Type the words “train travel in the USA” and you are sure to see the viral post of traveler David Low and his $213 train ride across the United States. What most people fail to do is read his entire post to see that he used Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass and spent over $400 to cross the United States by train. Let’s be real, most of us who cross the country by train do need to return to where we started, so in this case you really do need to budget a minimum of $426.
If I were to make a reservation with Amtrak today, you will see that I can travel from Boston (my home station) to Emeryville, CA (as close to San Francisco as you can get) for $232.00. Round trip would be $464.
BUY A RAIL PASS INSTEAD!
Every time I see posts about cross-country train travel and the volume of comments that follow on how much people would love to take this kind of trip I just want to scream…. “Buy a RAIL PASS you won’t regret it!” The absolute best deal is the rail pass because with the 15 day pass, currently priced at $459 it allows you to get ON and OFF EIGHT TIMES! For an additional fraction of the cost of your simple round trip ticket you can choose to visit up to eight different destinations.
GO AWAY!
Crossing the United States by train is phenomenal no matter which way you choose to do it, but with a little planning why not stop in some of Amtrak’s over 500 destinations! Need some advice, visit our website http://crosscountrytraintravel.com .
Photo Courtesy of Amtrak Media Relations, Chicago, Illinois
BEYOND THE RAILS
Time for the shameless plug, if you would like to learn more about the ins and outs of train travel, our 4 trips of over 21,000 miles turned into a fun to read informative book to help you plan your trip of a life time! Available in print (makes a great gift…together with a rail pass would be an awesome present for your favorite traveler) and digitally via Amazon.
The book contains anecdotes, check lists, dozens of pictures of the interior of the train, what to pack, how to plan a trip and over 20 destinations with not to be missed itineraries.
Thank you for reading, as always I am happy to answer any questions you might have about planning your trip just give me a shout! Oh and if you like the book, I would love it if you leave a review!
Cheers, Lisa
