Hey guys, today I want to share one of our most beautiful travel memories. It was our first ever train journey from Delhi to Udaipur with Nemit. And, as you know that firsts are always special, this journey holds a very special place in my heart.

It was my blog’s first anniversary in July 2018 & I was looking for ideas to make it special. The best way to celebrate it virtually was to do something online. To say thanks to my fellow bloggers I arranged a Summer Blog Train in which 24 bloggers participated and made it a success. And, to show gratitude towards my fans, friends, & followers, I planned 2 back to back mega-giveaways & they too were a hit.

At City Palace

Now it was time to celebrate the special day with my family, for that we planned a 3-night weekend getaway to Udaipur. While checking our options for transportation, we saw that a road trip was not a possibility since it was a drive of more than 12 hrs. Next, we checked the flights. Most of the flights under our budget were flying in the afternoon and we couldn’t afford to waste our half day in traveling for a 3-day trip.

Delhi to Udaipur – When & How we Planned?

We usually don’t consider train travel because Sumit (my husband) doesn’t like it. Since we were out of options traveling by train was our only hope. Luckily, the train schedule matched perfectly with our requirements. And we immediately booked a coupe for us.

Another good thing, we saved some bucks on booking. The first class AC train ticket was cheaper than an economy  flight ticket. An added advantage, children below 5 years travel free on a train. And, we saved a lot of travel time since it was a night journey, we reached Udaipur at 7 am.

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Our Memorable Journey from Delhi to Udaipur

So, it was a 12 hr overnight train journey from Delhi to Udaipur. The train was scheduled to move from Old Delhi railway station at 7 pm. Nemit & I were super thrilled for the train journey whereas Sumit was a little uncomfortable & nervous. I was assuring him that he will enjoy every bit of the experience but he just kept ignoring me. Now, I tease him reminding how tensed he was for a mere train journey.

Our DDLJ moment

We reached the station on time but the rush on the platform made us slow. Even after spotting our train we had to run to find our compartment. We reached our coupe & a sense of sheer excitement crossed our minds seeing the private cabin just for us.

It was not just our first train experience with Nemit, we were traveling in a first class for the first time ever. I had decided then & there that train travel would be my preferred choice in the future as well.

That’s how a coupe looks from inside

We took our time to explore our coupe, clicked countless pictures from every angle. Nemit got his dose of physical activity by going up and down the berths. After a while, we got comfortable in our seats & I finally saw relief and happiness on Sumit’s face.

Nemit happily settled on the upper birth with his bag of toys. Sumit grabbed his comics which he purchased from the platform and I opened up my laptop to transfer images from my camera. It was the most comfortable long journey we have had in recent times. I never believed that train journeys could be so wonderful.

Nemit happily playing with his blocks

Why you should consider an overnight train journey with kids?

• A train journey is super comfortable.
• It is cheaper than flying.
• Children under 5 years travel free.
• Coupe with 2 births is quite big for a family of 3.
• There are private cabins available with 4 births as well.
• And, the berths are big & spacious.
• It is much easier to manage kids on a train rather on a plane or a car.
• You just have to keep them entertained for a few hours before they sleep.
• Also, there is no restriction on luggage to carry.
• Traveling by train is an amazing experience & an adventure in itself.

To give you an idea of space on a berth

Things to remember before taking a train journey

• Book tickets in advance at least a month prior to your travel.
• Get only confirmed tickets, strictly a no to waitlist.
• Better to book overnight train, day travel may become a bit boring for kids.
• Do pack a bag of toys/book for entertainment.
• Carry lots of snacks & water, kids may not like pantry food.
• If you don’t want to take pantry food, you can order your fav meal online which will be delivered to you at the specified station.
• Although they provide bedding it is better to pack a light blanket for kids.
• Carry your ID cards and copy of your train ticket.

So relaxed & enjoying the beautiful scenery

I hope you liked reading about our first train journey. And, I hope you also got an idea of how comfortable a train journey is when traveling with kids.

Thanks for reading. When was your first train journey with your child? How was the experience? Share with me in the comments below.

Today is Day 21 of #BlogchatterA2Z and the letter of the day is ‘U’. My theme for the challenge is ‘Traveling with kids’ & I have chosen U for Udaipur. 

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The post Delhi to Udaipur – A Memorable Train Journey with our Toddler appeared first on Growing With Nemit.