do you take the train because your afraid to fly?

[chucklehead]

do you take the train because your afraid to fly?

i tried to make it a poll but it didn't werk

 

[MrFSS]

do you take the train because your afraid to fly?

i tried to make it a poll but it didn't werk

No - I love to fly, but I take trains when I can because I love to take trains, too.

 

[yarrow]

we take the train to see our country which is much different from the country the freeway gives us and very much different from our country from 60,000 feet.

 

[cp]

Mostly for the joy of being on the rails. Flying is just as safe, but more stressful. When I travel on the NEC on business, I always travel by train because it makes more sense that fyling. The LD trains are mostly for fun, and I view them as low-cost "land cruises." And, BTW, the cruising altitude for commercial jetliners is between 25,000 and 38,000 feet. 60,000 feet is for the next generation of aircraft. We're not there yet.

 

[gswager]

Flying is fine with me, but it's stressful due to security checkpoint, waiting in long line, packed tube (they're like zombies once the plane reached the bridge), and too tiny to see out of window.

Riding train is very relaxing, talking with people, and magnify glass is not required when looking out the window.

 

[Guest]

I do. You couldn't pay me enough to fly anywhere.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I enjoy a flight t now and then; I can even enjoy a bus ride under about three hours.

But the train is my lifelong hobby--not even a choice, really. I can never remember not being fascinated with trains. Thus, it has nothing to do with fear of flying.

 

[Irv]

No. I dislike flying because of the hassle and the hours spent packed into a sardine can breathing other peoples' germs. Been there, done that. Now I'd prefer to get up, walk around, maybe visit with someone, watch the country go by. Maybe even get a night's sleep, which is impossible for me to do on a plane.

 

[dan72]

My wife and I took Amtrak out to Arizona last Spring and flew to San Diego in July. I personally found flying to be as tiring, if not more so than being on a train for 30 hours over two days. Plus, we met a lot of great people and had a chance to see parts of the US you can't see up in the air. My wife dislikes flying and really found the train to be relaxing a pleasant, so she is a convert to train travel as well.

If given a choice and it's workable, I will now go by train over plane any day!

Dan

 

[MrFSS]

Sometimes the cost of flying vs Amtrak travel between the same points can be a factor.

My wife and I flew to Sacramento last year for $99 each. The train was $600 total to come back.

 

[Rafi]

do you take the train because your afraid to fly?

i tried to make it a poll but it didn't werk

That's an interesting question I think all of us rail fans encounter or discuss at one point or another. I got hooked on the train primarily because I needed a break from flying when I used to work as a trainer for Apple. Airports were starting to blend together, the airline seats were giving me backaches (and I was a 25 year old in pretty good shape, no less), and the planes were just leaving me exhausted and dehydrated. On a whim, I decided to book my first train trip out of Chicago to see what the whole LD sleeper thing was like.

I distinctly remember taking my sleeper room on the Cardinal for my trip to Culpeper, VA and thinking how luxurious this experience was (this was back in 2003 when the train was with two sleepers, diner, checked baggage, etc), as compared to spending the same amount of money on a hotel, restaurant, and flight the next day to Charlottesville, VA, and then driving 45 minutes north. The scenery was jaw-dropping, the attendant offered me room service for meals, and the whole experience was just very satisfying. I stepped off the train in Culpeper refreshed, happy, and ready to walk three blocks down main street (literally) to a movie with my family.

Ever since then, whenever I get a business trip lined up (I've changed jobs and don't travel as much, unfortunately), it's a quick trip to Amtrak's web site to find the nearest station, then a quick series of calculations to figure out the train sleeper vs air/hotel/car/meals ratio. If the train comes out to be the same price or cheaper, and if the departure/arrival time works, then it's a go. Sometimes, unfortunately, it's back to the skies, which is what happened on my trip to Atlanta today. Every time I go through that airport I'm convinced that I lose a week of life. To add insult to injury, I drove right past the Amtrak train station on my way to the hotel this afternoon. :angry:

Rafi

 

[AmtrakFan]

I can tolerate flying but I don't like dealing with the Security Lines, the Limited Liquid Rules, plus I want to see America on the Ground Not in the air.

 

[saxman]

Yeah I like flying. I'm a commercial pilot even. I've taken the train for fun, but many of my trips were because I actually had to get somewhere and flying was too expensive. I went to college in North Dakota, and the Empire Builder ended up being a huge benefit for me many of my friends. Where I lived in Grand Forks, though we did have airline service, GFK was only served by one airline with 6 to 8 flights a day to Minneapolis. And you can guess what that meant. NWA gets to charge $450 or more to fly somwhere. Being in college I certainly didn't have that money. Even just to fly to MSP without connecting would be more than $300 many times. Amtrak was perfect. Got to MSP early in the morning so I had all day to catch a cheap flight out of there.

So there you go. I'm actual proof, that LD trains aren't just for the nostalgia of travel, but I actually use them to get where I need to be because its cheap, and i bet I could find hundreds more that use it for the same reason.

