World cruises have been a hot commodity in the luxury travel industry. But if you’re prone to seasickness (or don’t have more than 100 PTO days to spend), Railbookers has a $124,150 alternative — by luxury rail.
The train-focused tour company’s 59-day around-the-world vacation, departing in early September, includes travel on seven high-end trains to more than 20 cities and 12 countries.
Throughout the four-continent trek, globetrotters would go on a safari in India’s Ranthambore National Park, cruise the Ganges River, and receive a private tour of the Louvre Museum — all while traveling in bucket-list trains such as Belmond’s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
It’s Railbookers’ second year hosting a global itinerary, and travelers rail-y can’t get enough.
Luxury trains have been in high demand over the last few years. This itinerary is no different.
Frank Marini, president and CEO of Railbookers Group, told Business Insider that the trip had a 4,000-person waitlist ahead of its launch. (BI could not verify this.)
“The demand was crazy,” Andrew Channell, Railbookers’ senior vice president of product and operations, told BI. “It’s captured the imagination of a lot of people who said, ‘I had no idea there was even a luxury train experience you could do there.’”
Some wanted to book the full journey, while others wanted to reserve various legs. Marini said the trip is expected to sell out.
Luxury train enthusiasts will likely recognize several in the itinerary.
The trip starts in Vancouver, Canada, and concludes in Singapore. Guests would travel on seven luxury trains along the way, including three nights touring Scotland on Belmond’s Royal Scotsman, two nights sightseeing Italy on the soon-to-debut La Dolce Vita Orient Express, and three nights around South Africa in the renowned Rovos Rail.
Between sleeper trains, guests would spend 32 nights at premium hotels, including Fairmonts in Canada and The Imperial in New Delhi.
The itinerary also requires six flights, five of which aren’t included in the price.
Excursions are, however, bundled into the $124,150-per-person cost. These activities include a private tour of Venice, Italy’s Saint Mark’s Basilica, a sunrise stop at the Taj Mahal, and the chance to see elephants and rhinos in South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park.
A more than $2,000-per-day vacation may not be the cheapest global travel option.
The individual trains on Railbookers’ itineraries aren’t known to be ultra-affordable.
Three nights on the Royal Scotsman in September (as the itinerary includes) goes for about $22,400 per person.
Similarly, a one-night Venice Simplon-Orient-Express trip from Verona, Italy, to Paris during the late-summer month starts at about $4,730 per person.
Around-the-world vacations have been a hit in the cruise industry.
Several premium cruise lines, such as Regent Seven Seas, offer annual global voyages.
The luxury cruise line’s 132-night 2024 and 150-night 2025 world cruises were sold out in record times: three hours for the former and before bookings formally opened for the latter.
About one-third of the travelers who booked the 2025 itinerary — which started at $87,000 per person — were first-time Regent guests, signaling a growing demand for high-end extended itineraries, a spokesperson told BI.
Railbookers’ per-day cost may be more than triple that of Regent’s, but it’s a great express option if you, like many other wealthy travelers, have several luxury trains on your travel bucket list.
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