Aeronaut in Narita Express train, Tokyo

[maverick]

Do they have flies, urine all over the floor, squat toilet which is really just a hole over the train tracks that you can see flying past underneath?

at least in the shatabdi, flies and urine isn't an issue. but the western toilet and the squat toilet have just a hole over the train tracks.

the squat toilet is interesting - it is far more hygienic than the western toilet because your body isn't making contact with anything. but squatting in general requires some muscles that we often lack in the west. the fact that the train is moving fast and shaking doesn't help sit in the squat position.

[Just]

Do they have flies, urine all over the floor, squat toilet which is really just a hole over the train tracks that you can see flying past underneath?

[maverick]

I'm paranoid about my things to the point that I won't go to the restroom, etc. on a PLANE if I don't have a traveling companion :( U.S. or not!

Pretty good thing I don't have to go to the restroom very often.

i try to avoid using bathrooms on airplanes for a different reason - they are usually very tight - which is fine for flights up to about 3 hours (at least for me). but if you're taking an 8 or 14 hour flight, you need to go to the bathroom at some point. they say it's a good idea to drink plenty of water when you're flying because it helps to keep you from getting dehydrated.

it also doesn't help that bathrooms can get a bit scary if they aren't kept tidy as the flight time passes on those long haul flights.

the bathrooms in the trains in india are a whole another level of scary...

[Just]

I'm paranoid about my things to the point that I won't go to the restroom, etc. on a PLANE if I don't have a traveling companion :( U.S. or not!

Pretty good thing I don't have to go to the restroom very often.

[Frank II]

A smart thief can steal anywhere.

On an airplane, I usually leave my bag near my seat but it is locked shut.

On a train, my main bag is locked to the overhead and my smaller bag, with my "valuables," goes with me. The only time I might leave everything is if I'm traveling with someone I know.

Sorry, theft can occur anywhere. How do you know the person next to you, who you asked to "watch your bag," isn't a thief?

[MtnMan]

I think there is an assumption in American society that if you're riding a train then you're not "hard up" for money. Passengers therefore do not expect any theft to take place. Trains in the US can sometimes be more costly than air travel.

In other countries, where rail is much more commonly used, it may be more likely that a criminal element would be more likely to be found on board a train.

If it were me, I'd be paranoid of my bags regardless of what train I was riding. I'd be worried about misplacing them.

[maverick]

unattended bags at the airport or train station may seem a bit suspicious, but if you're on the train or airplane, and you need to go to the bathroom or the cafe car, it isn't always practical to take all your carry on bags with you.

if you're on the train, the bathrooms are a bit more spacious, so i guess you could take a synapse, ristretto, co-pilot or other similarly sized bag with laptop, etc. to the bathroom. certainly, you could take it to the cafe car.

but with airplane bathrooms, that isn't practical - i wouldn't take much more than the side effect with me when going to the bathroom in the airplane.

certainly, there is the concern that someone may leave their bag onboard when getting off the train, and that carry on bag may have something dangerous inside.

[ams123]

I live outside of DC and I see unattended bags and backpacks frequently. After 9/11 I would sometimes report these unattended bags, but the authorities most often seemed annoyed with me.

It still makes me uncomfortable, both for my own personal safety and a bit of anxiety for the perhaps unsuspecting owner of the bag whose belongings may not be there when they get back.

[Just]

Actually I would be pretty freaked out if I was on a train near DC and there were unattended bags all around me...!

[maverick]

i realized today that there is a level of trust we have in (most parts of) the u.s. that i think we often take for granted.

i was on an amtrak train back to dc this evening.

as i boarded the train in trenton, nj, i was surprised to see many seats with bags on them and nobody sitting next to the bags.

you might wonder - where were these people. well, they had gone to the cafe cars to get something to eat or drink.

when you leave your bag, which probably has your laptop inside, there is a certain level of trust that no one is going to take your stuff, and if someone in the car sees someone acting in a suspicious manner, they are going to do something about it. so you feel comfortable leaving your stuff at your seat while you're getting a bite or going to the bathroom or whatever.

i'd like to contrast that with the idea of cords to secure luggage that khaberz mentioned. similarly, in india, if you're traveling on an overnight train, you'll see that many people chain their bags to the post of their seat.

someone i know was traveling through india by train. she went to sleep with her head on her suitcase. she woke up to find that someone had stolen some photographic equipment (i forget now if it was camera bodies or lenses) from her bag that was under her head while she slept.

[jostber]

That's a pretty smart feature. That idea should be exported to European trains as well.

[khaberz]

Locking your stuff. They are attached to a number lock that's not visible in the picture; so you can put the cords through the handles and then lock them. See http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/facilities.html towards the end of the page.

[pretzelb]

What are the cords for?

[khaberz]

Another trip with my usual combination of Aeronaut + Ristretto plus a bunch of smaller bags & pouches.