<p>Has anyone ever sent a returning student by train alone cross-country? Or taken the journey yourself? </p>
<p>S wants a break from flying (New York to Southern California).</p>
<p>He has some free days at the end of summer, and will have worked very hard at his job for 3 months. </p>
<p>Sounds cool to me. Any experiences or advice on practicalities (food, sleepers, luggage, internet service...)?</p>
<p>My husband took a train from NY to Florida around 20 years ago. He had an ear infection and couldn’t fly. It took around 25 hours.</p>
<p>He. Did. Not. Enjoy. It.</p>
<p>To say the least.</p>
<p>Apparently it was quaint for about the first 20 minutes. Then, there was the remaining 24 hours and 40 minutes to get through.</p>
<p>I suggested that chatting with different people might be fun. He pointed out that the people getting on in little towns through South Carolina and Georgia were not the people he wanted to chat with. (Sorry to people from those states.) </p>
<p>He had a sleeper car, so he basically read, slept, ate, read and slept for the 25 hours.</p>
<p>Spouse just wandered over and said: “Enter with a mindset that you’re taking an “orient express”. Keep your mind open. Consider, as you’re traveling throught the countryside, how it was two hundred years ago – buffalo, Indians, whatever. If you don’t do that, you’ll go crazy just sitting on the train.”</p>
<p>Sister in law went from NYC to LA last year. Loved it. Got at at a few places on the way back for sights.</p>
<p>My dad took a much shorter train ride from Florida to the DC area. He thought it would be a fun change of pace instead of driving. Well, he said it was absolutely miserable–boring, long, loud, and extremely uncomfortable. He said that the experience “ranks right up there with spending 18 months in a tent in Korea during the Korean War.” He’ll never travel by train again.</p>
<p>I did Syracuse to Chicago once, and found it very relaxing. It’s the kind of trip where you definitely want to have a project to keep you busy. The seats all have electrical outlets near the arm rests, so your electronic equipment will work the entire time.</p>
<p>I slept very well, compared to flights to Europe. Amtrak’s seats (I did not have a sleeper) recline nicely, and there’s a foot rest that comes out. I would suggest ear plugs and an eye mask… it will minimize noise and lights (they tend to turn them on when they come into each station, even in the middle of the night). Now, Buffalo to California is a lot longer than Syracuse to Chicago, but he’s also a lot younger than me. I think it’s something he should experience at least once, just to say he did it.</p>
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<p>I promise you… he would have disliked the flying with an ear infection much, much more! I flew with a cold a month ago, and my eardrum ruptured during the flight. You are stuck on a plane, usually unable to get out of your seat and pace (what I do when I have ear pain), and it just is miserable X ten.</p>
<p>Neighbors took a train from FL to CA after a cruise. Never again, they said. It wouldn’t be bad if you could get off the train and see some sights, but who would want to do that carrying all of his luggage around.</p>
<p>I did Chicago to Philly and return once … an interesting experience. </p>
<p>I do Connecticut to DC several times a year and prefer it to driving if I am travelling alone. I have met very interesting people … including students at schools my S is considering. Probably the most interesting conversation, back when the DNA testing was coming back on Anna Nicole’s little girl, this flamboyant but lovely woman sat down next to me and the first thing out of her mouth was “so who you think is the baby’s daddy!”</p>
<p>Unless he is planning to sleep sitting in his coach seat for three consecutive nights (and I find a single overnight in one of those pretty horrible), be prepared to pay a lot more that you would for a flight.</p>
<p>I’ve spent some time on long train rides.</p>
<p>Plan to arrive late. Once your train is late, other trains that are on time are going to get priority when both trains want to use the same stretch of track. I once spent 12 hours sitting on a track about 15 minutes away from my destination. Give yourself a couple of extra days. You may arrive pretty much on time, and you may be 36 hours behind schedule. If you’re going to be checking into a hotel at the other end, it may be worth it to ask them to hold your room for a late arrival – they’ll charge you whether or not you show up, but you will have a place to crash.</p>
<p>Also, plan on them running out of food (or at least the kinds of food you want to eat) before you arrive, and bring something nonperishable that you can get by on for a couple of days.</p>
<p>Plan on being out of touch for a significant portion of the trip. You’ll have cell reception near major cities, but otherwise you can’t count on it. Don’t count on electricity, either. You may well have it, and that’s great, but if everything you plan to spend your time on needs to be plugged in, it’s going to be a long, boring ride.</p>
<p>Unless you’re in a sleeper, treat luggage like you’re on an airplane: something big that can be stowed at the start of the trip and then ignored until the end, and something small that will stay with you that includes your toiletries, any medications, any valuables, etc.</p>
<p>If you’re going to be changing trains, have Amtrak pick which trains to take, and make sure you get a guaranteed connection. At least it will mean that if you miss the connection you’ll be able to catch a later train.</p>
<p>I love watching the scenery on long train trips. It really is beautiful. And I’ve met some really great conversationalists. But you’ve got to be able to deal with things not going the way you planned.</p>
<p>This thread reminded me of an old college bf who jumped freights back home (Boston to Calgary, Alberta) back in the 70s. Would not recommend that today!</p>
<p>This is the time in his life to have this kind of adventure. Time doesn’t matter so much. You can trust him to manage the details. He will be interested to meet the array of people. And he can probably sleep anywhere. And he will see this country in a way that is worth doing…back fences, wide open spaces, factory back lots, tramps on the line. It will not all be comfortable. But most people in the world often are not…I’d say Go for it. I have had some wonderful train trips in my life, not all entirely comfortable, but all worth it…And if he is doing the whole wide country and coach is not comfortable enough, I’m sure he can upgrade to a compartment–or will have met train staff who can advise him on how to make the trip in style.</p>
<p>I took a train ride from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., by myself after the first time I went to grad school. I loved most of it – particularly the first third of the trip, which had spectacular scenery. I also met interesting people. It was one of the best trips of my life. I did not pay for a sleeper, but instead spent much of the trip trying to stay awake to see the scenery, including at night.</p>
<p>Would he have his own little berth/cabin, or sleep in the recliner seat?
