VentureForth
Engineer
There's a reason why the phone number for the Auto Train is 1-800-SKIP I95!
Some of the best Amtrak billboards ever went up along I-95 in the Carolinas in the mid 1990's. They simply said "Tired Yet?" in huge blurry letters and then in smaller, clearer print "Next Time try Amtrak's Auto-Train."There's a reason why the phone number for the Auto Train is 1-800-SKIP I95!
I've done my share of long drives and I did consider it for this trip but was concerned about weather in the mountains and my vehicles ability to handle that terrain along with the entirety of the trip as a whole, just not something I want to deal with. And even when I've used rental cars in the past I still had worries, the ones you mentioned along with a few more like unexpected construction and health issues (10 to 12 hours of driving takes a toll when you have nobody to share driving time with). I don't have the constitution I had when I was in my 20s. I still have a sense of adventure but not that much, not like back then.For people that find issues with trains, they probably don't want to take the train anyhow. These same people would just blow off the same issue if it was on a plane or bus. We are probably like that with trains because we like train travel.
As far as a family taking the train, I had a discussion with a coworker about taking the train to Boston or New York. His claim was that it was much cheaper to drive. First, he was underestimating the cost to drive. He was only using the amount for the gas to go. He didn't count insurance, wear and tear on your vehicle, etc. I still stand by the government rate of .565 per mile. I have been tracking my expenses with my vehicles, and the car that is paid off is about .52 a mile for the miles I put on it. But I have to put tires, brakes, inspection, and insurance in the next month which is going to add a few cents to the overall cost. I buy a car and keep it until it is at 75% of its life where this guy buys a new car every 3 years. Second, he didn't include tolls, parking, and just the stress of having to drive. I have to put a value on my time of driving vs. just sitting and relaxing. He didn't see it that way.
AU has a member who's a commercial pilot. In fact he came to the recent Gathering in Chicago from New Orleans - by train! When I first met him, he was a volunteer - at the Dallas Amtrak station.I have a friend who's a commercial airline pilot. I turned her onto Amtrak a few years ago and we do one long distance trip each year! I love hearing her tell of sharing our adventures with the other pilots that she fly's with! They are amazed and getting more curious to try Amtrak themselves. :giggle:
I have a number of specialized toiletries, and I literally am not allowed to take them on the plane. (What am I supposed to do, decant my toothpaste into a separate tube which is not a standard size?!? How?!?) So airline travel means at best, spectacular hassle and at worst, lack of access to what I'm comfortable with *for the whole trip*. Train or bus or car, I just take what I want.As for the comparison to Airline travel I can't say I have the same negative experience as a lot of others have had here. I flew about 90,000 miles last year and never had any major issues. Yes Security is a bit annoying, but if you know what you're doing it's really not all that hard. Would I rather take the train?
I still do long drives -- the thing is, being a sensible person, I have to pace myself, be cautious, swap drivers every 2 hours, not drive more than 8 hours a day.... it ends up being an exhausting trip, and more importantly *it's actually slower than taking the train* if the train goes there, because the train can travel day and night and through meals at 79 mph or more. So I only drive when the train *doesn't* go from here to there. (My current top desire route: East Coast to Michigan. No, bus from Toledo is not cool -- I get carsick in those things.)I've done my share of long drives and I did consider it for this trip but was concerned about weather in the mountains and my vehicles ability to handle that terrain along with the entirety of the trip as a whole, just not something I want to deal with.
I've just read your question & none of the other posts responding to it.So, all I can say is that at one time I found myself trying to defend my love for train travel. As time went on, I realized that as long as I loved it, it didnt matter what others thought! After all, they're not paying for it!!!!Yesterday for the umpteenth time I had to defend my desire to travel in peace, comfort, and relaxation compared to the nightmare of the airport/airplane hassle; I get so tired of explaining to people all the positives to train travel and more importantly, the enjoyment I get from it. And oftentimes the truly negative nelly's have never even taken Amtrak and if they have it was eons ago. Fortunately a few people expressed genuine interest or even fascination when I described my itinerary, but those are few and far between, /sigh.
How do all of you handle the criticism toward taking trains in general and Amtrak specifically?
This is THE reason (minus violation of my religious beliefs, as I am an atheist) I started taking Amtrak for vacations. TSA has done long-term damage to airlines because not only have I abandoned air travel due to "security"(-theater) at airports, hurting airlines' immediate revenue, I've also discovered how wonderful the onboard experience is with Amtrak and would be very reluctant to return to airlines even if TSA is abolished entirely. And I'm certain I'm not the only one - for each person that voices an opinion like this, how many more are there who are doing the same thing (e.g. switching permanently from air to rail) and just not mentioning it aloud?That's fine if they think I'm crazy for taking the train. I think they're crazy for putting themselves and their children through all the indignity faced at TSA checkpoints: you know, assuming the surrender position in a body scanner and/or allowing a stranger to touch them in very intimate places on their body. Cops can't even perform such procedures. For the ones who get to navigate a security checkpoint untouched and are priveleged to use the metal detectors instead of the nudie nukers.....good for them. I don't want to take my chances of having to make a decision to leave the airport. So I choose the train.
It's not that my friends think I'm crazy for choosing this form of transportation, per se. It's more like they think I'm a prude for not allowing the TSA to have their way with my body. Their measures violate my religious views beliefs, and morals, which I won't compromise. Furthermore, these "enhanced" security procedures are neither necessary or effective. It's a shame that such an "advanced" country as ours can't figure out a way to secure an airplane without treating its own innocent citizens like criminals.
At least I'm free on the train.
Actually the phone number for autotrain is 1-877-SKIP I95.There's a reason why the phone number for the Auto Train is 1-800-SKIP I95!
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