100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World's Ultimate Rides

by Everett Potter

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Trains

400 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Kristen Northrup]

Some great inspiration but it’s really strange there are no route maps.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everett Potter’s 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime is one of those rare travel books that feels like a ticket drawer full of possibilities. Each page hums with the quiet, anticipatory music of a station platform—steam rising, doors opening, landscapes rolling toward you like a promise. Curated with National Geographic’s signature eye for wonder, it’s part atlas, part armchair adventure, and entirely irresistible.




I came to trains early. Childhood afternoons were spent steering HO-scale engines across miniature countryside, learning to dream in rail lines. As a teen, Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle convinced me that trains held mysteries as well as destinations. By adulthood, the romance of rail travel had lodged itself somewhere deep in my DNA. So opening this book felt less like browsing a travel guide and more like paging through a family album filled with places I’ve loved and places I’ve yet to meet.




Potter guides us along railways that span continents and centuries. Luxury sleepers glide through the Rockies as if tracing the spine of a giant; sleek bullet trains whisk across Japan with clockwork precision; a retro Italian night train sweeps you from Rome to the Dolomites in a soft blur of moonlight and motion. I’m especially smitten with sleeper trains, so the Espresso Cadore instantly joined my personal bucket list the moment I read about it.




As always with these “of a Lifetime” volumes, the delight is in the detail. Potter’s insider notes point you toward cabins worth claiming, meals worth lingering over, and stations worth exploring. Sidebars shine a lantern on everything from the engineering that powers high-speed marvels to the lore behind beloved routes like the Palace on Wheels or the Hiram Bingham journey to Machu Picchu. The result isn’t just informative; it’s cinematic. You can almost hear the conductor call “All aboard.”




And the photography? Pure temptation. Lush, sweeping, beautifully composed images that pair with the text to whisper, buy a ticket right now. Whether you’re daydreaming about Scotland’s misty highlands on the Royal Scotsman or plotting a long weekend aboard the Ethan Allen Express, every spread offers its own small escape.




Goes well with: A steaming cup of Darjeeling and a warm, flaky pasty—preferably enjoyed beside a window where the next train might glide past at any moment.

[Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM SO EXCITED Y'ALL!!! I am so fortunate to have received this magnificent book from TLC Book Tours - I am so incredibly grateful. Thank you so much to everyone that made it happen including National Geographic, Penguin Random House , and Disney Books .

I’m a total train junkie, and I won't lie – I’ve taken some playful ribbing for my passion for trains! In this fast-paced world, there’s something captivating about the nostalgia of trains that I just can’t shake. Whenever I get the chance, whether it’s at an amusement park, a local town, or during a vacation, you can bet I'll hop on board for a train ride. There’s a unique sense of peace and nostalgia that washes over me as soon as I step onto a train – it's really the whole experience that draws me in.

This book is simply GORGEOUS! 😍😍😍 The photos are nothing short of STUNNING, just as one would expect from National Geographic. The sections are organized by geographic areas including Europe, Africa & the Middle East, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania. Each segment dives deep into these train excursions, and let me tell you, even if you’re not already a train fan, this will definitely change your perspective! I was absolutely thrilled to see Linha do Ouro in Portugal featured – what a gem!

This book is the PERFECT gift for any train lovers in your life, or it would make a fantastic addition to your coffee table collection!

To read more of my reviews, please check out my blog at www.mamasgottaread.blogspot.com or follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mamasgottaread.

[Wisconsin Alumni]

Everett Potter MA’76
Author

From the author:
Ride the world’s most storied rail routes — Canada’s Rupert Rocket, Argentina’s Old Patagonian Express, India’s Palace on Wheels — in this coffee-table book resplendent with National Geographic’s signature photography. The author, Everett Potter, is a longtime contributor to National Geographic Traveler and an expert for National Geographic Expeditions.

[V Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful books about a mode of transportation I wish we had more of in the United States. The pictures are gorgeous. The pictures make you want to plan your next train trip. Travel by train is a total experience that cannot be received in an airplane, a road trip is close but not quite. For the love of nostalgia and hope for the future, you should give this a peruse.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will awaken your wanderlust. Inspiring photos from some of the most beautiful locations in the world accessible by train and helpful tips for each journey, I now have 100 more vacations to plan for!

[Vicky Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! It had some amazing pictures and just nice to escape a little on a train journey. I also liked how the trips were rated with dollar signs to estimate the cost of each ride??? But I would have liked more Train pictures.

[Denise Chojnacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book! I think we are so programmed for flying places or driving that train travel doesn't come to mind. I had no idea there were so many options. Now I'm inspired to want to take a trip!

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For being a National Geographic piece, I would have assumed it would have better photography.