WATCH NEXT - Our guide to food & drinks on Amtrak trains, including what you can bring with you to save money: th-cam.com/video/PoYmBN5XT8I/w-d-xo.html
I used 3 consecutive rail passes in summer 2022 for 90 days covering 27 cities doing nearly 20,000 miles from coast to coast twice and canada to mexico on a anti-clockwise route all in Amtrak coach around the USA!!! I vistied 36 states and did 10 overnight trains, very, very tiring but amazing scenery and memories. 👍
What an INCREDIBLE journey that must have been! If we could take the time to do multiple USA Rail Passes back-to-back, it would be amazing to spend more time in each city and/or visit some of the smaller towns along the way. You never know what you might find!
So glad you found it helpful! Please let us know if you have any questions because someone else is always wondering the same thing but sometimes no one will ask the question! We're happy to help however we can 🙂
My husband & I are planning on using the rail passes to plan regional trips. We live in Pittsburgh, so we'll take the Pennsylvanian across the state, then transfer & visit New England. I like your idea of stopping in some smaller towns & staying a few days to relax & sight see.
First, I just want to say we LOVE Pittsburgh! We've visited twice and it's definitely somewhere that has surprised us with how much we enjoy it 🙂 When it comes to regional Amtrak trips, I suggest you take a look at what the tickets would cost if you were to just buy them individually and compare that to the cost of the USA Rail Pass. You might find that it costs less to buy the tickets individually if it's just a bunch of short trips 😉
@@bethdabruzzo7112 I'd be interested to hear what the result is! Using the trains to get around in the Northeast is a popular vacation option that I would love for us to do in autumn. Maybe next year!
The Emeryville - San Francisco trip: (1) may have been blacklisted from the USA Rail Pass and (2) may have been blacklisted because its not tied next to a train trip in their system
Hi there John 👋🏻 The thruway bus connection that Amtrak offers to connect Emeryville and San Francisco is still included on the USA Rail Pass as of now, if you want to use your rail pass legs that way. I personally don't think it's a good use of the legs, but if you have the legs to spare and the USA Rail Pass is still more cost effective for your trip than buying the tickets individually, then go for it.
Thanks to EVERYONE for all the great tips and videos on Amtrak. I'm thinking about train travel in the near future, the last time I was on a train was 1982. It has changed a lot. Again, thanks a lot.
This makes me so happy, Gary! I'm glad you're finding good info in our little community 😀 Please feel free to reach out with any questions as you're planning your trip; I'm happy to help!
Woohoo! Do you have a plan of where you'll go yet? Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions that come up as you're planning. I'm happy to help 🙂 If you haven't seen them yet, we have a bunch of other videos about Amtrak. We have route reviews, short Q&A's, a food and drinks guide, and some videos showing some sights you can see on the journey. Here's a playlist of all of them: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html&si=IJ31wSSgIOn1rN1C
I have learned a lot from your videos, and I actually took some "notes," as well (LOL) I have never been to the Midwestern region so that is my itinerary. Sincerely, Orlando, FL@@inthegreatwide
@@KYONGEAGAN Cool! Not many people take advantage of the Midwestern region on Amtrak, but there are definitely some good places to visit. You could visit Chicago (obv), Memphis, Kansas City... We always find interesting stuff everywhere we go 🙂
Great Video!!! Explained all the points Perfectly on 5:50 Commuter Restriction Can I use it like for New York -> DC DC -> New York New York -> Chicago Chicago -> New York I am bit confused Awsome Explanation....
Hi Vikas! With your example, the answer is yes, because you are only going back and forth on each route once (a total of 2 rides on each route). What Amtrak does not allow would be if, say you live in NYC and want to visit DC 4 weekends in a row, you would only be able to use the USA Rail Pass for 2 of those trips because you can only take the same route back and forth 2 times (a total of 4 train rides on 1 route, between the same places). However, if you were to take the same train route, say the Northeast Regional, from NYC -> Philadelphia -> Baltimore -> DC -> Richmond -> Boston -> NYC, that would all be covered on the USA Rail Pass because even though you're taking the same train route 6 times, you are taking it to destinations that are on the way to the next one heading south (therefore you aren't going back and forth), and THEN going back north. I hope that all makes sense. It's definitely one of the most confusing parts of the USA Rail Pass. Just a friendly tip, if your schedule will allow it, you can also ride the trains from NYC -> DC -> Chicago -> NYC without having to back to NYC in the middle. That would save you a leg and allow you to see more of the country on a route you wouldn't otherwise be taking 😉
Here’s mine Coast Starlight Emeryville to Seattle Seattle to Whitefish Whitefish to Chicago Chicago to Memphis Memphis to New Orleans NOLA to El Paso Fly El Paso to Denver Denver to Helper Utah Helper to Emeryville Staying a couple of nights in layover cities visiting family Can’t wait!
This is a good route! You'll have some awesome stops in there - and I'm glad you're doing the Denver to Emeryville route on the California Zephyr! Have you taken Amtrak before or will this be your first time?
@@inthegreatwide No I’ve taken Amtrak several times. I have taken the CA Zephyr in Summer and Autumn from Denver. I’ll be on it from Chicago on Christmas Day and again in the Spring. I’ve been on the Coast Starlight several times and the Southwest Chief twice. This will be the first time on different routes in the South
@@dianethulin1700 Wow so it sounds like you have a lot of experience with Amtrak then, but a lot on the same routes. Have you ever thought about exploring the east coast on Amtrak? Have you taken the Coast Starlight the whole way down to Los Angeles? I'm jealous that you're doing the City of New Orleans route - that one has had to be cut from our trips in the past for various reasons, but we'll make it on eventually.
