Besides providing information on a few reasonable deals to exotic locations this blog hasn’t been the place to view many positive remarks about the airline industry lately. Instead, it has been a spot that fed up flyers could vent about rising airfares, skyrocketing surcharges, and insane baggage fees.
If you are tired of complaining and are now focusing on looking for solutions, perhaps this blog can help. Today, we are looking at alternatives to air travel, beginning with our nation’s railways.
When was the last time you traveled by train?
According to travel analysts, train travel is making a comeback. Last month Amtrak reported that its national ridership has increased by 11% since October 2007, and the company says it is well on its way to accommodating a record number of passengers in 2008. If you have never considered riding the rails to your vacation destination now might be the perfect time to start.
Here are some reasons why:
COST
If anything is going to convince frequent flyers to consider an alternative means of travel price will. Budget conscious travelers will appreciate how cost effective train travel really is, particularly if you’re going a relatively short distance. For example, one online travel site recently advertised a flight from Philadelphia to Boston departing in October for $259 roundtrip. Not a bad deal; however, if you traveled the same route via Amtrak you would only have to shell out $160 roundtrip. In addition, you can save even more if you are part of a key demographic. For instance, Amtrak and other rail operators usually give discounts to children, seniors, students, AAA members, and military personnel.
FLEXIBILITY
One of the reasons I’m attracted to train travel is that it offers flexibility that you can’t get with the airlines. Minus cross-country trips, trains offer a variety of departure times (in some cases they travel the same routes five or six times a day), which means if you missed the 9 a.m. train you can hop on the 10 a.m. or noon without paying an exorbitant cancellation fee. Another bonus: Most shorter routes do not require prior reservations. You can simply show up at the station the day of your trip and purchase a ticket for the next train without being hit with a sky-high last-minute fee.
Check back for my next blog, which will provide even more reasons to ride the rails.
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