Pastor Dave
Lead Service Attendant
In the last decade or so, I've had the privilege of leading several spiritual retreats to such places as Iona, Assisi, Greece, and the Holy Land. As the pilgrimage leader I've been charged with both the mundane details of itinerary and creating programs that are enriching and worth the investment of the participant.
I've been asked again to do an overseas retreat and, quite frankly, it no longer gets the juices flowing. So I suggested to the sponsor that we consider a "rail-pilgrimage" entailing religious landmarks in the US and following singificant historical events such as the underground railroad, etc.
While we could bus (Oh God, save me from this trial) or fly (Oh God, you can't do this to me), I am considering doing a good bulk of the itinerary by train.
My question is, does Amtrak have dedicated cars available for our group, or would it be better to investigate private varnish? My thinking is that if we had some sort of private car for our sessions, our participants could then decide on their own if they wished coach or sleeper accomodations.
Have you either rented a private car from Amtrak or leased private varnish? If so, do you have an dollar figures that this might cost?
I've been asked again to do an overseas retreat and, quite frankly, it no longer gets the juices flowing. So I suggested to the sponsor that we consider a "rail-pilgrimage" entailing religious landmarks in the US and following singificant historical events such as the underground railroad, etc.
While we could bus (Oh God, save me from this trial) or fly (Oh God, you can't do this to me), I am considering doing a good bulk of the itinerary by train.
My question is, does Amtrak have dedicated cars available for our group, or would it be better to investigate private varnish? My thinking is that if we had some sort of private car for our sessions, our participants could then decide on their own if they wished coach or sleeper accomodations.
Have you either rented a private car from Amtrak or leased private varnish? If so, do you have an dollar figures that this might cost?