A family holiday does not always begin when people arrive at their destination. Sometimes, the journey itself becomes part of the experience, offering time to talk, share moments and step away from the routines of everyday life.

That is the possibility brought into focus by a family’s overnight trip from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls aboard Zimbabwe’s returning sleeper train service.

Featured on the vlog ‘A Different Kind of Normal’, the family travelled from Bulawayo at 7pm, arriving in Victoria Falls at 11am the following morning.

Their experience has opened up a wider conversation about family travel, domestic tourism and what it takes to make public transport an enjoyable part of people’s lives.
Bulawayo Mayor Senator ,David Coltart congratulated the family for testing the route, suggesting that the service could become an attractive option for tourists if more attention were paid to the cleanliness of the carriages.

“Well done to this family for testing the Bulawayo to Victoria Falls train ride — 7pm to 11am the next morning,” Coltart said.

He added that a little more effort from the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) in cleaning the carriages could help develop the service into a tourism option.

“It comes down to good management,” he said.

His observation touches on something passengers understand well;the quality of a journey can influence how people spend their free time, where they choose to go and whether they would recommend the experience to others.

However a family planning a getaway, the decision involves more than choosing a destination. There is the cost of transport, the comfort of the journey and the expectation that everyone will arrive ready to enjoy the break.
An overnight train offers a different way of travelling. Instead of concentrating entirely on reaching Victoria Falls, passengers have an opportunity to experience the journey itself. For families, that can mean sharing time away from the usual pressures of work, school and household responsibilities.