travel usa

[roryc]

Hi, Im a 26 year old from ireland and i have wanted to travel through the USA for a long time. I spent a summer in Boston a couple of years ago and I said that if I got the chance I would head back to really see your country. I have a month in which to travel before I head on to soth america. The route I want to take is from Los Angeles to Seattle, Seattle to Chicago, Chicago to Toronto, Toronto to Washington DC, Washington DC to New York and finally New York onto Boston. I fly into San Francisco so I wont need to stop off in this city but I was planning on staying a couple of nights in Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, Washington and New York. I know that there is a North American rail pass available for this journey but are u able to stop off in cities using it or do you have to board trains as soon as possible,ie, if u pull into a train station at night time do u have to get the next train the following morning.. Also I realise that it would be in my interests to get a roomette or bedroom for the LA - Seattle run and the Seattle - Chicago run and I was wondering how much extra on top of my train ticket I would have to pay to get a bed. Is it much better to get the train as well I am favouring taking it because when flying you get to see nothing except little dots from 35000 feet. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Rory

 

[caravanman]

Hi Rory, I am from the UK, so I am a little unsure of some points, but this is my understanding of how it works. Your pass is valid for a callender month, and can be used for 99% of Amtrak trains. Most long distance trains require a reservation, so you can't just turn up at the station with your pass and hop on. (Well I guess you could, but you run the chance of the train already being full). You can make your own advance reservations to travel either at a station, or by phone. Similarly, if you require a sleeper, you can book that in advance too. You can get an idea of sleeper costs, plus info on passes, etc, at amtrak.com There is an online booking section, if you enter the journey dates you require, and then it will offer you a sleeper price option also. You can ignore the normal fare (coach seat) as you will use your pass instead of this portion of the fare.

Quite apart from the website, it is sometimes possible to ask the train conductor, once aboard, whether there are sleepers vacant, and pay him directly. I believe this can give a saving, but of course you run the risk of there being none available. I have never used a pass, prefering to just buy point to point tickets on the Amtrak website, but I gather there are several types, including one just for us foreigners!

Happy Trains!

Ed B)

 

[denmarks]

See this page for pass details. A roomette will add about $100 per day. It varies depending on train and availability.

Sounds like a great trip. Be sure to stay overnight at each connection since trains are usually late. The pass may be used for a maximum of four one-way trips on any given leg. (whatever that means)

 

[cbender]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how Amtrak enforces the condition that: "Your trip must include at least one journey between the United States and Canada."? My understanding is that you don't have to book the entire trip at once. So how exactly do they 'make' you travel to Canada?

 

[gswager]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how Amtrak enforces the condition that: "Your trip must include at least one journey between the United States and Canada."? My understanding is that you don't have to book the entire trip at once. So how exactly do they 'make' you travel to Canada?

That applies for US residents. It's called North America Rail Pass.

For international travelers, besides US and Canadian residents, it is called USA Rail Pass.

You can find on information for Rail Passes.

 

[Trogdor]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how Amtrak enforces the condition that: "Your trip must include at least one journey between the United States and Canada."?  My understanding is that you don't have to book the entire trip at once.  So how exactly do they 'make' you travel to Canada?

That applies for US residents. It's called North America Rail Pass.

For international travelers, besides US and Canadian residents, it is called USA Rail Pass.

You can find on information for Rail Passes.

Actually, there are two different rail passes. The North America Rail Pass is available to everyone, and is valid for 30 days from the first date of travel (i.e. you could book the pass now, but make your travel arrangements for six months from now, and the 30 days would start six months from now). I think you have to book at least one segment on VIA and one segment on Amtrak when you first make the reservation. Also, the segment in Canada *must* be on VIA Rail, so the Adirondack to Montreal and the Cascades to Vancouver don't count; however, I believe the Maple Leaf to Toronto does count, because the portion from the Canadian border to Toronto is actually operated by VIA Rail, using VIA crews (but Amtrak equipment).

The USA Rail Pass is only available to people that are not residents of the US or Canada.

 

[sechs]

When I went to Yosemite earlier this year, I ran into a Dutch couple going through the West on a rail pass. They basically showed up at a station and booked their next train/bus, showed their pass, and got tickets.

If you know where you want to go and want upgraded accomodations, I'd suggest contacting a travel agent and booking in advanced.

 

[roryc]

Thanks for the responses...I will be defo be making use of the information provided to me here...by the way to anyone here on this website who is from the louisiana/ mississippi area I would like to express my condolences to you and to wish u all the best, i hope and pray things start to improve for ye..rory