAKER_02: Uh, I think one option is by beginning about thinking about what do they want to get out of the trip.
[53:02] SPEAKER_02: Is it a particular bucket list destination or destinations that they want to visit?
[53:07] SPEAKER_02: Because that's obviously one way of starting, or is it a particular experience that they're interested in?
[53:12] SPEAKER_02: So, as an example, you know, if you if you visit uh our website, railbookers.com, we've got a number of different ways that you can start that search.
[53:21] SPEAKER_02: It could be destination-led, it could be experience-led, it could be by scenic journeys, it could be by uh, you know, vacations that are close to the close to the sea or connecting with a river cruise, as Jim mentioned before.
[53:34] SPEAKER_02: So really that there's something for for everybody in that sense because everybody's starting point is slightly different.
[53:40] SPEAKER_02: Now, it could be that that that once-in-a-lifetime destination that the traveller's been desperate to visit, or it could be that they've never travelled by train before and they're looking for an idea of um, you know, what's a really scenic journey that that we can take because we're interested in traveling by rail, and this is the reason we want to do it.
[53:57] SPEAKER_02: So everybody's coming at it from a slightly different angle.
[54:01] SPEAKER_02: Uh, and I think you know, there's there's lots of great sources of inspiration uh on the on the railbookers.com site that can be a great starting point, whatever that uh that original inspiration might be, whether it's destination-led, experience-led, uh, lots of great ideas available.
[54:16] SPEAKER_01: I appreciate that.
[54:17] SPEAKER_01: And Jim, what for someone that's done a trip with you, and I clearly you hear this all the time from travel advisors because they're now trying to figure out where to go next.
[54:25] SPEAKER_01: So, based on what uh Matt just shared with us as far as where to get started, for those people who are listening to this and are thinking, yeah, actually, you know, I did a rail trip three years ago.
[54:33] SPEAKER_01: I'm ready to do a rail trip again, or I've done this destination.
[54:36] SPEAKER_01: What would you say to people that are familiar with uh rail bookers or taking rail journeys that they should be aware of in 2026 and beyond as far as new destinations or reasons to uh to come back and take that next train journey?
[54:48] SPEAKER_00: I love it.
[54:49] SPEAKER_00: I'm so glad you asked me that question, Dan, because honestly, luxury, luxury, luxury.
[54:54] SPEAKER_00: It is our fastest growing segment of all our different products that we offer around the world, from local trains to high-speed trains to iconic trains to luxury.
[55:05] SPEAKER_00: You know, my wife and I, we had an opportunity to travel uh recently on one of the most iconic luxury trains in the world that started in Paris and ended in Istanbul.
[55:14] SPEAKER_00: And what I was so amazed about, Dan, and this is great for all your listeners out there, is all the folks we met, um, majority, again, these are luxury style trains.
[55:26] SPEAKER_00: Uh, majority were 50, it was the 50 plus market.
[55:29] SPEAKER_00: But most of them, you know who they are, folks?
[55:32] SPEAKER_00: They are your same clients that have been on river cruises.
[55:36] SPEAKER_00: They're your same clients that have been on premium ocean cruises.
[55:39] SPEAKER_00: They're also your same clients that have traveled on Rocky Mountaineer, exactly to your point, Dan.
[55:44] SPEAKER_00: And many of them were looking for that next great, iconic type of experience.
[55:49] SPEAKER_00: And I remember being on the train with my wife, and I said to her, I said, This is like more people need to know about this, and it's not surprising, it's our fastest growing segment because as more and more people are finding out that it's it's literally like uh uh like a a land cruise in many ways, right?
[56:09] SPEAKER_00: Um, as an example, um we you know, we we travel anywhere on uh, you know, from uh the the Belmont, uh the Belmont uh Scotsman uh to you know the Orient Express to the Maharaj Express, the the the Gone, as you mentioned to Dan, right?
[56:25] SPEAKER_00: We have luxury trains all over the world, Rocky Mountain Air, of course.
[56:28] SPEAKER_00: Uh I just recently uh held had the pleasure of uh experience on experiencing the Canyon Spirit, which is one of the luxury trains here in the United States, which I will do a little shout out.
[56:38] SPEAKER_00: We have the 250th uh anniversary uh as well uh coming up uh this year as well.
[56:43] SPEAKER_00: But these are some of the most iconic trains.
[56:45] SPEAKER_00: And for those same clients of the listeners that have been on, again, either River Cruises, Premium Ocean Cruise Lines, uh, or Rocky Mountaineer previously, we have a whole series.
[56:57] SPEAKER_00: We are the answer to their next question, which is exactly the question you just asked me.
[57:02] SPEAKER_00: Where do we go for the next type of luxury, iconic trip of a lifetime?
[57:07] SPEAKER_00: We find in general, people have been on cruises, and there's so many great options out there from the mega ships to the small quaint uh, you know, ships and and sailings to sun and fun to guided tours to drive and vacations, but more and more people are starting to realize rail is really the next river cruise, right?
[57:26] SPEAKER_00: And it it really does kind of tie in perfectly to today's kind of theme of rail being uh the renaissance of rail.
[57:33] SPEAKER_00: And uh it really is exciting to be part of uh a company now.
[57:36] SPEAKER_00: Not as many years as Matt, it's 13 years for me, but you know, I I I often say to my brother, it's uh it's just exciting to see when the day comes where we retire to see where it is uh, you know, uh down the line.
