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I've been stuck in the Pacific Northwest too long, not having left a six state/one province area since 2005. I have put off travel because it can be so expensive, but I realized that the Amtrak rail pass seems to be a good way to see the country. How it works (based on the information on the Amtrak site) is that for 450, 650 or 850 dollars, you can get a 15, 30 or 45 day Amtrak pass. The other limitation is that you are limited to 8, 12 and 18 segments, respectively. A "segment" is any time you get off and on the train. So, going from, say, New York to Philadelphia uses up a segment, just like going from Chicago to Los Angeles. The pass is also only for coach seats, and the pass doesn't mean the traveler can just hop on a train, they still need to get get tickets (and sometimes need to get them ahead of time). This sounds like a pretty good bargain to me, and from what I have read so far, it seems to be pretty free of sneakery or fuckery. But I did want to know if anyone had any experience with this, and whether there was any pitfalls that I haven't read about. Also, just anyone with experience of long distance train travel would be nice, I've had overnight trips on Amtrak, but nothing beyond that.
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Sep 4, 2014 19:28
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I recently took a trip from Raleigh NC to Portland OR via Amtrak. What questions do you have?
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Sep 15, 2014 18:46
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Liam Emsa posted:I recently took a trip from Raleigh NC to Portland OR via Amtrak. What questions do you have? Why do people do this instead of taking a plane? Would anyone who is not clinically afraid of flying, or clinically in love with trains, ever want to do this for any other reason? It seems flying is way cheaper and faster, and driving lets you actually see the scenery that you don't really get to appreciate from a train (if you're even going through the pretty parts during a sunny day / not at night).
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Sep 15, 2014 19:22
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Saladman posted:Why do people do this instead of taking a plane? Would anyone who is not clinically afraid of flying, or clinically in love with trains, ever want to do this for any other reason? It seems flying is way cheaper and faster, and driving lets you actually see the scenery that you don't really get to appreciate from a train (if you're even going through the pretty parts during a sunny day / not at night). Well, first off, I'm clinically afraid of flying. I have to drug myself into literal unconcsiousness with 20mg of Valium to take a flight. Flying is cheaper, flying is faster. However, with driving there's a definite trade off. Sure, you can see and stop when you want to, but on a train you can: -Continue travelling to your destination while you sleep -Relax in comfort without having to pay attention to the road -Get drunk -Meet new people -See sights you wouldn't be able to see from a car (the train tracks go through some fairly remote areas). Some tips: -Pay for a Roomette. PAY FOR A ROOMETTE. It is worth the cost. Not only do you have your own separate room with two beds, which is itself the best thing because you actually get to sleep lying down in a bed. But you also get access to a shower (a godsend in 4 day trip), and most notably three free meals a day. And not lovely meals either. You can have catfish and medium rare steak with a whiskey on the rocks. -Book your stops with overnight stays in hotels in between. Trains are notoriously late. The last thing you want is to miss your next hop. Book a day in between to see the city and/or rest in a hotel.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj8_kjrMPyE
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Sep 15, 2014 19:47
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