what is it like to travel on the auto train
What it'due south Actually Similar to Travel iii,400 Miles Beyond the Country on Amtrak
From NYC to San Francisco for $227—I did all the research so you don't have to. Travel tips at the end.
For the first fourth dimension ever, my job decided to close its office for the week between Christmas and New Years. So since I now had a free week of holiday, I chose to do something I've wanted to do for a few years: travel cantankerous-land on Amtrak.
I had a total of 10 days off, and figured the best way to accept reward of information technology without adding on any additional vacation fourth dimension was to go out Christmas forenoon. So at half dozen:45am, my brother and I boarded the Cardinal train from Penn Station. When picking your road to San Francisco, there's a stopover in Chicago for a few hours. That's where everyone changes trains for the California Zephyr. And then in order to get to Chicago, you can choose to accept either one of 2 routes from NYC: northward through upstate NY and Buffalo, or south through DC, Virginia and effectually through Cincinnati.
Since I'd be traveling in the middle of wintertime in the northeast, I figured traveling through Buffalo wasn't the best idea. So south on the Key route it was.
One fun discovery was finding that the entire route from NYC to Chicago was incredibly boring. It was about a 27 hr railroad train ride and a majority of the trip was spent going through backroads of towns, through open and empty farmlands, the woods, seeing flatness in every direction and witnessing some of the most uninteresting landscapes. The only cool function was riding the railroad train up and over the Appalachian Mountains, although we hit that function but later dark. The higher up photo was taken in Virginia and was my window view for a couple of hours.
During those 27 hours we got to become off the train in a few locations. Time varied between a couple hours to a few minutes for smoke breaks. Our first hour long suspension was in DC while they inverse the engine of the railroad train to diesel fuel and allowed everyone to check out Matrimony Station. Then it was back on to continue through common cold, tiny towns.
Westhile in Chicago we had a iv.5 hr break between trains, which was lovely. Later we got into the station there, my blood brother and I opted to shop our numberless in luggage lockers inside instead of lug them around the city. That turned out to be the best idea because it began raining while we explored, and it was also fairly cold. I've been to Chicago a couple of times earlier and so I knew where to take my brother who had never been. We scoped out Millennium Park, The Art Institute, Willis Tower and various neighborhoods.
So, information technology was back on the train for a 3.5 day trip across the residuum of the country. Merely this railroad train was the California Zephyr and information technology was a monstrous brute that was 10x meliorate than the Primal railroad train. Showtime, it'south a double-decker railroad train with big seats, an observer machine with swivel chairs, and lots of power to travel quickly. Second, it's famous for the views, climates and stops along the route.
Between Chicago and Denver things were pretty apartment, foggy and snowy. But that just made the apprehension of reaching the Colorado Rockies that much more than nail-bitter. Nosotros arrived at the Denver station early in the morning and that'south when everyone rushed to grab a seat in the Observer car.
After about an hour, we left the station and headed across open land to the foothills of the Rockies. In that location were teaser moments between buildings equally our train left Denver where we could run across the peaks poking through and it made everyone and so excited. We passed by houses existence built and finally emerged into rolling orange hills with spots of trees and up into the mountains themselves. The views kept building and building to be epic landscapes, steep cliffs, snow-covered trees and beautiful twists and turns along the river. We climbed to virtually ix,000 feet and saw clear across acres and acres of land in every direction. Observer car floor to ceiling windows FTW.
After Colorado the landscape continued to be gorgeous, only but a scrap less ballsy. The open plains of Utah and Nevada were cute and alive with so much colour. Once we hitting California we went through mountains again and then along the San Francisco coastline to Emeryville for the passenger vehicle to the Bay Area.
In total our trip took 110 hours, 3,400 miles, 2 trains, 1 coach and countless hours in cell service dead zones. Information technology was an amazing journey that I'thou completely okay with but doing once in my life.
So, now some tips:
- Skip the NYC to Chicago leg of the trip if you lot tin. Fly to either city to start / end your Amtrak fourth dimension. That expanse between both cities merely isn't worth the time spent on the train.
- A straight through ticket costs $227 if bought a few months in advance (I bought mine in September for an terminate of Dec trip). If I wanted to exist in the sleeper cars, I'd have to pay ~$k one way. A bed also comes with a shower and all your meals as part of the ticket. The coach seat toll is only for the seat and the use of tiny, shared bathrooms. That means no showering until y'all reach your final destination.
- Bring ear plugs, a blanket, center mask and a neck pillow if you lot're sleeping in coach like I did. It gets cold at night with the Ac blasting, lights aren't dimmed very much, and people snore. I bought this blanket and this travel kit for the trip on Amazon. Also, bring some babe wipes with you for quick "showers".
- Bring snacks. Lots of snacks. Become to a supermarket and buy not-refrigerated / microwavable food correct before the ride. Especially find fruits and veggies that you can snack on and even bring a gallon or two of water. It'll exist a large money saver and when yous're in high altitudes, you'll tend to feel pretty dehydrated. As well, bring more than than you call back yous might need. Odds are you'll end up snacking out of colorlessness for a few days.
- Or, if y'all're so inclined, buy a box of Soylent and drink that on your ride. I had a combo of this and fruits / snacks for my ten day trip and it worked out wonderfully. I used the powder version so I could mix it with gratis cold water from the railroad train, which made information technology more refreshing.
- Bring lots of offline movies. And digital books. And lots of music saved offline from Spotify. There are many hours of boring / cell phone dead zone parts of the trip and there are only and so many hours you'll feel like speaking to other people to pass the time.
- Wifi on the train is highly unreliable and fifty-fifty not-real in parts, then don't rely on using Netflix. You lot'll stop upward bored out of your mind like the daughter in front of me for most of the trip.
- Wearable clothing that is super comfy forth with warm socks. The train cars get cold, particularly if you're seated by the doors connecting ii cars together. Likewise, about people just walk around in half-pajamas 98% of the fourth dimension since they know they're in for the long haul. Don't worry virtually what you look similar; y'all're not there to impress anybody.
- The best views on the train are on the right side of the car if you're going westward; the left side of the railroad train is the best if yous're traveling east.
- Lunch is first come up, beginning served until the cafe car is full. Then it's reservation only. This peculiarly applies to jitney car riders. As well, it'southward communal seating. So if you're a group less than 4 people, you'll have some randos seated at your table to make full the infinite.
- In that location'due south also a bar on the train!?
- If you opt to sleep in coach the whole route similar I did, and if you're over v'6", you'll probably be uncomfortable. I'thou that pinnacle and it was slightly cramped for me. The seats recline fairly far back, they're wide and similar to a recliner with tons of leg room. But information technology doesn't even compare to sleeping in a bed.
- Wake upward early, get to sleep kind of early on. It'll maximize daylight scenery viewing time and proceed you refreshed. Despite doing minimal activity, train travel is surprisingly exhausting.
Have a nail!
Source: https://futuretravel.today/what-it-s-actually-like-to-travel-3-400-miles-across-the-country-on-amtrak-59c9cc49dce3