The Man in Seat Sixty-One • Hacker News Board

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#71

Post by rcarmo » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 7:13 PM UTC

Doesn't include Portugal, apparently.

Edit: it does (https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Lisb...), just that the country's not listed where I expected it to be.

I vastly prefer taking the train from Lisbon to Porto for business, since I can work and prepare during the trip, with the following caveats:

- Mobile data coverage along that particular line is spottier than a cheetah, with more gaps than a croc's denture and slower than snails. On-board Wi-Fi is even worse.

- For some reason CP (the Portuguese train company) refuses to service the power outlets on 1st/2nd class cars, which means it's a toss-up as to whether you'll have enough battery to work on the train.

This has been going on for years, but I still prefer taking the train to a cramped (and noisy) flight.

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#72

Post by pseudalopex » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 7:33 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #62

ajmurmann wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I kinda want one of these directory websites you could find in the early 2000s that were just collections of websites the author liked. I want a page like that just filled with links to pushed like this. projectrho.com comes to mind as another page I would want to see liked there.

Rather than a website with one person tasked with maintaining it, what about a git site where people can do a pull request for updates?

"awesome" lists are basically this. They often end up with not enough curation.

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#73

Post by djhworld » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 7:34 PM UTC

I was just starting to read this page https://www.seat61.com/Canada.htm#Canadian and was thinking, this is a nice resource.

Then it kept going, and going, and going with a wonderful set of recommendations, images, descriptions, a nicely edited video etc

What a great website!

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#74

Post by Freak_NL » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 7:50 PM UTC

graeme wrote: post #63

briandear wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I really wish the EU or collaborating national governments would invest more in sleeper train services by taxing flights. Why? If sleepers are so desirable, then the market should support them.

Because flights have co2 externalities that trains don't to the same extent. This is econ 101.

Flights are also subsidized at the moment by not taxing fuel at all. Also, the market doesn't care too much about the environment, hence governments.

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#75

Post by scarejunba » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 8:05 PM UTC

red_admiral wrote: post #9

Can we please have more sites like this on the internet.

Be the change you want to see.

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#76

Post by isostatic » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 8:06 PM UTC

listic wrote: post #67

FabHK wrote: post #20

Agree with all commenters here what a fantastic site this is - up-to-date (by and large), information dense, no nonsense. Has helped me travel from Bali to Jakarta, through Thailand, Namibia, and with the TransSib. A labour of love. So I wondered how one can support the guy, and was amazed that the only thing he asks for is donations to UNICEF in his name, see link below. Kudos kudos kudos. https://www.justgiving.com…

I thought the site doesn't support Russia?

[flagged]

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#77

Post by deathwarmedover » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 8:27 PM UTC

robin_reala wrote: post #2

I love this site: it’s such a nice reminder of the information-rich sites of the early 2000s, and it’s been extremely useful in planning journeys over the years.

See also: https://www.fieggen.com/ which I use every time I buy a new pair of shoes.

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#78

Post by Symbiote » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 8:36 PM UTC

ansible wrote: post #22

And now I want to take a train ride to Morocco...

And then within Morocco.

The existence of a functioning rail network is a big draw for me when I'm planning a backpacking trip. I'm much less likely to be ripped off for the ticket, there will be some sort of timetable, and little risk of being taken to someone's brother's shop in case I want to buy a carpet. Most importantly, it's usually at least an order of magnitude safer.

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#79

Post by jkepler » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 8:45 PM UTC

zedpm wrote: post #54

He's not kidding about the joy of traveling by rail. The train from London to Edinburgh was by far the most pleasant travel experience I've had. The low stress boarding, the spacious, comfortable seats, and lack of turbulence made for a relaxing and peaceful trip. It's a shame the options for traveling by rain in the US are so limited.

> ... traveling by rain ...

I know it's a typo, but I've always thought that would be a cool form of travel.

Re: The Man in Seat Sixty-One

#80

Post by FridgeSeal » Sun, Jan 13, 2019, 8:55 PM UTC

This site is legitimately fantastic!

I used it to plan a trip around Europe and the information about how to travel between given stations, where to buy tickets, what to buy (even what side to sit on to get the best view!) made my trip significantly less stressful to plan.