Thank you for visiting my site...

Who is the Man in Seat Sixty-One?

I'm Mark Smith, and I live in an English village in deepest Buckinghamshire, with Dutch wife Nicolette, son Nathaniel, daughter Katelijn, cats Phoenix & Rosie & Pip the crazy cockapoo.

Many years ago I ran away from Oxford to join the circus - or as we called it in those days, British Rail. Starting out in rural Kent on what was then BR's Southern Region, I was the Station Manager for London's Charing Cross, London Bridge & Cannon Street stations in the early to mid 1990s. After a spell as the Customer Relations Manager for two large UK train companies, I worked for the Office of the Rail Regulator and later the Strategic Rail Authority, ending up at the Department for Transport in charge of the team regulating fares & ticketing on the British rail network. Since 2007 I have run seat 61 full-time, as (a) updating it has indeed become a full-time job and (b) it's more fun than real work.

I've travelled the world on trains & ships and I've been on the other side of the counter too - in university vacations I worked for Transalpino, a European rail ticketing agency in London issuing tickets and advising travel agents on train travel across Europe. Now I can share that knowledge online. See awards & press room...

Why 'Seat 61'?

Zaharoff, the notorious arms dealer, would always book compartment 7 on the Orient Express to or from Istanbul. On Eurostar, I would always request seat 61 (in first class cars 7, 8, 11 or 12 in a classic Eurostar or in cars 3 or 14 in the new e320) as it lines up with the window, one of a cosy pair of seats facing each other across a table complete with table lamp, like an old Pullman car. It became a tradition, and I've left London in seat 61 en route to destinations such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta, Albania, Tunisia (via Lille & Marseille), Marrakech (via Paris, Madrid & Algeciras), Istanbul (via Vienna, Budapest & Transylvania), Ukraine & the Crimea, Aleppo, Damascus, Petra & Aqaba, and even Moscow, Vladivostok, Tokyo & Nagasaki via the Trans-Siberian Railway.

What does the site aim to do?

Many people want to cut their carbon footprint or are simply fed up with the hassle of flying - and a significant number of people are afraid of flying or medically restricted from doing so. However, information on alternatives to flying is often difficult to find through a travel industry obsessed with flights, flights, car hire and more flights.

So the site aims to INSPIRE people to do something more rewarding with their travel opportunities than schlepping to an airport, getting on a soulless airliner and missing all the world has to offer. It then sets out to ENABLE people to take train or ferry by giving the confidence and know-how to book their trip themselves, or call the right people to book it for them at affordable prices.

Why did I set up the site?

Travelling by train from London to mainland Europe is a far more practical option than most people imagine. But finding out about it has become frustratingly difficult. I thought I could post basic 'how to' information online for train journeys from the UK to Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Russia and every other country in Europe. And how about reaching Morocco, Tunisia, Ibiza, Corsica, Crete or Malta by combining train & ferry?

One day in 2001 I found myself in WH Smiths at London's Marylebone station looking for something to read on my train home from work. I spotted a 'teach yourself HTML' book for £2.95. I had bought a PC and had some free webspace. I read the book, tried a test webpage, it worked, and here I am. There's a lot of work involved in keeping the site even remotely up to date, but people seem to find the site useful, and this keeps me going. If you've any feedback or suggestions to make about the site, please e-mail me or use the guestbook. I'd be glad to hear from you!

Is the site a hobby or a business?

Seat61.com is a personal website, started as a hobby. It's grown and grown, and became my full time occupation in September 2007. However, I'm not a company or a travel agency, just an individual with knowledge that others might find useful. All the information on the site is provided free of charge to users, to help people make journeys by train or ship instead of flying, affordably, comfortably and safely. The site generates income through affiliate schemes, and this supports the site, helps fund my travel habit (...er, I mean research, of course) and buys me the occasional bottle of my favourite Chateau Musar...

£20,000 raised for the UNICEF Syria appeal, but more needed...

The Man in Seat 61 books...