In a trip that long the former would certainly be preferable, though have no idea what the price difference is.</p>
<p>Our last big trip was the auto train from Lorton VA to Florida, about 7 years ago. Just me and the kids on the way down, and we all enjoyed it. It was a novelty to sleep in the bunks, look at the window at night, etc. H. flew down and met us at Disney and joined us for the return trip home. He is tall, the bunks were small, the toilet was the shower, the train whistle kept waking him, etc etc. He complained bitterly the whole way up, and will do so even now whenever the topic comes up. It’s not for everyone.</p>
<p>I like train travel, but if you’re passing through pretty scenery or towns it’s a bit frustrating to not be able to stop and explore. I’d tell him to bring a bunch of great reading material. And maybe watch The Darjeeling Limited to get in the mood.</p>
<p>We’ve done LA to Chicago train trips twice, both time using sleepers. One was just the two adults, another time was with two young children. Mostly enjoyable, but expensive! Going by sleeper, you pay a real premium. Ask your son to price it out first. Sleeper car rates do, I believe, include all meals. Also showers.</p>
<p>I really enjoyed watching the scenery roll by, chatting with people I’d never have met otherwise, being able to get up and stretch my legs, and the fun of eating in the dining car. On the other hand, I have a difficult time sleeping on the train, even with the sleeper car.</p>
<p>I had a friend a number of years ago who took the train from Detroit to Louisiana. Made the mistake of eating one of the sandwiches they sold on board and spent the rest of the trip on a less than comfortable seat, if you know what I mean. </p>
<p>I personally had to take a train from Detroit to Chicago and back once and found it incredibly slow, but the company would not pay for mileage and I couldn’t get a short notice flight at a company approved rate. Of course, I didn’t eat their food.</p>
<p>I took a very slow ride between S.F. and Portland, Oregon in a sleeper with my young son. I did a lot of reading and he found the kiddie car! The food was fine and the scenery spectacular. I would take a train anywhere if the connections were good. Setting up a good system for train travel in the States has not been done at least for our current generation of travellers. I have seen plans in California for high speed trains. It will happen despite everything.</p>
<p>“Unless he is planning to sleep sitting in his coach seat for three consecutive nights (and I find a single overnight in one of those pretty horrible), be prepared to pay a lot more that you would for a flight.”</p>
<p>Very good point. It’ll come out to somewhere around $1400.</p>
<p>Depending on where he is going, he will have to transfer once or twice. He could upgrade to a roomette for one leg and have a break from the seat.
also with some earplugs an eye mask and the rocking of the train ( plus some benadryl if needed), it isn’t hard to go to sleep. ;)</p>
<p>Roomettes also have access to showers and meals are included, for whats that worth. ( I always bring food)</p>
<p>Happykid and I took the train from DC to Iowa one summer when we couldn’t get a flight on short notice. We had a sleeper between DC and Chicago, and coach seats for the shorter trip out of Chicago to Iowa. Dinner and breakfast were included on the leg with the sleeper, and best of all we had first class lounges with luggage check to hang out in in the DC and Chicago stations while we were waiting for our trains. In Chicago we left our luggage behind and ran around the city for several hours.</p>
<p>Happykid and I really do prefer the train to the plane but I don’t want to do it without a sleeper and once again this year it is just too frightfully expensive!</p>
<p>I’d say give your kid a new deck of playing cards, and pack him/her some non-perishable snacks and send him/her off. Nothing beats the train!</p>