Travelling by train

Hi there

Australia does not have any high-speed rail, and the United States does not have any high-speed rail. Typically, High-Speed Rail is found in Europe and Asia.

I can see why Australia does not have it, as we have a smaller-than-average population of around 30 million. There is always talk of it, and our government even sets up a High-Speed Rail Authority, but nothing concrete ever happens.

When we were recently in China, we used their fast and efficient high-speed rail network to travel from Qingdao to Beijing. The 658 kilometres were covered in a little over 3 hours with a speed of up to 315 kilometres an hour.

We travelled in second class, and the tickets cost around $80 Australian each. This was cheaper than flights over the same route, which sold for $150 plus.

Trip.com is where you can book all your China train tickets and hotels. Train tickets are electronic, so you must show your passport ( you must enter your passport details when booking the ticket) as a foreigner when entering the station. Your email confirmation will have train numbers, car numbers and seat numbers.

Trip has a much bigger database of hotels in China than Booking.com.

🎥 Staying at Holiday Inn Express Qingdao City Centre in China