Some people love trains. There are folk who dedicate themselves to travelling the tracks and trawling the timetables of the world's railways, recording and revelling in every detail therein.

Take Robert Louis Stevenson, who was one of the original train spotters - it was he who wrote: "For my part I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."

Most of us, however, just use the train as an inexpensive and trouble-free way of getting from A-B, without so much as a fleeting thought about its historical significance, the aesthetics of its décor or the size of its engine. Which is sad really, because railways give us the best views of and closest access to some of the world's coolest stuff. And the journey by train really is, for the most part, more comfortable than the alternative by car or plane (I mean, have you been through an international airport check-in system recently?).

We're not suggesting for a minute that you polish up your binoculars and dry clean your anorak, but a quick perusal of the following should give you more than enough reasons to take another look at train travel for your next vacation.

Whether you're looking to cruise through packed culture-scapes such as those of Europe, or you want to get a feel for something vaster - the American wild west, or the Australian outback perhaps - with the range of rail passes currently available you will find it surprisingly easy to put together just the holiday you want. And all with significantly less damage to the environment or your wallet.

What does it for you? We defy you to tell us that nothing on this list grabs your attention...