To think it’s selfish to watch tv for an entire train journey?

Is he a chatter? I’m not.

Did he ignore you on holiday as well? What did he say when you had this conversation with him?

DH never seems to like to talk on planes. Honestly, he's less of a 'chatter' in general, but it's especially noticeable when we're on public transport. Since I know that's just his personality, I try not to take it personally. Of course, it does add another layer when he has access to something you don't. (On the plane, we both could watch something, so not quite the same as watching something knowing that your partner doesn't have that option.)

I'd base my reaction on how he is in other ways. Is this just a quirk and a difference in how you like to spend time on journeys or a sign of a larger problem. Is he generally selfish? If nothing else, next time you'll know to prepare with more of a variety of entertainment for yourself.

I’m intrigued about what nice dinner you can buy on a train.

Seven hours of silence sounds blissful to me. I think your DH was only being unreasonable if you told him you didn’t bring sufficient entertainment and wanted to talk to him. People aren’t mind readers and it’s not fair to be annoyed with them when they have no idea that someone else had entirely different expectations that hadn’t been explained up front.

I'd expect to discuss it beforehand.

"Would you mind if I watched this tv series I'm watching at the moment?"

Then an agreement or compromise would happen. Then I can make my own arrangements if necessary.

So did he give you a reason for not wanting to chat?
If I was watching something and DH kept asking me things, I'd just hold my ear bud out - it would be very irritating.
Did you actually say what you wanted or did you hope he'd rapidly develop psychic abilities?

We’d do a variety of stuff, reading, playing cards, online scrabble, internet, chatting etc. I couldn’t just sit and gawp at a telly programme for 7 hours. Why is it “his” iPad though, other than phones we share our tech?

Oh just realised you might not be in the UK. How has he been on the holiday with you?

I think it really depends on how he is otherwise with you?

Also curious to know what this nice meal you purchased on a UK train?

Someone will be along in a bit to say he's the perfect train passenger who is totally silent and not imposing himself on anyone else's airspace but if you'd chatted you'd have been massively annoying other people. Did your nice dinner have any aroma, noise, involving "reaching" or take up more than 6 cm of the table? Apparently those are cardinal sins. I think that full seven hours a bit much yes, especially as you tried to initiate conversation but as a pp have said, if this is a rare opportunity for him, I would get it.

We have that for times we plan a long train journey and share a tv show. But generally we prefer sitting opposite so we can intermingle legs freely (both tall) and plan our own entertainment.

Well, I think it depends on what works for you both. My partner and I would chat for a bit on and off, I would read and he would scroll through social media. I don't think we'd chat the whole way as that would be annoying for the other passengers.

The important thing though is that you be able to express what you feel and need and be heard by him.

Now, when I go on trips with my girlfriends we would definitely be chatting the whole way (and possibly annoying the other passengers!).

I hate chatting on public transport beyond functional necessary information.

Don't know why just feel very exposed and also conscious of not disturbing others.

Very rude and selfish.

On a long journey I would expect to chat for a bit, snooze for a bit and read/watch tv for a bit.

I wouldn’t expect to be ignored by my travelling companion for 7 hours straight.

YANBU

Same.

I’m on constant alert at home and get talked at. Car journeys are DH listening to an audio book and I have my headphones in on low while managing the kids. If I’m on the train with just DH, we’re not making small talk. We’re leaning against each other doing our own thing.

Holidays are a break for both of us. We may do a bit of chat, but it is less than 5% of a journeys. Plus, headphones keep the rest of the train chatter out because from experience there is always a few people who don’t know their own volume even in the quiet zone.

My family and in-laws are the same way when we have been on the train. We do a tiny bit of chat in the beginning but most of it is everyone doing their own thing. Scrolling, taking a nap, listening to something. Never talking for hours.

@NoisyLittleOtter let’s ask OP what she wanted to chat about?

ETA ‘chit-chat’ means inconsequential

There are not ‘nice meals’ on UK trains!

DP was rude.

My DH goes into a funny zone when he travels and at some other times (eg spectating at events) and could quite easily plug in for that long and enjoy it. He also feels self conscious having long conversations on the train or plane. If DC or I want interaction from him on any kind of long journey (one of the DC is talkative, as am I) we explain that in advance and try to make a plan that works for all 😆

He wouldn’t continue watching while eating or ignore my requests to chat for a bit.

He should have stopped watching while you ate, but otherwise I'd be the same to be honest. People that talk a lot on public transport is partly why I bring earbuds, though. So while I understand understand you, I get him too.

Why would talking to your partner be ‘inconsequential small talk?’

this is not a man who likes you

you deserve better than this

maybe he was looking forward to a decent amount of down time to realx pre-holiday and catch up with something he was looking forward to watching, perfectly reasonable to not want to make inconsequential small talk. Let people be OP.

seems totally unfriendly to me

I don't know about your DH but I tend to retreat into myself on long journeys and can't be bothered chatting. Thankfully DH is the same so we are happy to pass the time in our own pursuits exchanging the odd word or two here and there. It's a strategy to combat the boredom. You and your DH have different travel strategies.

How did you not talk about this first?

I always do a dp on flights and would expect to do the same for a long train journey.

What did you bring to do? There is noone I'd want to talk to for 7 hours straight!