Seat61.com inspires train and ship travel

It’s hardly a secret. In January of 2007, Seat61.com received 364,000 visitors, the highest visitor month in its history.

Seat61.com is the premier site dedicated to travel by train and ship, containing comprehensive information on just about any route a traveler could desire, from Slovenia to Senegal, Botswana to Bangladesh, and of course all of Europe. Information varies by country, but is very comprehensive and typically includes: routes, timetables, prices, photos, travel tips, currency conversion rates, time zone information, and general travel tips. No wonder the site is a hit.

Seat61.com was created in 2001 by Mark Smith, a career railwayman from England, who has a slight obsession with non-aviation travel. The site is named after Smith’s favorite seat in Eurostar 1st class (but only in cars 11, 7, or 8). Seat 61 is so choice because it is “one of a pair of individual seats with table that actually lines up with the window.”

According to Smith (who runs the site as a hobby) the two aims of the site are: to serve as a clearinghouse of information for people who already know they want to travel by train or ship and cannot find the pertinent information, and to inspire those who normally take commercial airlines to experience the world in a slower, more environmentally-friendly way, interacting with locals on trains and appreciating the scenery from the ground level.

The environmentally-friendly slow travel ethic has been widely appreciated; Wanderlust Magazine named the site the “2007 Top Travel Website”.

Smith also received the honor of being named the “Person who has made the greatest contribution to responsible tourism” in the First Choice 2006 Responsible Tourism Awards for his site’s dedication to promoting environmentally-friendly methods of transportation.

And, yet another contribution to the world of overland travel, Smith’s top travel tip for those about to embark on a journey by rail or sea: “Never travel without a good book and a corkscrew..!”