USA rail travel
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- JourNYC0
Rail
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Canada
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Awesome
- xcarlx0
you could go via megabus....it is like the Ryanair of bus lines.
not too comfortable thought.
http://www.megabus.com/us/
- clarkvisual0
thanks folks. i would do a road trip but i dont a driving licence anymore.
@ismith - which bus services i could get a good price pass?
- Well, Greyhound is standard. Their rates can be pretty good if you book in advance. Only caveat is it's not as hi-tech as a train.ismith
- train.ismith
- thanks dude.clarkvisual
- paraselene0
i wouldn't do it. every experience i've ever had with amtrak has been terrible.
- cannonball19780
Rent a car. Get a map. Draw a bunch of X's on it, plot those places onto google maps and get directions.
- ismith0
Get a bus pass. Faster, less restrictive than a train, allows for hitchhiking along the way or staying in certain areas as long as you please, etc.
- ETM0
@clarkvisual
Bottom line, just don't expect anything like train service you have in the UK.
- ninjasavant0
Something like 80% of all trains in the US are late. If you're not in a hurry it could be fun. More comfortable than a plane or backseat of a car for sure.
- xcarlx0
Could be amazing, but just keep in mind that the rail system in America is famous for being sloooooooooowww.....With the exception of the acela (which runs between Boston and D.C., with stops in nyc etc..our only high speed line), some routes take almost twice as long as it would to drive... for example, Los Angeles to San Francisco takes between 9-12 hours, (and you need to transfer in san jose or oakland, way outside of city center) while driving only takes around 6 hours.
On the other hand though our train lines tend to take the scenic route. The LA San Fran line is the Coast Starlight train, which runs along the pacific coast for much of its route.
- lowimpakt0
that's what I mean about being into the experience - it's not for everyone. I actually like the fact you will meet other people. I have met some really interesting people over the years on trains.
other things i like about train travel over driving
you can read books
sleep whenever you want
drink booze
I like the heritage experiencei don't like flying when I can travel overland because I like seeing where I am travelling past and getting a real sense of scale/distance.
this sounds like hippy shit I know..
- version30
i looked into traveling the us on that thing, my opinion: overpriced compared to flights car rental etc, plus you're stuck on the trains schedule and with all those other people.
- lowimpakt0
train travel is a different experience and you have to be into it.
i hate being in the same car/camper for too long...
I have travelled all over europe/eastern europe/russia etc by train so I have seen all kinds of crazy trains from luxury to dangerous..
We're going to do this maerican one soon - http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Co…
- visionary0
hitchhike=ass rape + murder
- robotron3k0
^ rent a car/camper van for a month, have place to sleep and drive the I-40 to I-80 route around the states. only then will you realize how incredible the USA is. road trips rule.
- danthon0
I went from austin to chicago on amtrak. Got food poisoning. Horrible way to travel. Renting a car would have been a better idea.
- Orbit0
Do it the proper way.
Hire a V8 Ford.
- monkeyshine0
Here's another way...if you are super flexible it can be fun..and it is cheap. I did this years ago.
- kgvs720
This was a while back, but it was three days from Chicago to Tucson. I was a kid, but it was fun.
- MSTRPLN0
I travelled with Amtrak from Montreal to Penn Station NYC and it took about 14hrs, where it would take 6hrs to drive directly.
It wasn't too bad, but about half way in to the trip, the bathroom on the train began to look like Mount Everest with a mountain of toilet paper almost surpassing the lid. A majestic feat.