Traveling Thoughts

When I was returning to Washington for finals season, I felt an impulse to just pull out my laptop and write. However, by the time I opened up Word and stared at the blank page, a question came to mind: why?

Why was it that at that moment, during that two-hour trip back to D.C., I felt compelled to compose another blog post? There certainly could have been a planned time to do so. Furthermore, it struck me that I didn’t actually know what I wanted to write about – I just wanted to write.

So, there I was. Now it’s worth noting that the title of this post is not meant to imply that this writing is itself great, it may well not be. Rather, the point is that I had a great time writing it! Still, I think I figured out why I personally enjoy writing on trains, and why many other people do as well. Maybe.

It Brings Me Back…

I quickly realized that the last blog post I created on a train was – you guessed it – in Europe. Indeed, when I created “Three Months in Paris,” it was almost entirely on a train from Paris to Essen. I thought of how every time I was on a train, I was reminded of being across the Atlantic.

Furthermore, I realized that as I crisscrossed Europe, I often thought of the history of the regions I saw through the window. You can imagine the writing material such thoughts can produce.

It then came to mind that a similar phenomenon occurred as I moved from New Jersey to Washington – looking out the window at the myriad of old towns, vast rivers, and decaying industry that haunts the Northeast Corridor.

So perhaps that is why I enjoy writing on trains: the nostalgia. However, I think there are other reasons why trains can bring writers joy.

The Engine of Your Imagination

While it certainly has not always been the case (see Woodrow Wilson suffering on a train in the brutal Colorado heat of 1919), trains can be quite comfortable. There is something about the shaking of the train, the seats, the landscape whizzing by you, which just relaxes you.

I think that being relaxed can really let your imagination wander, which can truly let you put your best thoughts into words. You may become too relaxed and fall asleep, but there’s coffee to help with that! Which incidentally, also facilitates good writing.

Some trains will not have Wi-fi, or at least, not free Wi-fi. However, counterintuitively, this can help with writing. After all, while we sometimes need research for our writing, it can also be helpful to just put our raw thoughts onto a page, free of distractions.

Does any of this mean that trains are the absolute best place to write? No. Different people have different preferences, and writers are no exception.

But I think we need to ask ourselves why we often romanticize writing on trains. Why do we have the mythicized image of the traveler looking out a train window, penning their thoughts into a journal?

The answer may well lie within each of us.

So the next time you’re on a train, grab some coffee, let your mind wander, and give it a shot.