Five facts you (probably) don't know about Railbookers
From short breaks to luxurious multi-centre adventures, Railbookers offers seamless rail holidays from any UK station, but there's more to the operator than you might think.
Abigail Healy
Travel writer
If you think of Railbookers, it might be simple rail trips across Europe that immediately come to mind, but there is much more to the operator than meets the eye. A one-stop shop for travel agents, Railbookers' packages include hotels, sightseeing, transfers, flights, and of course, rail travel.
Now with a two-strong trade team to support your marketing and bookings – the world really is your rail-loving clients' oyster. To ensure you are maximising on everything the operator has to offer, we've rounded up five facts that you may not know. Plus, you can also enter to win a £50 voucher of your choice – with five up for grabs – when you enter our new competition with Railbookers!
1. You can package holidays worldwide
It's not just iconic rail journeys on offer, Railbookers sells independent tailormade holidays throughout the world.
The operator's new head of trade sales and development, Raj Mistry says: 'Our top selling destinations for 2025 include Switzerland and Italy. These are the most popular ones that we always have but then we've had Norway and Scandinavia – which is phenomenal in terms of what it's offering – Portugal and Canada too. As you may appreciate, we are seeing a number of clients booking a lot later, so we can do last-minute bookings as well as booking out as far as 2027.'
2. You can book more than rail travel
Railbookers offers much more than simple short journeys or experiences. It can package anything from a short stay or a multi-centre holiday to a coast to coast journey or a luxury trip of a lifetime.
Mistry asserts: 'Think of us as a tour operator offering hotels, flights, sightseeing, with transfers and rail being the main component of the holiday.'
What's more it can add rail from the UK travelling into continental Europe to ensure your customer's journey starts smoothly and provides an option for clients who don't want to fly.
Mistry adds: 'What really makes the holiday is the experience on the ground. The sightseeing, which can be very immersive, can be either part of a group or individual and private to the client.'
3. You can book high-end holidays
If you think of simple rail journeys in Europe, luxury travel may not immediately come to mind. However, alongside Railbookers' relationships with the national rail companies, it also features luxury rail operators, hotels and experiences.
Customers might want to combine the Swiss railways with the Bernina and Glacier Express for example, or VIA Rail in Canada with the Rocky Mountaineer. In India they can pair the Indian railways with The Maharajas' Express or, if they are traveling in Italy, you can book Trenitalia with the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
All these classic rail journeys can be packaged up with a great range of properties across the globe, with luxury options such as Fairmont, Intercontinental and Kimpton hotels.
4. You can get personal support from the UK trade team
There is plenty of support for agents in the UK. Railbookers has recently added two new business development roles, Mistry and key account manager, Levi Barrett. The pair are on hand to support agents and are offering bespoke training to all of their travel partners.
Mistry says: 'We're offering a lot of virtual training and the opportunity to meet at conferences as well. We are also seeing a number of our travel partners looking at doing virtual consumer events.'
5. You can access resources in an online portal
Railbookers' travel agent portal is a brilliant resource if you are keen to find out more. It has a wealth of material including the Travel Agent Reference Card – a simple guide that agents can download and use as a day-to-day reference for all the destinations that Railbookers covers.
There are also downloadable flyers and brochures for the likes of Switzerland, Italy, Australia, Canada, and customisable flyers if you want to feature specific itineraries too. Access to the portal is via the Railbookers' website at railbookers.co.uk/about-us/travel-agent-login
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