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Above is a picture of the Red Arrow train that will take you overnight from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Call me old-fashioned, but in this era of ubiquitous airline travel, there’s something about going by train that’s appealing, possibly even romantic. I remember my summer of European travel involved many overnight train rides, mostly to save money on hotels. Well, in this episode of Talking Travel, Lonely Planet’s Tom Hall and the BBC’s David Allan make it clear that the overnight train trip is alive and well in Europe. You can go to sleep as your train leaves London, and wake up in the Highlands of Scotland. Or, how about going to sleep in Oslo, and waking up north of the Arctic Circle! Tom suggests a couple of excellent web resources to help plan your trip: Seat 61, and this site of national rail operators.

Tom also talks about German Railway’s SparNight Promotions.

We may have whetted your appetite for a train ride, but what about all of those travel alerts recently issued for Europe? What if you’re already booked that villa in Tuscany? Should you still take that European vacation? Well, David and Tom both say yes, especially since the weather in Europe is still good, and the high season for tourists is past. They’ll also offer tips on what steps you can take to ensure your safety. The World recently also talked to a security expert about this. David reminds you to be sure you’ve got travel insurance.

We also reach out to listeners by sharing our own “traveling as a couple” experiences, both good and bad.

What’s the best or worst trip you’ve taken in tandem? Did it lead to an engagement, or a spectacular break-up?

Let us know in the comments below!

(Photo: Glucke)