Seasons
A week in Hokkaido in February, by train, from Sapporo to the drift ice
A seven-day winter route across Hokkaido by rail: snow, hot springs and the drift ice on the Okhotsk coast, with layering advice and the delays to plan around.
Slow travel, overland
Mind the gap between the platform and the train
In the spirit of railway timetables and fold-out maps: route notes, packing lists and letters from long stays, for travellers who still like to know which side the sea will be on.
Latest dispatches
Lessons learned
Seven mistakes we made on our first month-long rail pass
Reservation fees, wasted travel days, missed connections and a bag that was too heavy: what went wrong on our first rail pass trip and how to avoid it.
Budgets
What three months in the Balkans actually cost, line by line
Our real budget for a month each in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Tirana, travelling overland between them: rent, food, transport, work costs and the surprises.
Packing
The one-bag packing list for six weeks of trains, weighed item by item
Everything in a 38-litre bag for six weeks across three countries by rail, with weights, the things we cut after week one, and how the route shaped the list.
Remote work
Working a full week from Sarajevo: desks, data and the admin nobody mentions
How to set up a month of normal work from a rented flat in Sarajevo: choosing the flat, testing the connection, time zones, roaming and a weekly rhythm that held up.
Long stays
A month on the Alentejo coast, and why we went in June
Four weeks in a small Portuguese coastal town: getting there without a car, a week-by-week rhythm, the wind nobody warned us about and what the month cost.
Rail routes
How to book a European night train without losing an evening to it
Seats, couchettes and sleepers explained, when booking windows open, how to read a berth plan and what to do when the train you wanted is sold out.
Browse by topic
- 01Rail routesOverland itineraries by train, broken into legs with hedged journey times and the connections that matter.6 stories
- 02Long staysA month or more in one place: renting a flat, finding a rhythm and what changes after week three.4 stories
- 03BudgetsReal trip costs, line by line, rounded and dated. Where the money went and where we would cut next time.4 stories
- 04PackingOne-bag lists we have actually carried, with weights, and the things we stopped bringing.3 stories
- 05Remote workWorking a normal week from abroad: desks, connectivity, time zones and the admin nobody mentions.2 stories
- 06SeasonsWhen to go and when not to: weather, crowds, daylight and the shoulder months that are worth the gamble.2 stories
- 07Lessons learnedThe mistakes, missed connections and bad bookings, written up so you can skip them.2 stories