New Year on the train: romance or quiet horror?

"As you celebrate the New Year, so you will spend it" - says the famous saying. And those who plan to leave the city for the holidays have already bought or are just looking for train tickets. As a rule, the New Year is a family holiday. Therefore, many people go to their relatives in small towns, or from one capital to another. In a word, the railway service will not be suspended even on New Year's Eve. Therefore, many purposefully dream of celebrating the holiday on the train, others by coincidence. So that you understand what to expect from the main holiday of the country on the train, we will tell you about all the pros and cons.

Let's start with ticket pricing.

As a rule, prices rise before all holidays. Most of the tickets sold in December fall on the dates from the 28th to the 30th. Therefore, on these dates there will be the most expensive tickets. But on the 31st, the price may be significantly lower, but there is a high probability of meeting the holiday on the way. Ideally, you should buy tickets before the holidays 45-90 days in advance before departure. If the idea appeared spontaneously, then keep in mind that often an additional train may be scheduled a few days before the holidays. There may also be some pre-holiday promotions and for some trips in two weeks they reduce the cost, but this is as lucky as anyone. Therefore, if you follow, then there is a high probability of going on a trip at the best price.

How to choose a New Year's train?

If, however, by the will of fate or by your firm decision, you decided to celebrate the New Year on the train, then pay attention to the following points. First of all, the route. If it is not important to you, you can choose some picturesque one, or with such stops where you can additionally visit other cities or have fun. Many people advise that you need to take a train ticket so that the departure is not earlier than 19-23 hours. Then you will have enough time to unpack, prepare a table and get to know your neighbors. And if the arrival is at 5-8 in the morning, then you can relax on the train and slowly check into a hotel or relatives in the morning. But it is recommended to abandon trains that travel for more than 12 hours on a festive night.

How to celebrate on the train if…

For those who have never met a year like this, everything pops up in their head "if", so it is important to understand that a lot depends on fellow travelers. And then how lucky. Roughly speaking, everyone can be divided into several groups. Those who don't care about the holiday, they will come to the car and go to bed until morning. Others will cheerfully celebrate the holiday, chat, eat and after a while go to bed. And there are those for whom the meaning of the holiday is to drink. Such fellow travelers may be inadequate, the conductors try to calm them down, transfer them to another car, and sometimes they have to be dropped off at the nearest stop with the help of the police. Therefore, it is simply impossible to guess who will be in the carriage with you.

According to the rules, drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited on the train. It is allowed to do this in the dining car. Alcoholic beverages with an ethyl alcohol content of no more than 16.5% are sold there. Therefore, traditional champagne will be there. Of course, only a few will do this, the rest will spread out all the snacks and their drinks on the table in the compartment or reserved seat. We warn you right away that the conductor can tell you a couple of times "a-ta-ta" and "close" your eyes to one bottle of champagne. But rules are rules and they have to demand to remove alcohol completely. It is worth thinking not only about yourself, but also about the conductor, who may be fired for non-compliance with the rules, or he will have to wash the whole car if the champagne shoots. And it will not be the best festive night for a person who spent it at work and away from his home.

Therefore, the same respect should be shown to those who go to work or on business, it is important for them to get enough sleep, and not to celebrate. Therefore, experienced travelers recommend moving with everyone, including in neighboring cars. In such a way that noisy companies moved into one car, and others slept peacefully in another. On a festive night, trains are usually packed by 30-50%, and the conductors will help you with this, because order is important to them and so that the trip goes without conflicts. Simply put, you can always negotiate with everyone.

And we forgot about the main thing, about the festive atmosphere. Before the New Year, the cars are decorated with garlands and "rain", if you are carrying your jewelry, no one forbids decorating the car with them. Or make them on the spot, the usual carved snowflakes will not only occupy the children for a while, so they will probably become an ornament not only for you, but also for the next passengers. As they say, we create the holiday ourselves and with our own hands.

For a festive table, you should choose non-perishable products, or use a refrigerator bag. It is better to take light snacks, salads, vegetables, fruits and sandwiches. Sausages, cheeses and mayonnaise should be abandoned, as they can spoil, and no one wants to start the New Year with poisoning. And unfortunately there are many such cases.

We also recommend checking with the conductor before departure if any event is planned. On some trips, the compartment arranges a festive program, and Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden walk around the car. And the restaurant car offers a festive menu.

Therefore, if fate still caught you on the train on New Year's Eve, extract your advantages from this. At least the romance of the railways has not been canceled. Don't be afraid to introduce your neighbors, create a festive atmosphere around. At the same time, respect other fellow travelers and the work of guides. Get ready for the fact that things may not go according to plan. And maybe it will be one of the most unusual nights in your life. The reviews are very contradictory among those who celebrated so much. But we hope that you will be lucky. If you had such an experience, share it in the comments. Would you like to celebrate the New Year on the way?