by Bethany Birley

Created on: January 23, 2007   Last Updated: June 20, 2010

Discovering North America by train is quite possibly the most fun month I ever had. You book a month's travel pass, fly to your starting point and your off. There is some really extraordinary scenery that is definitely worth visiting.

The first thing to say about the trains is the friendliness of other passengers. It's extraordinary for me as a British girl travelling in America how eager people were to become friends. A lot of them were more up to date on global warming, 4 by 4's and other things than their government likes to think. They were pleasant company for me travelling alone last July and I found myself often sharing meals with them in the dinner car or downstairs buffet (which is shabby but then is what Virgin trains in Britain provide).

The second advantage to the train is, as the other writer said, scenery. If you want magical countryside and a trip to remember take the Amtrak. The route I would strongly advise from all I took is from San Antonio to Los Angeles. It travels right across the Wild West and takes over 30 hours. Each part of it has a new thing to see but my favourite memory is looking out the window at the plains and imagining indians on a distant cliff. If that isn't your thing then the Los Angeles to Seattle is also exciting as it takes you up along the Pacific coast, sometimes past the ocean and others through the parks of Oregon past mountains.

The third advantage I want to mention is that the train is very comfortable. The seating is nice if like me your a poor student who can't afford a sleeper. The food in the restaurant is a far cry from what I usually expect to have on a train. The trains move at a comfortable place so you don't get bumped and banged around all over the place. The staff on the trains have a tendency to be friendly and willing to help.

And now the down side, oh there is one believe me. The leisurely pace which I mentioned means stopping all the time for freight trains. Perhaps I can go as far as to say they need Mussolini in order to make their trains run on time.
Added to this the trains are not very frequent. Unfortunately because they are not travelled on very often they can't come very often. Perhaps this would change if more people agreed to use them.

A third thing to say is watch your bags CAREFULLY. Not everyone on the train is trustworthy, you don't know what sort of person you will sit next to. As I went down to San Antonio I chatted with a nutcase who claimed to be in the San. An. mafia and had his money and identity stolen by the American government. Should you meet those chaps it is helpful to alert the train security, these things sometimes have to be taken seriously.

In conclusion, always take the train. It does less damage to the planet and is a lot of fun. :)

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