Reading today’s Road & Rail Wrap is kind of like watching Murder on the Orient Express, except with far less murder and Belgian accents. Although it certainly involves trains.

Booking.com launches on-demand ride-hailing

Booking.com has partnered with Grab, an on-demand transportation and mobile services platform, to offer on-demand services through their apps.

The partnership gives Booking.com users access to the largest fleet of drivers across eight countries.

The service will be available in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines by 2020.

Jayco launches new YouTube innovation series with Prince Hotel executive chef Dan Hawkins

Executive chef of the Prince Hotel, Dan Hawkins, encourages travellers to plan ahead and keep it simple when it comes to camping meals in a new YouTube series by Australia’s number one caravan and RV manufacturer, Jayco.

The conversation-based video series, which launches on Friday 1st November, features Australia’s greatest thinkers and deep dives into how they innovate in each of their fields, while also discussing their love for caravanning and camping, and their experiences of outdoor and adventure.

Each interview features a new host and Jayco product, with the launch episode presented by popular Australian television personality, Emmylou Maccarthy and highlights the compact and lightweight, Jayco CrossTrak.

Nomadic Knights offers big savings on adventure to India’s ‘Lost World’

The remote states of north-east India – one of the least visited areas of the country and all of Asia – will take centre stage on an upcoming motorbike tour offered by Nomadic Knights in March, 2020. Australians can save US$500 per person on the adventure tour, if booked by December 15, 2019.

The 14-night journey will see travellers ride Royal Enfield motorbikes past remote, lush green mountains, raging waterfalls, dramatic landscapes, secret 20km long underground caves and tribes who still adhere to their ancient traditions to this day.

Due to their remoteness and turbulent history, India’s northeastern states were closed off for many years to foreigners but are now beginning to be explored by adventurous and intrepid travellers, and a motorbike trip is a perfect way to journey through and experience the secluded ‘Lost World’ of India.

UTracks sees spike in Italy bookings

The deadline has been extended for The UTracks’ Early Bird Sale to allow for those last-minute bookings to be accepted. Travellers can save up to ten per cent on a wide range of UTracks trips for new bookings made before 01 November 2019.

Italy will be the flavour of the year in 2020, with a majority of booking favouring this stunning destination.  Bookings are flowing in for the ‘out of the way’ experiences such Tuscan Hilltop Walks, Cinque Terre Villages to Puglia Guided Walk and Via Degli Dei: Bologna to Florence. The journeys along Italian Camino, the St Frances Way and the Via Francigena, are also proving popular.

The Early Bird offer is available on a plethora of old favourites and new experiences for 2020.

Grasshopper Adventures unveils new cycling tour of Sri Lanka

Discover Sri Lanka in a slow and intimate way by cycling through highland tea plantations and rainforests down to the southern coast.

Along the way, hike through national parks, take a jeep safari to see leopards, monkeys and elephants, relax in luxurious hotels, and indulge in mouthwatering Sri Lankan cuisine. Departures are available in January, February and March of 2020 starting at $2,850 per person double. Pedal-assist e-bikes are available for an additional $385.

Amtrak Vacations announces independent US rail vacations in 2020 brochure

Amtrak Vacations, Amtrak’s official North American tour operator, released its 2020 brochure for the Australian market.

The brochure features handcrafted rail vacation itineraries that showcase the best of North America’s treasured national parks, bucket list destinations, iconic cities, and scenic train routes.

Customers can choose from more than 25 pre-packaged rail vacations or begin their memorable journey from one of the 500-plus Amtrak stations across the country.