Heading to Davos, here’s what was overheard on connecting trains from Zurich to the World Economic Forum

It took 18 hours, a Lyft, two planes, three cross-country train rides, and a drive in a Volvo sports utility vehicle to get from midtown Manhattan to an apartment on Scalettastrasse, a snow-lined street in the heart of Davos.

The small Swiss Alpine town is again playing host to the World Economic Forum (WEF), where the world’s top brass in finance and politics convene each year to try to solve the biggest problems that plague our planet.

There are quicker ways to get there that involve fewer plane rides and a direct commute from Zürich either by car or by helicopter charter — but regardless of which route you take, the Swiss fortress remains remote and tucked away. The airport-level security at every entrance to the Congress Centre also helps to make it an ideal hideout for the elite to safely, and securely, come to talk shop for a week each winter.