Category: Travel and Tourism
I personally enjoy traveling by train better. People say I am crazy because it takes way longer by train, but I don't care much about time. Plus you get the chance to get up and walk around and talk to people. Would you rather travel by train or plane?
If I'm travelling by day, I'd rather go by plane. However, even in coach, I find it way easier to sleep on the train, not to mention it's usually cheaper. having said that, I don't know if I would travel across country by train, unless I had no choice. In conclusion, I'd say if the trainride is 24 hours or less, I'll take that. otherwise, plane it is.
I understand. I took AmTrak from Jackson, Ms to Chicago once which was about 15 hours. I loved it. Starting this Thursday I'm taking AmTrak from Trenton, Nj to Dallas which is 49 hours.
I can deal with coaches, but if the sleepers weren't so expensive I would jump in one of those. It's ooutrageously way more than a coach! I can't believe it.
Hi, I'm not all that far from Trenton, and I really wish I were going on that train trip with you, and hope you really enjoy yourself. We'll have plenty for you to read once you get back home. <grins>
Bill k.
No kidding! Thanks. The only thing that sucks about the location of the station is it is hard to get to. From where I am there is no direct bus line or train that commutes to Trenton, and there's no sense in going to Newark. Luckily I have a ride.
I'm with Ocean, it depends on a variety of things like length of the trip, but most importantly, cost. i've taken several long trips. Colorado to Michigan and back, Iowa to Baltimore, New York to Iowa, etc. Each of those were 24-30 hours. I admit that I'd rather have flown, because I do like getting places in good time. But when flying is too pricey, (and it very often is) the train is the best way to go. People, both staff and passengers are by and large friendly, and yes, I can sleep on a train far easier than a plane. I did consider taking Amtrak down to Dallas, but in the end, decided flying would win out in this particular case.
Sleepers are so expensive because, not only do you get a room to yourself, but any and all food you eat on the train is included in the fare. Whereas when you travel in coach, you have to pay individually for every meal and snack you get. So on a really long train trip, the extra cost of the sleeper car might actually make sense, when you look at how much food you'll need to purchase on board during the trip. I did take a sleeper car once, just for the experience, and really enjoyed it.
i'd rather a train.
don't like airtravel- pretty afraid of it
Hi Everyone,
My mom and I went on a train from saint Louis to louisville, and that was really neat, and I think I took a train from Denver to Lincoln Nebraska, but maybe it was a bus, i really don't know.
Billy, I've been to Newark as that's where I landed when the folks at Seeing Eyes was picking me up, but I didn't get to really see anything of the town when I got there.
Unfortunately I can't get around as I could back in the 80's and 90's, but I manage pretty well, and I can at least walk through a grocery store, since I'm the one who has to do the grocery shopping around here and do the wash too. Hee, what's wrong with this deal?
Bill K.
Ah, I didn't realize food was included in the fare for the sleeper cars. Shoot, knowing my family, I'd probably do just as well to book a sleeper even for a short trip. lol Anyway, I love traveling by train. The only thing that is frustrating is there's no guaranteed arival time since frait trains have priority over passenger trains. That makes it harder on the folks who are meeting us at the train station when we go to visit family.
Having said that though, I much more prefer traveling by train since 9-11. I used to love to fly but now it's such a nonumental pain and expensive, that I try to avoid it if possible.
I've never taken more than a day trip on the train but would love to some day take a longer trip. I think I'll wait until the kiddo is grown though. lol
I completely agree about the train being much less of a pain than flying. There are so many things you have to keep in mind when flying. try not to wear anything with metal, put any large bottles of liquid in your checked baggage, keep baggage fees in mind, and for heaven's sake, don't go over the weight limit. when travelling by train, it's a lot simpler: Don't travel with anything illegal, and don't bring every last posession with you. True, there is a weight limit for bags, but it's not as big a deal if you go over the limit, as long as you only have one or two. I actually did go over the limit once, but since I only had two bags, they just gave me a cardboard box and had me transfer some of the heavier items to it. then they taped it up and tagged it as my third checked bag. No harm done. Had I been flying, that extra 5 pounds probably would have cost me at least $30. Also, I like to bring my own snacks and water if possible to save, well, mostly money. But bringing that on a flight is a lot easier said than done these days.
Hi everyone,
I'd really love to go back in time and ride one of the really fancy trains that they used to have in the 40's and early 50's I guess.
Bill K.
