I love trains. Our system in the States is not exactly the best or most efficient but if you like train travel, what a wonderful way to go. It's not cheap especially if you get a sleeper which I highly recommend. The plus of the sleeper is that all of your meals are included and you get a place to lie down flat, in a secured area, for sleeping. You wouldn't want to spend all of your time in there, too small in most cases, and how would you meet other travelers if you bombarded yourself in that tiny compartment.
A trip I have planned out, although who knows if I will ever manage to take it, is a round robin from Chicago. Stopping in Denver, Truckee (Lake Tahoe), San Francisco, Portland, and Glacier National Park before returning home again. Amtrak offers a Multi City ticket and with discounts for AAA members, Veterans, Students etc, this saves quite a bit of money. The downside is that you can only do 4 segments of travel per ticket. For example, Chicago-Denver-Truckee-San Francisco-Vancouver, WA for a student and a veteran with sleepers on 3 legs of the trip runs $899.50 today. The next section of the trip, Vancouver-Glacier National Park-Chicago runs $687.40. Keep in mind that on your train time, all meals are taken care of with the sleeper car.
On the trip I have planned, I spend 2 days in Denver, 1 in Truckee, 4 in San Francisco , 1 in Vancouver, and 3 in Glacier National Park. Luckily I have friends in Denver and Vancouver that I can stay with, saving on hotels. Internet research will save me a bundle by reserving in advance for Truckee, San Francisco and Glacier National Park. Keeping in mind, however, that train travel in the US is ALWAYS LATE. This is due to the fact that Amtrak doesn't own the rail lines and uses them with the understanding that they give right of way to the freight trains who do. On the train that I have traveled, from San Antonio, Texas to Bloomington, Illinois, it is invariably late by 2 - 3 hours.
I should mention here that Amtrak offers rail passes to those who are NOT citizens of the United States. Those rates are published on their website, http://www.amtrak.com/.
Tomorrow I will cover the sites to be seen in each of the wonderful cities on this trip.
A trip I have planned out, although who knows if I will ever manage to take it, is a round robin from Chicago. Stopping in Denver, Truckee (Lake Tahoe), San Francisco, Portland, and Glacier National Park before returning home again. Amtrak offers a Multi City ticket and with discounts for AAA members, Veterans, Students etc, this saves quite a bit of money. The downside is that you can only do 4 segments of travel per ticket. For example, Chicago-Denver-Truckee-San Francisco-Vancouver, WA for a student and a veteran with sleepers on 3 legs of the trip runs $899.50 today. The next section of the trip, Vancouver-Glacier National Park-Chicago runs $687.40. Keep in mind that on your train time, all meals are taken care of with the sleeper car.
On the trip I have planned, I spend 2 days in Denver, 1 in Truckee, 4 in San Francisco , 1 in Vancouver, and 3 in Glacier National Park. Luckily I have friends in Denver and Vancouver that I can stay with, saving on hotels. Internet research will save me a bundle by reserving in advance for Truckee, San Francisco and Glacier National Park. Keeping in mind, however, that train travel in the US is ALWAYS LATE. This is due to the fact that Amtrak doesn't own the rail lines and uses them with the understanding that they give right of way to the freight trains who do. On the train that I have traveled, from San Antonio, Texas to Bloomington, Illinois, it is invariably late by 2 - 3 hours.
I should mention here that Amtrak offers rail passes to those who are NOT citizens of the United States. Those rates are published on their website, http://www.amtrak.com/.
Tomorrow I will cover the sites to be seen in each of the wonderful cities on this trip.
1 comment:
Hi Terri,
Sounds like a great trip you have planned. Have you read David Baldacci's book The Christmas Train? A murder mystery aboard an Amtrak train, the suthor gives the reader a good feel of transcontinental train travel in a sleeper. OK story, good train depiction.
Anyway, I want to ditch my family and travel with you Terri!
Ruthie
Post a Comment