 

[AlanB]

So there you go. I'm actual proof, that LD trains aren't just for the nostalgia of travel, but I actually use them to get where I need to be because its cheap, and i bet I could find hundreds more that use it for the same reason.

Of that I have no doubt, despite the hundreds of critics that insist that the trains are either empty or cater to those who want a land cruise ship.

 

[Pokey]

My last flying experience was so unpleasant. I felt like a sardine and I'm only 5'1 !! I love the fact that the train is so relaxing. Luckily I have a lot of vacation time and I am a reader. I would rather take the time than deal with the stress. The last time I tried to read on the plane I dropped my book and could not bend over to pick it up for hours. No room!

 

[Bigval109]

I take the train because I enjoy it. It is the most relaxing thing I can do. When my vacation times roll around you can bet I have spent several months planning a LD train ride. Short trip are just not for me. I particularly like the cross country rides. Coast to Coast are my favorate. I'm waiting for the Sunset Limited to return to coast to coast. I hope things for the CZ get better soon.

 

[Bigval109]

I take the train because I enjoy it. It is the most relaxing thing I can do. When my vacation times roll around you can bet I have spent several months planning a LD train ride. Short trip are just not for me. I particularly like the cross country rides. Coast to Coast are my favorate. I'm waiting for the Sunset Limited to return to coast to coast. I hope things for the CZ get better soon.

I forgot to say I've been saving to fly to London for a vaction but I don't think I can deal with the stress of Flying overseas with the various terror alerts. I want to relax and enjoy the trip but under current circumstances I think a flight oversea would be too nerve racking.

 

[AmtrakCrescent20]

No-I often have to complete part of my rail trips with airlines because of time constraints, but I enjoy train travel much more-a dining car, fresh air stops, sleeping cars, no security, not being crammed into seats with no legroom. For me, train travel is the main part of a trip, but air travel is simply a method of getting there.

 

[cp]

I take the train because I enjoy it. It is the most relaxing thing I can do. When my vacation times roll around you can bet I have spent several months planning a LD train ride. Short trip are just not for me. I particularly like the cross country rides. Coast to Coast are my favorate. I'm waiting for the Sunset Limited to return to coast to coast. I hope things for the CZ get better soon.

I forgot to say I've been saving to fly to London for a vaction but I don't think I can deal with the stress of Flying overseas with the various terror alerts. I want to relax and enjoy the trip but under current circumstances I think a flight oversea would be too nerve racking.

You can travel to Europe without flying. The Queen Mary II sails twice a month from N.Y. to Southhampton, UK, where you can connect with the exellent European rail network. QM2 runs April to Nov, approx. Interested people should visit Cunard's website.

 

[The Metropolitan]

Not afraid at all, nor would I say I don't appreciate having the option to fly there. But I would say I'm not particularly enchanted with flying - sort of like a commuter train with wings to me. Cramped, sterile, and with very limited view. Convenient, pretty much (though some terminals proximity by transit to the cities they serve leaves much to be desired), fast, and at times even cheap, but that's about where it ends.

Riding a plane is in no way a JOY to me. I dread fumbling through security lines, having to think about what I pack, and then hoping that the flight goes smoothly.

The train, very carefree to me - just get your ticket, get on, sit back, stretch out, and enjoy the ride. Socialize, grab a meal, or just gawk at the amazing variety of scenery to behold as you get from here to there in a leisurely but enjoyable fashion.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I had an old boss who said it rather well for me. Several of us were talking about travel. It came up that rode the train.

Before I hardly opened my mouth my boss said, "Yeah, that is the civilized way to travel"!"

I think he got it right--the CIVILIZED way.

And---by the way---this was well before 9/11. No reference whatsoever to the more recent securitiy hassles.

 

[Everydaymatters]

I become terrified when thinking of being in a plane. My daughter was in the process of making air reservations for the two of us a couple of years back. She took one look at me and told the reservationist to cancel it. I was in a state of panic.

I did fly to Seattle last May and I did pretty good, but only because I blocked it from my mind. I actually had to pretend I was walking into a grocery store in order to pull it off!!!

 

[frj1983]

Even before 9/11 I loved to travel by train!

I especially enjoyed getting to know other travelers(has anyone noticed that travelers by train tend to be more social than travelers using the airplane). You get to see sites/sights that can't be seen by air. And I find train travel to be more relaxing(even if we're late).

I don't like flying because I find it stressful(security hassels and being tightly jammed into a little tube). And now for the main reason: I find flying incredibly boring!

 

[rblikestrains]

Flying is fast, but it can be very stressful, as most travelers are concerned with speed of service,

If you want more scenic traveling, the passenger train is the way to go. It takes more time, but

is not as stressful if you can afford the time.

 

[Swede]

From a swedish viewpoint, I take trains because they are cheap and plentiful, and also much more environmentally friendly and energy efficient than other modes of transportation (especially if we're talking electrified trains). However, I also enjoy flying and have a private pilot license.

To those contemplating flying over to Europe, my experience is that long haul flights are more relaxed than short hops, after you get past security of course.. Sure, you can go by boat, but at a considerable cost.