Planes and Trains and... well, just those two.

drhazard

I may need to take a one-way trip to Dallas in early August of this year (I'm in DC). I've been weighing my options, and after noting that an Amtrak ride may be cheaper than a flight, I'm considering taking it. Does anyone have any advice, though, before I plunk down some money? I've never done a train trip except for a commuter train once to get to Baltimore by myself. It looks like it'd be a two-day trip from Chicago and then down to Dallas. A few points:

- I'm 6'5", and pretty much require a bulkhead/exit row seat on airplanes. Anyone have any idea if coach-seats on a train are much better?

- I notice they allow two carry-ons and three checked, with a $10 each for up to three additional checked bags. I may take advantage of this, but has anyone had any problems with baggage on trains like on planes?

Any other pointers would be appreciated.

Daenris

What is the actual price difference? I've never actually taken a long train trip, but my wife has (Philly-Chicago) and said she'd never do it again. You'll most likely have a bit more space on the train, but the fact that it takes ages longer to get there is going to get annoying after being on the train for more than a few hours. There will also be many stops (scheduled and unscheduled... my wife said the train she was on had to stop a lot to let freight trains pass... not sure if this is regular or just an effect of the specific route she was on). When I've looked into it I've always found that the tickets aren't anywhere near enough cheaper to choose the train over plane and are frequently more expensive.

From a quick Amtrak search it looks like a ticket from DC to Dallas in early August (leaving/returning on weekdays) it's about $185 each way. A quick search of Priceline yields a round trip ticket available for around $200. I'd be curious to see the prices you've found that make Amtrak cheaper though.

Chiba

I've taken a train twice from harrisburg (central PA) to pittsburgh (western PA), about a 5 hour trip so not anywhere close to the length you're going. I can help you out with the seat thing, I've gotten coach both times. I'm 6'3" and the seats were more than fine for me. Much more comfortable than coach airplane seats. Both times I've went the seat next to me was never occupied so I had room to spread out. i went amtrak and they dont really assign you seats, you just sit where you can, the majority of people had 2 seats to themselves.

Train is a very good way to travel, just takes longer.

Gdiguy

I used to take Amtrak going home from school in Boston to New York; you'll get a lot more seat-room than a plane (and possibly even more if it's a non-crowded route and you get 2 seats to yourself), and I tend to prefer it over flying (both the flying part and the hour and a half in the airport before the flying)

However, at some point there is a time tradeoff... it depends how much cheaper it is, but remember you're also going to need to factor in buying a decent amount more food for a 2 day train ride, and you'll basically waste a day. If you could turn it into more of a relaxing scenic trip with a friend/girlfriend it could be fun, but I don't know how much the savings would be worth wasting that much extra time

EggyToast

I'm friends with a couple who take trains on most vacations, but that's because their vacations are usually for meeting their larger families and they don't really want to hang out with that family. So they use the train ride as an extended date and just have fun together, playing games, reading, and so on.

They like it *because* it takes longer, and they get a sleeper car for privacy and space reasons. It's not all that cheaper, if your time is worth anything, but if you plan it as part of the trip, and, you know, actually plan for it, you can use it to have a good time.

I personally love flying because you go 1000 miles in 2.5hrs, instead of 20+. There's waiting and stops in all forms of transportation so the wait beforehand doesn't bother me.

You usually keep your luggage around you, or it stays on the train with you. Most problems with luggage on planes comes from the sheer volume of bags they handle more than anything else, and compared to trains there's significantly less likelihood of loss or damage simply due to fewer trains and fewer people on those trains.

I think they're neat, and can be relaxing, but they're not efficient nor cost effective for travel in the US.

deadonthestreet

A long train ride is a miserable experience. It is loud, filled with people, uncomfortable, and feels like it will never end. Avoid it.