Cartoon by Mick Brownfield from an article about me in the Sunday Times. I love it - better than the original me, I think! See Zazzle stores in the USA, Canada, Australia & NZ. There's a Zazzle UK, but beware postage costs. I plan to give earnings to charities Oxfam & Shelter.

I've written two books based on the site, published by Bantam Press. The first is an essential handbook for train travel from the UK into Europe that's so far sold over 10,000 copies. First published in June 2008, a new edition came out in April 2010 with updated timetables and information. You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk. A second book, this time about train travel opportunities worldwide beyond Europe, was published in February 2011. However, you'll find more up to date info now on the website as both books are a little long in the tooth. Just for fun, if you'd like a Man in Seat 61 mug, mouse mat or luggage tag, see the online stores at Zazzle USA, Zazzle Canada, Zazzle Australia & Zazzle New Zealand, and click here if you'd like a Man in Seat 61 T-shirt. There's also a Zazzle UK, but as items are sent from the US, postage costs are a bit high (so perhaps just buy a T-shirt!).

The Man in Seat 61 TV series? Watch the pilot video

A TV series nearly happened... A series called 'The Man in Seat 61' was suggested by an experienced film-maker, although no sponsor was found - and Michael Portillo seems to have pinched the job. A pilot video was made, in which The Man in Seat 61 helps actor Kenneth Cranham travel from Trafalgar Square to Waterloo battlefield on the first leg of an overland journey to St Petersburg, on the trail of Napoleon...

Telegraph Travel Awards 2012...

I'm still a little stunned that Seat61 won the Favourite Travel Website category in the Telegraph Travel Awards 2012 - voted by 17,000 readers, berating off stiff competition from mega-sites such as Tripadvisor.com. The awards were hosted by Clive Anderson at the ME Hotel in London on 13 November 2012.

Guardian & Observer Travel Awards 2008...

I'm delighted that Seat61.com won the Best Travel website category in the prestigious Guardian & Observer Travel Awards, held in Fes, Morocco in October 2008. Naturally, I travelled there by train and ferry, which helped me update that part of the site. Mariella Frostrup presented the awards.

Wanderlust Travel Awards 2010, 2009, 2008 & 2007...

Seat61.com was voted Top Travel Website by readers of Wanderlust Magazine in the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2007, and again in the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2008, held at The Times Destinations Show at Earl's Court. It made the top three once more in 2009 & 2010 out of over 600 websites, receiving the Bronze Award in 2009 and the Silver Award in 2010. I'm truly delighted that the site has been recognised in this way, and am very grateful indeed for everyone who voted for the site.

Responsible Tourism Awards 2010, 2009 & 2006...

I'm delighted that seat61.com won the Best Low Carbon Transport & Technology Initiative category at the Virgin Holidays Responsible Travel Awards 2010. The awards were presented on 10 November 2010 at the World Travel Market at the Excel exhibition centre in London's docklands. Seat61.com previously won the 'Best Personal Contribution' category in the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards 2006. Seat 61 was in the top 3 finalists and was 'highly commended' in the 'Best Low Carbon Transport & Technology' category in the 2009 Responsible Travel Awards.

The Oldie Travel Awards 2008

Seat61.com was judged Best Travel Website in October 2008 in the Oldie travel awards, sponsored by Voyages Jules Verne.

BBC TV Top Gear, July 2011

What, the car show? Yes, I know, the most unlikely show for my national TV debut. But Hammond and May were building a train out of caravans and needed some 'train experts' as guinea pigs. An Audi S8 pulling four caravans on rail trolley wheels, it was the noisiest and most vibration-ridden 'train' I had ever ridden. What you can't see from watching the show is how swelteringly hot that second class caravan was on that bright sunny day on the Great Central Railway at Rothley. Still, lucky I didn't end up in Scum Class. That was one crazy day... The episode is now on YouTube (in 3 parts), starting at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkpCzp0CmjY. I was able to help Top Gear again more recently, supplying a few shots from my Paris-Milan TGV video to the BBC for the 'race' between Eurostar & TGV and Jeremy Clarkson in a Mustang from Wembley to Milan broadcast in February 2013. In this case, the train won!

And finally... How about a T-shirt?