Planning Coast to Coast Trip

[Sandy]

Hi,

This is going to be rather long - but I could really do with some advice.

I hope to be in the US towards the end of next year (August/September) flying to New York from UK then flying Los Angeles to Australia to visit my daughter.

Never having visited the US before, I will be travelling alone - a single, middle-aged woman on a very modest budget, and I wonder if doing a Coast to Coast rail trip would be the safest and most cost-effective way to see as much as possible.

Could somebody please give me some idea of what it is likely to cost for a single sleeper or are the seats comfortable enough to sleep in (I'm quite small) - do you pay for meals in the ticket price? Would it be better to use a travel agent? etc., etc., etc!!!!!

I have in mind to say, spend a day in one town sight-seeing, catch the train in the evening to the next town, spend the day there and so on. If I don't sleep on the train I'm a bit nervous about arriving somewhere late in the evening and trying to find somewhere to spend the night.

I've looked on the Amtrak website but I'm finding it all very confusing, and their organised Vacations all look rather too grand and expensive. I'm a 'jeans and rucksack' type of traveller!

So - if anybody could please give me any advice on how to go about starting to plan my trip I'd be truly grateful.

Sandy

 

[had8ley]

Hi,
This is going to be rather long - but I could really do with some advice.

I hope to be in the US towards the end of next year (August/September) flying to New York from UK then flying Los Angeles to Australia to visit my daughter.

Never having visited the US before, I will be travelling alone - a single, middle-aged woman on a very modest budget, and I wonder if doing a Coast to Coast rail trip would be the safest and most cost-effective way to see as much as possible.

Could somebody please give me some idea of what it is likely to cost for a single sleeper or are the seats comfortable enough to sleep in (I'm quite small) - do you pay for meals in the ticket price? Would it be better to use a travel agent? etc., etc., etc!!!!!

I have in mind to say, spend a day in one town sight-seeing, catch the train in the evening to the next town, spend the day there and so on. If I don't sleep on the train I'm a bit nervous about arriving somewhere late in the evening and trying to find somewhere to spend the night.

I've looked on the Amtrak website but I'm finding it all very confusing, and their organised Vacations all look rather too grand and expensive. I'm a 'jeans and rucksack' type of traveller!

So - if anybody could please give me any advice on how to go about starting to plan my trip I'd be truly grateful.

Sandy

Call 1-800-USA-RAIL or write to Amtrak about travellers discounts. There are also "See the USA" rail passes available for tourists from abroad. The vacations are pre-planned and are rather outrageous in price.I would think the best place to start is the internet but I'm sorry I do not know what to ask for outside of the US. To answer your question about meals. They are included in the sleeping car prices but not coach prices. The coach seats are rather large and very comfortable and can be used to sleep in cross country. The two draw backs to coach travel are hygiene and high prices food in both the diners and lounge cars. There are no shower rooms in the coaches; just the sleepers. You can guarantee hotel or hostel nights with a credit card or pre-payment if you are concerned about a positive place to bed down for the night. Do your homework and you had ought to have an enjoyable time. Good luck.

 

[opaque]

I would reccommend talking to Trailfinders who are all over the UK.

They are one of the few sales outlets for Amtrak in the UK.

They can book you anything you want and will be very helpful. But it would be best if you took a look at the Amtrak website and just play around with the dates and places you want to go to and have a rough idea of what you want. The prices can massively change if you did want to go for a roomette or bedroom. Depends on how far between stops I suppose. They only check the same system that is on the website from what I could see.

When you book with them they will get you confirmation asap (I booked over 6 months ahead as the bedrooms were already filling up). Tickets apparently arrive 7-10 days before you leave.

From the Amtrak website:

'All meals for passengers with sleeping accommodations are included in the price of their train ticket while coach class passengers may dine for an additional charge. Hours of operation of food-service cars vary depending on train operation.'

Look at the Travelling with Amtrak section. It's very useful

 

[VentureForth]

Here are a couple of tips for you. If you can wait 'til September, the rates for the USA Rail Pass (for other than North American Citizens) drops by $110 for a 15-day pass and $130 for a 30-day pass. August Prices are $499 & $599 respectively, and September prices are $389 & $469 respectively. Nice thing about travel in September is that Daylight Savings Time hasn't ended yet. You get a lot of daylight and you're off peak-rates.

As a self-described petite, I would imagine that the coach seats would be quite comfortable. Bring an inflatable or compact pillow.

Now here is where it gets interesting. You may want to consider asking for a sleeper upgrade onboard. If you can get one for a portion of your trip at a price you are happy with, the service is much nicer. The added bonus is that you have access to a shower and your meals are paid for (provided you're on board at the right time...).

Here's a little secret. If you have an upgraded ticket for either Acela or a Sleeper, you can enjoy lounges on the same day at: Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Portland, Oregon, Raleigh, St. Paul/Minneapolis, Boston South Station, New York Penn Station, Philadelphia 30th Street Station, and Washington DC Union Station.

Number one rule, be flexible. Number two rule, expect the unexpected. Number three rule, take lots of pictures. Number four rule, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

 

[user 1359]

Here are a couple of tips for you. If you can wait 'til September, the rates for the USA Rail Pass (for other than North American Citizens) drops by $110 for a 15-day pass and $130 for a 30-day pass. August Prices are $499 & $599 respectively, and September prices are $389 & $469 respectively. Nice thing about travel in September is that Daylight Savings Time hasn't ended yet. You get a lot of daylight and you're off peak-rates.
As a self-described petite, I would imagine that the coach seats would be quite comfortable. Bring an inflatable or compact pillow.

Now here is where it gets interesting. You may want to consider asking for a sleeper upgrade onboard. If you can get one for a portion of your trip at a price you are happy with, the service is much nicer. The added bonus is that you have access to a shower and your meals are paid for (provided you're on board at the right time...).

Here's a little secret. If you have an upgraded ticket for either Acela or a Sleeper, you can enjoy lounges on the same day at: Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Portland, Oregon, Raleigh, St. Paul/Minneapolis, Boston South Station, New York Penn Station, Philadelphia 30th Street Station, and Washington DC Union Station.

Number one rule, be flexible. Number two rule, expect the unexpected. Number three rule, take lots of pictures. Number four rule, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

If you are on a budget the price you pay for a sleeper upgrade on board will be the lowest rate or "bucket" that is available. If available you can purchase the upgrade from the conductor.