[57:49] SPEAKER_00: Because I know even from when we started to where it is today, it's just it it it's it's such a huge, exciting opportunity for all the advisors out there.
[57:58] SPEAKER_00: And and last point I'll mention on this too, Dan, people are looking for something different.
[58:02] SPEAKER_00: They want more of an experience, you know.
[58:04] SPEAKER_00: Um, they want to live more, they want to do more, and it gives them another item on their bucket list that they can check off the box, and and that's what rail provides.
[58:13] SPEAKER_00: So anyway, hope hope that helps.
[58:15] SPEAKER_01: That's a perfect way to close on episode one because next episode is all about luxury rail with your friends and colleagues, Gareth and Tyler.
[58:22] SPEAKER_01: And to your point, I mean, I've just come off a three-cities speaking tour with Virtuoso, and there is an incredible appetite in luxury, and it luxury travelers are actually a different traveler profile altogether.
[58:35] SPEAKER_01: And so that's actually one of the reasons when we were putting together the concept for this three-part series to make it as uh interesting for our listeners as today discussing scenic and iconic, which I think has been uh really enlightening for me and I'm sure for all of our listeners, but now setting aside an episode uh that is gonna be fully focused on luxury, so those premium high-end travel experiences that more and more people are seeking.
[59:00] SPEAKER_01: So uh clearly you have an interest, and we're gonna have to bring you back for part of that discussion too, Jim.
[59:05] SPEAKER_01: But but I just want to finish on a personal question for each of you, given I know how passionate you both are about this industry and this space.
[59:12] SPEAKER_01: And so, Matt, what is next on your list for uh your next major rail trip?
[59:17] SPEAKER_01: What's what's on your rail bucket list?
[59:19] SPEAKER_02: Oh, on my next trip, Dan I'm hoping to head over to Scandinavia and do some uh more exploring around there up in uh Norway and then heading over to Sweden and such.
[59:27] SPEAKER_01: That's next on my list.
[59:28] SPEAKER_01: Fantastic.
[59:29] SPEAKER_01: I did see that as one of the grand tour options to do Scandinavia, and that's where, you know, not limiting yourself just to Norway, but to be able to see Finland and Sweden as well.
[59:37] SPEAKER_01: So that is one of the most popular destinations in the world.
[59:40] SPEAKER_01: So I'm uh I'll I will follow your lead because I haven't uh I haven't, aside from Sweden, I haven't explored around Scandinavia.
[59:47] SPEAKER_01: But uh Jim, what about you?
[59:49] SPEAKER_01: Where is next on your list?
[59:50] SPEAKER_01: Uh uh Asia.
[59:52] SPEAKER_00: Without just like so many, so many, so many clients out there requested the same uh area destination, Japan in particular, and the bullet train.
[1:00:01] SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, just uh such an amazing culture, the some of the sweetest, most kindest people.
[1:00:07] SPEAKER_00: And for me personally, I love I love just experiencing different cuisine.
[1:00:11] SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you, Dan, and many of your listeners are the same.
[1:00:14] SPEAKER_00: You know, anywhere I travel in the world, even locally, right here in the United States, I I I always love to experience the local cuisine and in the you know what what each state is known for or the different types of food.
[1:00:26] SPEAKER_00: But definitely when it comes to Asia, you know, you have the Oriental Express, you have the bullet train, like so, yeah, that that's definitely my my uh my wish list, my bucket list for sure.
[1:00:37] SPEAKER_01: Fantastic.
[1:00:38] SPEAKER_01: Well, I know I'm gonna see you guys later this year at the conference in Vancouver.
[1:00:41] SPEAKER_01: We're gonna do a special spotlight episode, and so I'm you know looking forward to our continued collaborations over the course of the year.
[1:00:47] SPEAKER_01: Jim, uh it's obviously fantastic to speak to you again and uh to reconnect with you and get all your insights.
[1:00:52] SPEAKER_01: And Matt, real pleasure to meet you.
[1:00:54] SPEAKER_01: Thank you both for making this uh possible and making the time for this chat today.
[1:00:57] SPEAKER_01: Uh thank you, Dan.
[1:00:58] SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Dan.
[1:00:59] SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
[1:00:59] SPEAKER_01: Thank you, guys.
[1:01:00] SPEAKER_01: And to all of our listeners, this is episode one of our three-part series with our friends over at Railbookers.
[1:01:06] SPEAKER_01: And as you heard me mention, next week is luxury rail travel, followed by a conversation with the CEO of Railbookers, Frank Marini.
[1:01:14] SPEAKER_01: He's got an amazing book.
[1:01:15] SPEAKER_01: We'll talk about that.
[1:01:16] SPEAKER_01: He's got a some really fascinating insights to be able to share about AI and where it's headed, and also just the overall rise of rail travel, as you heard in our discussion today.
[1:01:26] SPEAKER_01: I certainly hope everyone enjoyed the conversation we just had with Matt and Jim from Railbookers and coming away from this with why rail travel is having a moment and what makes rail journeys iconic and scenic, and some of the reasons you should consider rail travel for yourself or your clients in 2026 and beyond.
[1:01:43] SPEAKER_01: So thank you again to you both and for all of our listeners.
[1:01:46] SPEAKER_01: We do post clips and highlights on our social channels, which you can find on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
[1:01:50] SPEAKER_01: And just make sure you are subscribed on the streaming platform of your choice, Spotify, Apple, or YouTube, so that you'll be notified when our next episode goes live.
[1:01:59] SPEAKER_01: Until next time, safe travels.

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