Any fat travelers out there?

Europe is a large continent. Could you narrow down the choices a bit? It makes it easier for people to give advice. Otherwise we might send you through Scandanavia and what you really wanted was info on Italy.

tee on some trains you can go first class for almost the same price as second class IF you book far enough in advance(I booked a 1st class ticket from Paris to Nice for 40 euros,, for this summer, BUT now same ticket is selling at 150 or more!!,,booking early is crucial to deals!!), and the first class seats are wider on many trains,, but as Jo says,, you need to ask about specific train..routes etc..

tee it is also crucial that all travellers can easily handle their own luggage,, there are no porters and I personally have never seen a luggage cart except on the Eurostar,..so everyone must absolutely pack light/

There are porters with carts to be hired at the Paris train stations.

I'm lean but will answer regarding seat width. First-class train seats are reasonably wide to accommodate bigger people, I think. Even where first-class doesn't have reservable seats, it is usually half-empty so it would be easier to accommodate. The most uncomfortable part of such trips for a bigger person will be probably navigating the narrow train corridors and hauling luggage, so I recommend packing light to make it easier.

You don't mention where in Europe you're travelling. But in my experience all trains I've seen in Germany, Netherlands, France and Italy had seats that gave you more room than any airplane in economy class. And that is for 2nd class trains. If you buy tickets with reservations stay away from seat configurations with seats facing each other, possibly with a little table in between. Those are much tighter.

Thanks for your responses so far. Keep 'em coming. If anyone knows of a resource that might point me to specifications of the various trains, that would be super helpful. Jo, you're right I don't mention where in Europe. That's because our itinerary is currently open. I'd like to gather information about which trains have wide seat options, etc, THEN decide where we want to go.

You can find a lot of information on European trains - including seating plans in some cases - at http://seat61.com/

seat61.com does not have the info i need. i even emailed the site owner and he could not answer my question.

Well, as stated on your other thread on this subject, the info you want basically doesn't exist...for the public, anyway. All you can do is look at pictures and eyeball... Do you have exact routes decided yet? THAT would be a huge help. Also, it would help to know these routes in order for you to decide just how long your group wants to ride in any particular seating arrangement. Only you know how long you're comfortable in those 'more-uncomfortable' situations... I can say that I've traveled with someone approaching your 350lbs size; they wear their weight evenly over their entire body, and they are comfortable - if not overly ecstatic - while riding the trains, even in second-class. MUCH more so than on any airplane this person has ever ridden on! Again, my experience has been that you may be more comfortable on second-class trains - especially ones that aren't full (again, need to know exact routes) - because you can raise the armrests and spread out - NO pun intended;-) - over two seats. The first-class seats in my memory, and in the photos I can find of them, have solid and immovable seat dividers. NOT comfy. "Routes that are known to be comfortable" - there's no such thing as far as only certain types of trains traveling a certain route...EXCEPT perhaps for slower trains that run between smaller towns, and those would probably be less full, and therefore more comfortable, than the 'nicer' trains. Unless you ride them during rush hour...then they aren't terribly comfy for anybody. Trains are all the same size (width), so 3 (1st-class) or 4 (2nd-class) seats across will be the same on any train, any country, any company. Basically, any train in Europe will be much more comfortable than any airplane I've ever ridden in.

As others have mentioned, airline seats from US to Europe will be more uncomfortable for your group than any train seat you will encounter once you are there. What's the longest leg of the trip you expect to be on a train? Are you talking about taking overnight trains, or just riding a train for a couple hours to get from one city to another? I would imagine sleeper cars on a train would be difficult for larger travelers. Speaking of sleeping, your group should be aware of certain things they may encounter in European hotels. In the US, I share a full size bed with my boyfriend and we are very comfortable sleeping in it. But I've stayed in some hotels where the bed was described as a full size mattress, but it was definitely not as wide as the full we have in the US and we aren't big people, but the 2 of us combined would come in close to 325 lbs. Fortunately, I was not traveling with the boyfriend so I had the whole bed to myself. If you have 2 larger people sharing a bed, they may want to double check with the hotel on the mattress size because they'd probably need a queen or king size bed. Shower stalls can be narrow. I've been in enough that feel like you are trying to soap up in a space smaller than a pay phone booth. Elevators in some of the hotels are also about the size of a phone booth. Even at an Ibis I stayed in once (which is the European equivalent of a Best Western or Hampton Inn), the elevator could fit 2 normal sized people with carry-on bags & no more. How mobile are the larger members of your group? Can they get up & down stairs (not just at the hotel, but when taking subways or visiting places where elevators and escalators may be rare or not working)? Are they able to walk up hills or steep streets (like in Lisbon)? Do you have alternate plans for group members who may not be able to keep pace while you are sightseeing?

What countryies are you visiting? It would really help to know that so people can make meaningful suggestions. For example, in Italy, on the Eurostar Italia fast trains, the first class cars have one seat on one side of the aisle, two on the other. That would probably be more comfortable than 2 + 2 seating even if the actual seats aren't wider. On the other hand, we rode in First Class on an IC train in a 6-person compartment and it was crowded even with all six of us skinny. so I suggest you avoid trains with compartment seating.

