Wanderer Vol 001 by Joshua Pang

Published twice-yearly, WANDERER is an English travel magazine dedicated to free-spirited travellers seeking unique, adventurous, or personalised travel experiences.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of WANDERER, a travel magazine crafted for the adventurous hearts and curious minds who seek more than just a destination, but the journey itself.

Within this issue, where every page is a ticket to the wonders of train travel, you will find a collection of travel stories from writers, photographers and railway enthusiasts who have found inspiration on the rails: From the breathtaking alpine routes of Switzerland to the bustling corridors of Sri Lanka's tea train; from the mystical Trans-Siberian Railway to the luxurious The Vietage by Anantara; from the gastronomy delights on the Setsugekka in Japan to the lost tracks of FMSR Ipoh-Tronoh branch line in Malaysia. Some well known, some less so, some forgotten over time.

There's something profoundly liberating about the rhythmic clatter of train wheels against tracks, the ever-changing vistas outside your window, and the chance to meet fellow wanderers on their own voyages. Train travel offers a unique blend of nostalgia and novelty; sometimes the magic is inside-strike up conversations with strangers, sip on specialty cocktails while enjoying the live music, sleep in a private compartment between crisp, clean sheets; sometimes the magic happens outside, in the unfamiliar yet captivating landscape the train traverses.

Some even consider train journeys to be romantic or idyllic, reminding us to appreciate the simple pleasures of life, as we often get caught up in the rat race of life that we forgot to enjoy the ride.

Against all odds, slow rail journeys, as well as things like film photography and vinyl records, have been making a remarkable comeback, driven by a combination of nostalgia, artistic appeal, and a desire for an irreplaceable sensual experience-just like flipping through the pages of a printed magazine.
To quote the incomparable Agatha Christie, "Trains are wonderful...To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life." This sentiment echoes through every story and photograph in our magazine, WANDERER. And we invite you to savour the thrill of discovery that train travel uniquely affords.

It's an invitation to slow down, to observe, and to immerse yourself fully in the world around you.