Sleeper trains are making a comeback in Europe, allowing existing infrastructure to be put to good use. So why hasn’t North America made any progress on slee...
I’ve done overnight Amtrak trips in a “Roomette”. My way of looking at it is the journey is part of the vacation whereas flying is the means to get you where you’re going. A cross country train trip can take a few days requiring multiple overnights. If you factor in what a hotel would cost plusmeals (Amtrak includes two meals a day) then that offsets the cost. Besides that you can carry on drinks and snacks plus you don’t have to pay a fee for luggage. I’ve met a lot of nice people on the train, it’s definitely a more civilized way to travel compared to the airline cattle cars. Though it won’t appeal to everyone It’s more for older people with a lot of spare time that always dreamed of driving across the US.
Amtrak is on my bucket list. I’m in Europe so I’m more familiar with international trains here.
I quite love the relaxed mode of travel, though I’m yet to experience a night train though. I might hop on one of those new lines that are opening up across Europe. The ultimate dream of course is a system like China but with fewer human rights violations.
After riding Amtrak you may feel like your human rights have been violated LOL. I joke of course, just know some routes are notorious for being late. Unlike Europe our train terminals aren’t always located in the center of town and if you miss a connecting train the next one may not be until the next day. Most people in the US don’t get much vacation time so this is another reason they avoid Amtrak.
Yeah I just came back from a US trip a few weeks ago and considered NY to Washington, but ended up with a rental car for convenience. The DC metro system seems decent though.
If a train ticket is even 1.5x times the plane ticket, I’d pick the train ticket every time. Unfortunately it’s usually quite a bit more expensive.
I don’t need all the idling, waiting in lines, baggage restrictions, expensive mediocre food, etc.
I’ve done overnight Amtrak trips in a “Roomette”. My way of looking at it is the journey is part of the vacation whereas flying is the means to get you where you’re going. A cross country train trip can take a few days requiring multiple overnights. If you factor in what a hotel would cost plusmeals (Amtrak includes two meals a day) then that offsets the cost. Besides that you can carry on drinks and snacks plus you don’t have to pay a fee for luggage. I’ve met a lot of nice people on the train, it’s definitely a more civilized way to travel compared to the airline cattle cars. Though it won’t appeal to everyone It’s more for older people with a lot of spare time that always dreamed of driving across the US.
Amtrak is on my bucket list. I’m in Europe so I’m more familiar with international trains here.
I quite love the relaxed mode of travel, though I’m yet to experience a night train though. I might hop on one of those new lines that are opening up across Europe. The ultimate dream of course is a system like China but with fewer human rights violations.
After riding Amtrak you may feel like your human rights have been violated LOL. I joke of course, just know some routes are notorious for being late. Unlike Europe our train terminals aren’t always located in the center of town and if you miss a connecting train the next one may not be until the next day. Most people in the US don’t get much vacation time so this is another reason they avoid Amtrak.
Yeah I just came back from a US trip a few weeks ago and considered NY to Washington, but ended up with a rental car for convenience. The DC metro system seems decent though.