TRAINS, as you are aware, have been around for more than a century, but in the last few years their popularity has increased as a holiday experience. We have had many inquiries about train journeys that clients would like to do as part of their holiday, not just as a mode of transport. The good thing about train journeys these days is that you can incorporate them into any section of your holiday. With this new-found demand I've listed a few of the great rail journeys that are available to travel on.

The Rocky Mountaineer

The Rocky Mountaineer operates four different journeys through the Canadian Rockies. The first passage it started back in 1990 and the one you see in most of the brochures is the journey that takes you from Calgary to Vancouver.

The Rocky Mountaineer will transport you across some engineering masterpieces - the 500-foot span of Stony Creek Bridge and the world-famous Spiral Tunnels carved out by 1000 workers and that took almost two years to build. The landscape of snowcapped mountains, lakes and rivers will leave you in awe.

All of the scenery can be viewed from a specially designed glass-domed coach which is available to the GoldLeaf service on the passenger train. The coach enables you to sit in your seat and enjoy a panoramic view of the Rockies. And when hungry you can walk down to the next level to the dining area and enjoy a la carte meals prepared by one of the chefs on board.

The Rocky Mountaineer stops in Kamloops overnight. Kamloops is a small town which at one stage was the gateway to the interior of British Columbia, the last outpost you might say. The overnight stop gives you a chance to wander around the town and take in one of the shows that is offered in the town. You wake up next morning early, jump back on the Rocky Mountaineer and continue your journey.

The Rocky Mountaineer operates in both directions between Calgary and Vancouver. It starts in April and finishes in October.

The Andean Explorer

This journey is from Cusco in Peru to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Starting at an altitude of 3354m and climbing up to 4335m makes this one of the highest rail journeys in the world.

The journey is one of the most beautiful in the world, with the trip lasting 10-and-a half hours. At the start of the journey, passengers are welcomed at the Wanchaq Station (Cusco) or the Puno Station, where local musicians will provide background music as you board the train. Once aboard, you can enjoy the two dining cars decorated in the style of the Pullman cars of the 1920s.

During the trip, the lunch offered is one of the finest in gourmet meals. The Andean Explorer is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The Andean Explorer was created to provide passengers with all the luxuries they could want on a trip while offering them a chance to forge a mystical connection with nature.

The Andean Explorer features an open-air observatory car, allowing you to take in the majestic views while enjoying the typical music and dances of the Peruvian highlands. During your trip you will have the chance to take panoramic pictures of some of the quintessential Andean landscapes.

The Orient Express

This luxury train operates mainly throughout Europe and is the benchmark for all luxury trains. The train is an art deco icon and when you step aboard you are instantly transported back in time to an era when there was elegance and romance in travel.

The Orient Express travels many routes through Europe, however one of the most popular is to catch it from Venice to London or vice versa. If you started in Venice it would leave in the morning and you would travel through the Swiss and French countyside, ending up in London the following evening.

The Orient Express operates on Thursdays and Sundays from London and Wednesdays and Saturdays from Venice. It only operates between March and November.

The Indian Pacific

The Indian Pacific is closer to home and was named after the two great oceans it joins. The train traverses the continent, 4352km from Sydney to Perth, taking three days and three nights to reach its destination. It stops at towns such as Broken Hill, Adelaide and Kalgoorlie along the way.

There are four classes of travel on the train. Red Service is an economy class seat, Gold Class is like first class where your meals are included and in Platinum Class your cabin is almost twice the size of Gold Class and you have full ensuite facilities and levels of service you would expect from a five-star hotel.

The Trans Siberian

This journey will take you from Moscow to Vladivostok. A journey of 9286km, taking eight days to complete and travelling through 11 time zones. It also has the honour of being the world's longest rail journey. The carriages aren't the most luxurious, with nine sleepers to each carriage and in a bedding configuration of two upper and two lower beds in each sleeper makes for a tight squeeze at night. The toilet and washroom are located down the end of each carriage.

This trip would not be for everyone but nonetheless the country that you cross and small towns and villages that you pass through would be fantastic.

You don't have to be a train buff to enjoy the train journeys I've mentioned. You will experience something at a different pace. In a world that's about getting to your destination as fast as you can it is nice to know that there are still holidays out there where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery along the way.

Corey Bertalli has been the manager of Grafton Travel for the past eight years and travel consultant for 24. Each week Corey shares his experiences and tips on destinations from around the world, the options available to get there, and itinerary suggestions for everyone, from the solo traveller to the full family entourage.