I was going to take the train across the country to see my folks. I have always taken a plane but thought the train might be fun and different. I would end up costing more because of all the food I would have to purchase on the train. This year I decided to fly home but thinking next year if I can save the extra money it would be a pretty fun trip on the train. Long plane rides are pretty boring because your stuck in your seat the whole time. Flying is okay but not my favorite thing to do.
Hello guys, I have always wanted to take a cross-country train ride. I think it would be adventurous as I have only taken plane rides in my day. There are no train stations where I live, however, so I would need to travel to a different town on which to board a locomotive. I think I would most like to travel from Denver to San Francisco. I know a couple that did this and only had positives to share. It definitely helps that I love Denver and long to visit and explore San Francisco. The sleeper car sounds intriguing, but of course, I would need to take the extra cost into consideration. I have had people ask me why would I like to take such a trip as a blind person. Well, why would I want to take any trip? I guess I should just sit home fiddling my thumbs not enjoying what life has to offer, right? This was a ridiculous question. Life is amazing, and travel in any capacity ranks high on my list of exciting experiences for anyone. Thanks for all the useful information. Now, I am off to include a train trip on my bucket list.
Lol. Exactly Laura. Let me know how it goes. I also want to visit Denver. In June I took the train to Dallas for the convention, and I'm guessing it would be about the same price, maybe a little more to go there.
Ryan, Denver rocks. Hope you get to go there sometime.
As far as flying goes, I guess I'm not as sensitive to the security stuff as most people. Yes, it is a hassle, but it's not too bad so long as you're aware of the rules you need to follow. If you're aware of them, and prepared, it doesn't seem that big of a deal to me. Yes, having a fee for most checked baggage is annoying as hell, and a way for airlines to rip people off. Yes, it is frustrating to not be able to take more than three ounces of liquid in a carry-on. But compared to the speed of getting to your destination, especially if you're traveling a long distance, I'm willing to put up with these inconveniences.
As per me, that depends whether I'm going alone or going with someone interesting. I hate to be alone for a long time so.
If I got a good entertaining companion, I may prefer train. otherwise, I'll make it shorter as much as I can. so plane.
Raaj.
For sure. It definetly is more convenient to fly since it is faster. At the time when I went to Dallas I had time to kill, plus I wanted to get away from family for a while. It was relaxing, plus it gave me time to get my thoughts and plans together for what I wanted to do once the summer was over, you know?
In Australia, Trains are mainly used in Suburban areas, but we do have Trains which can go to different Cities in Australia but only from Adelaide to Darwin and Melbourne to Sydney.
Planes are used either domestically or Internationally.
In this case, I rather a Train, cause we can go anywhere, as with Planes only to go Interstate or Internationally.
I can't remember the last time I traveled by train. Might have been light rail stuff. I'd love to take a trip somewhere. I've mostly traveled by plane. wish I could cram everything into one carry-on bag. I've heard people say it can be done. Not sure how, though. *sigh*
I've taken a train from Boston to Elizabethtown, PA, which is about eight hours. I don't mind that trip, but I think if the train trip is longer than a day, I would opt to fly. I can't sleep sitting up under any circumstances, and it sounds like a sleeper would cost at least as much as a flight.
I always tell people that they would have to knock me out to get me to go on a plane. It's true, I'm seriously afraid of flying. the way I see it, while you're statistically safer in the air than on the ground, if one thing goes wrong in the air, you're pretty much dead, no questions asked. On the ground, so many factors can play into whether you survive or not. So no plane for me. And as weird as this sounds, another reason I feel that way is because all the greatest musicians have died in plane crashes. That has to say something.
Actually, sleepers can cost more than a flight, depending on how far you go. As much as I love trains, I have to admit that sleeper prices are ridiculous.
Love the planes. Never had a problem and can navigate airports quick and fast with no sight. Also if you book in advance at least for east coast which is what I do mainly, I have gotten great deals.
What's the farthest in advance you can book a flight?
Usually about five months out, I think. But it also depends on the individual airline.
Damn. I've always waited until about 6 weeks, maybe even two months at most, to book a flight when I've flown.
Usually the farther out you book, the better fare you can get. Not always, but usually.
I went on a train trip recently to Texas and it took about two and a half days, each way. This time I didn't have any problems with the Chicago AmTrack staff, they were all pleasant surprisingly. This lady told me on the train she was on her first, and last train trip ever. She was going all the way from California to Philadelphia, and supposedly the staff from Cali to San Antonio were real rude. I never had problems with conductors or train staff. Have any of you?