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The Travel Detective

The Travel Detective: Train Travel

Who doesn’t love trains?  They’re fast, they’re fun, and they’re nostalgic. If you travel with kids, you can relax with them and not worry about the road ahead.

But the real question is: Are you cut out for train travel in the United States?

For starters, the harsh reality is that the United States lags far behind other countries when it comes to infrastructure and rail line coverage. As anyone who has taken a state-side train knows, there’s nothing quick about most Amtrak trips.

Even on a good day, getting from Los Angeles to Seattle on the Coast Starlight will take almost 3 days. And a cabin costs about $600 each way. Compare that to a flight and if you’re in any kind of hurry, it may not be the best choice.

If you’re traveling with kids, there are a few other things to consider like motion sickness, especially if your seat faces the rear of the train. So be sure to plan accordingly.

Also, train stations can be a bit more chaotic than the typical airport. People are rushing around, and it’s easy to lose young children if you don’t hold their hands or keep an eye on them.

But there is some good news! Meals are often included for first-class and sleeping cabin passengers. But if you’ve got picky eaters and you’re on a classic ride like the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco, options start to look pretty limited after 50 hours.

My advice for first timers is to start with a shorter excursion, like an 11-hour ride on the Adirondack from New York City to Montreal. There’s no better time to do this than in the fall because you can catch the changing leaves in upstate New York.

Or you can make it a package with overnight hotel stays and guided tours so that you get a break from the train with the added bonus of seeing towns you may never have had the chance to experience if you traveled only by plane.

When you’ve figured out the basics, it’s easy to get hooked on the romanticism of train travel. Know what you’re in store for and once you do, get on a long-haul journey and see where the ride takes you!

 

By Tracy Gallagher for PeterGreenberg.com