Around the World in 80 Trains
In 2018, Monisha Rajesh and her husband took a grand trip across the northern hemisphere by rail. Around the World in 80 Trains, which went on to become a National Geographic Traveller Book of the Year, is the story of what happened along the way.
The narrative unfolds slowly but surely, much like a train journey. Typically, a series of mundane occurrences unspools until a slight irregularity – a candy bar shared, a conversation sparked, a nerve exposed – tips the observations open into a moment of insight. Glossing over Europe and delving into her experiences in less-accessible areas such as North Korea, Rajesh doesn’t shy away from hard topics or raw opinions. And yet, along the way, the story manages to convey an overarching feeling of empathy and open-mindedness toward foreign cultures and fellow humans around the world.
For those curious about the prospect of train travel with children, this book may not at first inspire confidence. Aside from conversations with staff members and passengers and trips to the dining car when they have one, the time spent on board is best characterized by tight spaces, uncertain outcomes, and even the occasional run-in with prejudice and lechery. When they venture off the rails, Rajesh and her husband get themselves in and out of some gnarly situations difficult enough to navigate without kids in tow. In Russia, for example, even after some preliminary research, they find themselves in a dangerous, remote area outside Moscow, dependent on a seemingly hostile taxi driver to get them safely back to their train.
But to some degree, all great trips involve moments of discomfort and crisis. By including them in the book, Rajesh honors all the in-between moments of getting from one destination to another, not only the highlights. Her memories of battling altitude sickness in Tibet and robot concierges in Japan serve both as warnings of what to avoid and reminders that no matter how well we plan a trip, it will always have its unexpected snags. And these snags make the high points all the more glorious.
Perhaps where this book shines most is when Rajesh deep-dives into a historic event, such as Hiroshima, and interviews people affected firsthand along her path. Rather than focusing on hard right and wrong polemics, Rajesh explores how politics and rhetoric played out in everyday lives for both Japanese bomb victims and British POWs, and how important it is to keep those memories alive in the public consciousness. The immediacy of place brings history to the fore in a way that only travel can, which is yet another reason to get out of our geographic comfort zones, with or without children.
Then there’s the food: fried mutton noodles in Urumqi, a cold North Korean beer, mysterious bags of popcorn sold one by one from the next car, and a shared train picnic of fried chicken. Rajesh doesn’t claim to be a foodie. In fact, she seems skeptical of overly elaborate meals. But when it comes time to chow down on the local fare, she is always happy to dig in, learning more about the local culture, strangers on the train, and even her own husband with each bite. The only food that repulses her are the provisions brought along by other travelers afraid of unfamiliar food. Rajesh’s open palette reminds us that long train trips limit options, giving passengers the chance to try whatever is available, and often opening the door to a deeper understanding of other cultures.
At mealtimes and beyond, the book abounds with encounters that invite Rajesh to test her assumptions, her habits, her beliefs, and her politics. At one point, sitting at a shared table with another couple they mistake for Amish, Rajesh learns about a new religion, finds common ground, and experiments with prayer although she is not religious, all within the span of a few minutes. At other, tenser occasions, she consciously decides not to express opinions in order to keep herself or others safe. When we zip around the world in planes or drive from point A to point B, we often don’t run up against anything that challenges our views or our lifestyle. Extended train travel, at least the way Rajesh does it, seems to lend itself to the exploration of other perspectives and the suspension, at least for a moment, of privilege.
All in all, a rosy, cushy advertisement for train travel this is not. But somewhere along the way, the small shifts in perspective and newfound pleasures start to pull at the feet and the heart of the reader, calling us to leave the comforts of home and head out on our own adventure. And for those who don’t have the ability to leave home on extended voyages of this kind, it provides the opportunity to experience the world vicariously through a sharp, inquisitive mind.
