Travel

[Sweetbay magnolia]

How is that, taking the train instead of flying?  I don't like to fly (afraid it will crash - silly me).  What a horrible way to go.

Spoiler

yes I know the train could crash - just not from 30,000 feet.

I need to visit a relative near the west coast, and I am in the east.  Any recommendations about cross-country train travel?

[riley1]

I don't know much about cross country train travel, but it sure sounds like an adventure. I bet you will see beautiful scenery.

[GCR18]

I've taken Amtrack from Penn Station NY to Tampa, FL round trip either two or three times.  I wasn't flying at the time.  It was alright.  It wasn't the best thing I ever did, but not the worst either.  The bathroom was just like on a plane.  I had a regular seat.  I couldn't sleep.  Brought lots of snacks and things to do.

[itsmagic]

I’ve never taken the Amtrak train across the country but I have some friends who took the train from Chicago out to California.  They did enjoy the scenery and reserved a sleeper car for at night which is extra but they thought was worth it. And it sounds like there was an actual dining car rather than a snack car like you find on shorter train trips. It would be a good way for you to travel as long as you have the time since I think it may take about three days or so. 

[Kachina624]

I looked into it and did some research and reading about it and it seemed very expensive, especially on a long trip where you need sleeping accommodations.  Although you see some beautiful scenery, you also see a lot of very boring.  Google Amtrack and check it out yourself.

[janeec]

I took a train to the Midwest (from the East) for a job interview almost 40 years ago and loved it.  There was an impending airline strike and I couldn't take the chance that I would be stranded as it was during spring break in college.  I did not get a sleeper, I slept in my seat.  I changed trains in Chicago.  It was a great experience.  It was a 24 hour trip to my destination, and 36 hours back as the route went to D.C. before coming up the East Coast.

I would suggest a sleeper car.  The meals are not cheap on the train, but it is a dining experience!  Peas are best eaten with mashed potatoes to keep them from flying off your fork due to the movement of the train.  Going from one car to another was a little hairy at first but easily managed.  Everyone should take a train trip at least once in their life.  

The nice thing about the train is you can get up and walk around which we all need to do.  People were friendly.  If time is not a factor, take the train.

[World Traveler]

@Sweetbay magnolia I'm hoping that @BriggsiePeawiggle sees your post and responds. She had planned to go by train from Michigan to Seattle in June this past summer. She booked a sleeping room on the train and bought binoculars to use on the train. She should have some interesting input for you.

@sandy53 once posted about about being on a narrow gauge railroad out of Durango, and if I recall correctly, she was interested in train travel to other places. Maybe she can share some experiences if she has gone by train lately.

I posted something about "The Absolute Best Places to Travel by Train" back in May of this year. So maybe something others posted at that time could help you.

I'll check to see if there are any other threads on our Travel Forum about traveling by trains. Perhaps something posted there will be helpful.

Meanwhile, I hope others will pop in and respond to your post. 

[MUNCHIE]

I have taken Amtrak about 11 times from Emeryville Cal to Grand Junction Colorado. It takes 26 hours one way,. I always get the smaller room called a roomette. You share a toilet, at the end of the car with the other roomettes. If you purchase a larger bedroom, there is a small (size of toliet in airplane) toilet in the larger room. When  you purchase any room, your meals are included, breakfast, lunch and dinners, which can add up if you only purchase a seat. The first time I did this I purchased a seat, arrived feeling like a zombie, as I could not sleep sitting up, men snoring, people with colds, babies crying etcetc..Never again. If you book early enough the rooms are about comparable to flying price. It just takes longer to get there. It was the most relaxing way of traveleing I had ever done. The scenery never gets old, I just love looking out the windows, the conversations in the dining car are always a learning experience. You meet so many nice people. I did price a trip , about 10 yrs ago to go across country, it was very expensive. But I love the train , thats all there is to it.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Thanks kindly for the responses.

I will stay tuned!

[World Traveler]

@Sweetbay magnolia Well, I found three threads on this forum specifically about trains. That being said, there could have been many other discussions about train travel in our monthly Travel Chat, or some other thread that got off topic. It is not unusual when we talk about flying that someone says they prefer to take the train or drive, and perhaps talk about their train experiences was included.

But the three I found which may offer some opinions for you are the following:

• Took an Amtrak Vacay, that was posted by @LoriMI
• Amtrak travel opinions please, that was posted by @dulwich
• The Absolute Best Places to Travel by Train, which I posted sometime ago

If you put any of those titles in the "search forums and blogs" area, they should come up. However, on my computer, there are only three (very long) pages of travel threads, so it shouldn't take long if you just wanted to screen thru all the thread names and find those three.

Good luck!