The 'soothing' train ride Reba McEntire took with fiance Rex Linn - USA Today

Reba McEntire used to like a jam-packed vacation.

Her ideal day used to include a guided tour in the morning, followed by lunch and more exploring in the afternoon. "Now that I'm getting a little older, I think it's a little bit more laid back, more leisurely, finding out what's going on in town, and just not trying to kill yourself by taking a heavy itinerary and making sure you've clicked off everything," she told USA TODAY.

That was part of the draw when McEntire partnered with Canyon Spirit, a train journey through parts of the American Southwest. The country music icon boarded a recent route from Denver to Moab, Utah, with friends and her fiancé, Rex Linn.

They learned stories behind towns along the route, watched staff craft cocktails and enjoyed food with a view through the train’s glass-dome windows.

"To ride a train, it's a soothing, great way to travel, and interesting," she said. "It kind of takes you back to how they used to travel in the early days, which, I'm a history nut, and I love everything about how the railroads were made in the United States."

Interest in train travel is gaining traction in at least some corners of the internet. U.S. TikTok posts with #Traintravel went up by close to 15% between June 10 and Sept. 7, according to data the company shared with USA TODAY. Posts in the U.S. with #trains also increased by nearly 15% over the same period.

McEntire spoke with USA TODAY about the partnership, her typical packing list and the benefits of taking a break from travel now and then.

Outside of Canyon Spirit’s route – which are available in two and three-day options between Denver and Moab or Denver and Salt Lake City – McEntire’s favorite destinations range from the mountains to the beach. "I love to travel to Europe," she said. "I've been to New Zealand and Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China."

Packing must-haves include her iPhone and iPad, which replaced the two or three cameras and large computer she used to bring. "I have to have that, because I have to make sure my pictures are all right because that's the big deal about a vacation for me: I love to see my pictures and keep them organized, and send them back home and tell everybody what I'm doing."

She always brings comfortable clothes – along with one or two dressy options – along with boots and tennis shoes or slippers. But like many travelers, McEntire would like to pare her packing list back even more.

"My goal in life is, next trip, to pack lighter," she said.

McEntire has spent more time at home in 2026, however. "I haven't gotten to (travel) much this year because I have gone so much in the past 50 years," she said.

She and Linn took some time to enjoy Tennessee between filming episodes of the NBC show, "Happy’s Place," which they co-star in. "So it was good to kind of relax and chill out for a while, recharge the batteries," she said.

Canyon Spirit is one way for travelers to ease in, according to McEntire. "You won't regret going," she said. "It's beautiful. It's laid back."

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.