Is Amtrak Right For You?

My husband and I have now completed two long distance trips using Amtrak.  On our first trip we used Amtrak Vacations.  The trip we just completed we planned ourselves.  Today, I will be writing about self-planning which allows much more flexibility.  Here are a few items to keep in mind when planning your long-distance vacation with Amtrak:

JOURNEY AS DESTINATION.  If you believe in “slow travel” and embrace the philosophy that it is the individual moments and experiences that are important, train travel may be for you.  Rather than fixating on destination, this doctrine epitomizes what is beautiful at any given moment.  On a scenic Amtrak journey, slow travel is literal – the train moves at a leisurely pace, allowing you time to drink in the landscape and take photographs.   A trip that takes an hour by car will be much longer on a  train- and you will be glad for that!

FLEXIBILITY – You must be willing to accept that random events happen.  Train delays are common and are often due to such issues as weather, problems with the tracks, congested stations or equipment failures.  If one train is delayed it can create a chain reaction.  When we were in Santa Barbara, California, our train was delayed 10 hours due to a situation in Portland where the train had hit a car stuck on the tracks.  Fortunately for us, we were able to quickly re-book on a different train – an option not always available.  In San Francisco, there was a small earthquake that affected our ability to get to the train station.  We DID get there but at the very last minute!  All types of delays happen and cannot be planned for.  You have to accept that to enjoy this type of trip.

PRICING – You have a lot of control over cost.  For example, The Coast Starlight runs from Seattle to Los Angeles with over 25 stops between the two.  You can decide where you want to get off and how many days you want to stay.  When you are ready to resume your trip, you can  reboard.  Pricing is directly related to planning.

PLANNING – We planned everything well before our trip.  We made decisions about the places we wanted to get off the train and enjoy for several days.  We also selected hotels and booked them.  It was a bit time intensive but once the trip started, it was wonderful to have everything taken care of.  You have total control- book the hotels in your price-range (we tried to get ones near the station).  Only arrange stays in the places you want to explore.

I will be writing further on this subject.  You may want to check this post which discusses the Amtrak Rail Pass as well as the California Zephyr which is one of the trains we took on our trip.  The Coast Starlight was the other train we took on this vacation.  They were both fantastic!  Please get up with me for further information!