‘Bring food onboard and don’t get left behind!’: Traveller shares tips from a Thailand sleeper train

A seasoned southeast Asia traveller has shared her high tips for taking a long-distance train in Thailand.

Marielle Descalsota advised Insider how she had spent 13 hours travelling throughout Thailand on a sleeper practice, which rolled by dense jungle, masking 467 miles and 9 Thai provinces in complete.

The journey author shared her high suggestions for anybody who needs to observe in her footsteps and e-book the Thai in a single day practice.

1. Take breaks at stations however don’t get left behind

Ms Descalota’s first tip is to take temporary walks through the frequent stops to stretch your legs, however to not stray too removed from the practice when doing this – in case it leaves with out you.

“Whereas the practice stopped at round a dozen stations all through the journey, the size of every cease diversified. There have been one or two instances previous to reaching Ayutthaya that the practice stopped for greater than quarter-hour, however for probably the most half it both didn’t cease in any respect, or solely took a couple of minutes to take action.

“What’s extra, the practice sounded its horn earlier than leaving throughout a number of the stops, however not all of them. This implies it’s all too simple to get left behind because the practice takes off for the subsequent leg of its journey.”

2. Guide direct

In terms of reserving the journey, she suggests reserving by the official Thai Railway website, moderately than that of a third-party. In addition to with the ability to e-book prematurely and print her personal ticket, she says: “I paid 2,906 baht (£68), or round $81, to e-book a complete first-class cabin with two bunk beds. I initially paid $30 extra after I booked through third-party.”

3. Select a forward-facing cabin

Ms Descalota booked a backward-facing cabin, and wasn’t a fan. “It didn’t hassle me an excessive amount of however I discovered it harder to take pictures and benefit from the sights outdoors the window. You probably have movement illness, be certain that to decide on a cabin with front-facing beds for a extra snug expertise,” she advises.

4. Take loads of snacks – and don’t anticipate nice wifi

“Since Thailand had simply fully opened as much as vacationers on 1 July, not all of facilities on the sleeper practice and railway stations have been again to regular,” Ms Descalota says of her late July journey. “There was no meals on the market on board [and] barely any stops on a 10-hour stretch of the journey.” When it comes to meals, she says, “store round for some Thai meals on the meals stalls positioned outdoors the station earlier than boarding the practice.”

5. Obtain some leisure

The intrepid rail traveller recommends having some leisure downloaded and accessible offline in your telephone or laptop computer earlier than setting off. She warns there was “no cell service or wifi for greater than half the journey”. The lighting within the cabin will also be dim, so studying and writing through the journey was tough, she added.

6. Pack mild

There isn’t limitless area for all of your belongings on the Chiang Mai to Bangkok practice. “House within the cabins is restricted, so don’t deliver extra baggage with you than is strictly vital,” says Ms Descalota.

7. Be by your window for golden hour

A lot of the principally nocturnal journey was made in darkness, says the author, so there isn’t a lot of a chance to take pleasure in views from the home windows. Nevertheless: “the upside to that is that the jungles, rivers, and rice paddy fields look majestic throughout golden hour.” She additionally bought to see glimpses of Bangkok and its outskirts at dawn: “a cityscape with buildings, roads, and folks making ready for the day forward.”