I just want to second Ceidleh's excellent points about coach airline seats, hotel bed widths, shower stalls, elevators, and stairs. All of these are much likely to be problems for a large person than the trains. For instance, I was just in a hotel in Delft, the Netherlands, where I had to turn sideways to get into the shower - and I weigh 180 pounds at 5'10"!! I'll also add that rooms in general in Europe are much smaller than in the US. Particularly in singles, but also in double rooms, there can be very little space around the bed or other furniture to maneuver. As for your quest to find information about train seat sizes - if the Man in Seat 61 can't help you, probably no one can. As you can see from his site, he's quite obsessive about train details. Don't worry about trains until your sure everyone in your party can handle flying to Europe in coach (or has the money or miles to get business or first class), and can afford hotels with large rooms and wide beds and large bathrooms and large elevators, and has the stamina to walk around European cities (or the money to take cabs everywhere), and can walk stairs when there is no elevator or escalator. If all of these problems are taken care of, the trains will be the least of it. One more train issue: don't forget that in the stations, you will usually need to go up and down some steep stairs to get to your platform, and that boarding many trains requires going up several steep stairs, with your luggage. Again, I foresee this being more of a problem than the seating. Of course, plenty of large travelers go to Europe, so it can be done. But if you're worried, at least focus on the most likely problem areas

It is the walking up about 30 step stairs and down and back up to next train (and carrying all your luggage) that will be a problem. During out 2 months - 8 countries....we did not stay in one hotel or hostel that had an elevator. Most of the beds we encountered were 2 twin beds pushed together...the mattress was like a futon pad. I am 5'1"...slim and barely had enough room to turn around in the showers. The only option I would suggest for you and your group ... is to stay in 4 & 5 star hotels. They may also have a shuttle from hotel to train and back.

4 and 5 stars is no guarantee of spacious showers. We just had a fabulous stay at the Adlon in Berlin, but the shower was, you guessed it, a telephone booth. 3 star Jan Brito in Brugge had a big elevator and a roomy shower over the tub with real shower curtain. Haus Lipmann in Beilstein had an enormous shower in the family room, but 4 flights of stairs. So you never know. I agree that trains will be one of the least challenging parts of this trip. There are a number of options, including spending time nursing a beer in the dining car (we saw one group do this from Cologne to Berlin. They never moved!), finding the single seat at the front of the car or even booking 2 second class seats next to each other and tipping up the armrest. I would recommend taking a good look at the online photos of hotel rooms and esp. the bathrooms to see if they will work for you. Tripadvisor has lots of photos and/or you can email a reviewer and ask.

thanks for the input, all. we're actually looking at renting private homes/apartments for our group. I've found many great deals with accommodations that meet our group's needs.

This is a non-scientific response, but here's my experience based on traveling with a large husband who no longer bends easily. 2nd class 5 hr. trip from London to Edinburgh was not fun. French 2nd class has more room and I think seats at the end of the cars are more wide open. The seats with stationery tables can be difficult to maneuver. We usually book first class now because he needs more room. We took a train last year in central France that was arranged like our buses with facing bench-style in part of the car. Italian trains are O.K. in first class, but not super-roomy. I think Eurostar seats are pretty roomy. I would also think about international chain hotels. Other posters are not kidding when they talk about small beds and small bathrooms. And, by and large, private homes have small beds and small bathrooms. We stayed in an apartment that was supposed to have a queen bed and space to sleep 4. That was not an American queen size and the place barely slept 3. The "fold-out" couch was literally 3 unfolding cushions. We hit a Hilton in London even for one night to give my husband a chance to spread out. If that doesn't work for your group then I would suggest single beds rather than a double room or queen for 2 people. We check out the hotels pretty thoroughly using Trip Advisor and other website reviews.

If you are in Germany, check out the Motel One chains. They have nice large beds and the shower was roomy too. Price is a very decent 59-69 euro per night. Breakfast is optional, but I think it was 6 euro and if you book it ahead, you get free wi-fi.

As a 320-pound woman who just got back from Britain this week, I can say that the plane was definitely a tighter fit than the train seat. I carry my weight in my stomach more than my hips, though, so that will vary from person to person. I did notice that showers, transportation bathrooms, and aisles would have been impossible for me even a year ago (I had bariatric surgery and have lost significant weight since then)--showers were very small in the B&Bs we stayed in. The Premier Inn we stayed at outside of Newcastle had the best bathrooms and beds; I highly recommend them for comfort.

Hey, fellow Oaklander! I live in Germany now but miss the 510. I'm a big girl (a little over 200 lbs) and I carry it in my hips and butt, and I've traveled with family members who are shaped like me but much heavier. Trains are not likely to be a problem but if you're worried, in my travels with my family members I found that 1st class train seats in Germany (ICE), Austria (RailJet) and France (TGV) to be perfectly fine. Everyone was totally comfortable, even on longer routes. I disagree with some of the other people here that the stairs/luggage/etc will definitely be a problem. Fat people can be strong and in shape. I go hiking and live in a city full of hills and can do stair and hill climbs without breaking a sweat that leave my skinny friends panting and moaning - but I have this endurance because I am walking up many many stairs and hills every day. My advice to EVERYONE who is going to visit Europe, regardless of size is to start walking and stair climbing BEFORE YOU GO. Months before you go! Not to lose weight (although that can be a nice side effect for some people - sadly not for me) but to gain endurance and those all important calf muscles! I also second the recommendation for international chain hotels, they can be very affordable and usually have larger rooms and bathrooms than others. Read reviews on trip advisor or booking.com of potential hotels before you book to see if people complain about tiny showers or beds.

I second Sarah's suggestion to get out and walk and climb stairs now. No matter what you weigh coming over, and no matter how much walking and stair climbing ypu do in Europe, if you are like the rest of us, you'll come back with 5-10 more pounds due to the good food, and it won't be in your luggage.