@@inthegreatwide This is why I’m branching out a bit. My cousins are in NOLA and visiting my brother in Tennessee so that’s why I’m taking that route. I used to take the Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner just to commute when I lived in Ventura and have taken it to L.A. many times. It was so great when my son was little. I am wanting to do East Coast for sure but that will be epic. My family came over into Plymouth and New Amsterdam so plan on a lot of family history. My daughter lives in NYC and we have been there for 400 years this year
@@dianethulin1700 That sounds fabulous! You'll have local guides to show you around; that's always the best. It's awesome that you know so much about your family history too. That would be a really cool trip to take.
Great summary! I plan on using the USA Rail Pass this summer. I live on the Empire Builder’s route, so to Seattle, LA, Chicago via Texas Eagle, New York, Miami, Washington, New Orleans, Chicago, LA via Southwest Chief, California Zephyr back to Chicago. That’s ten legs, and has the most built-in layover. I’ll stay an extra day in LA my first time through to avoid a fifty minute connection between the Coast Starlight and Texas Eagle. I’ll also book some segments separately, like my last segment to get home from Chicago, and to also book travel with the California Rail Pass to get to San Diego, up to Oakland, then Bakersfield and finally Sacramento where I pick up the CZ. There’s no restriction on booking extra segments, as long as you pay for them separately they won’t count as a leg. You could have, for example, booked the Thruway bus service from Emeryville to SF and back without it being a leg.
Just don't forget about the time restrictions that say you have to use all of your USA Rail Pass legs within 30 days of each other; it sounds like you have a lot of travel planned! We did look into booking the Thruway Bus separately between Emeryville and San Francisco, but Amtrak doesn't allow it for that specific bus for whatever reason. There's plenty to do during your day in Los Angeles too! Have you been here before? It's our home city so we can always give recommendations 😉
Total time will be 27 days. I too asked if travel had to commence or end on day 30 and was told as long as I boarded on day 30 I’d be fine, but I’m glad it’s a moot point. Other than Disneyland and La Brea (been there), what might you suggest in Los Angeles?
@@stephenkehl7158 There is SO MUCH to do in Los Angeles! It really depends on what you enjoy and how much time you'll actually have. If it's just an overnight layover, it would be best to not venture too far away from Union Station, but if you have a full day, then renting a car to drive up to Malibu would be wonderful, especially since you'll be there in the summer! Duke's is our favorite restaurant there, and the Getty Villa just down the street is lovely for an afternoon in a museum. The Huntington Gardens are great if you enjoy botanical gardens. The California Science Center is cool if you're into space travel. Our Natural History Museum is huge and full of cool dinosaur stuff; it's right next to the Science Center and there's a big rose garden in-between. Downtown rooftop bars are awesome in the summertime. The Griffith Observatory is iconic and has a great view of the Hollywood sign. Lots of good hiking up near there too. You could tour the Warner Brothers lot, go to Universal Studios for a different theme park that's way closer than Disneyland (which you can get to directly from Union Station on 1 subway in 25 minutes). We could go on and on and ON, if you can't tell. We're definitely going to start focusing on reviewing more places in Los Angeles for our blog, so stay tuned for all of that!
I had been to New Orleans several times but stayed over a day just to do the WWII museum. Fabulous. Also New Orleans is the only Amtrak station I have run into which has machines where you can put in cash to receive a "credit" card that you can use on-board. When I traveled on a 10-leg trip two years ago, Amtrak did not accept cash on-board for anything.
@@bethmanus6808 Yes Amtrak stopped accepting cash during the pandemic like many other businesses in attempts to limit the spread of covid. I believe they accept cash again now (they were certainly accepting cash tips when we were onboard), but we use travel credit cards for everything anyway - better to get the rewards to do more traveling!
I did a similar circuitous route one year earlier (in October 2021) starting and ending in NYC, actually. My route was: NYC to Chicago to St. Louis to Kansas City to Albuquerque to LA to Emeryville (via connecting bus and San Joaquins because there were fires along the Coast Starlight route that day) to Reno to Denver to Chicago to NYC.
That's too bad about the Coast Starlight; you'll have to come back to do the full route. We have a super bloom happening in CA right now so the Coast Starlight has ocean views on one side and hills of wildflowers on the other; we just saw it last week! It sounds like you got to go to a lot of places though; did you have any favorites you would recommend?
@@inthegreatwide Since the train only goes to downtown areas, that is all that I could see. So on that basis, Kansas City, St. Louis and Albuquerque were letdowns because they were mostly empty in their downtowns, except for tourists. However, they are good places for taking a break from train travel. The best cities I toured were Denver and Chicago. I hadn't been to those cities previously, and they were fun and interesting with lots to see and eat.
@@mikeymutual5489 Ah, yes! We go through Chicago a few times a year and visit friends in Denver once a year or so. Both are great cities with so much to offer! We are also trying to schedule a trip to Kansas City sooner rather than later; we haven't been there yet.
I Just Found Out Recently That The Navy Ship I Was On In The Late 80s Is Being Decommissioned In San Diego In September I'm From Florida So I Thought This Would Be A Great Opportunity To Travel Across The Country By Train I Traveled From Tampa To Seattle Round Trip On Greyhound Back In 2017 And Swore To Myself That I Would Never Do That Again Anyway I Got The Rail Pass And Saved 274 Dollars And I Was Lucky Enough To Get In Touch With A Customer Service Agent Named Stephanie That Was Literally The Nicest Person Ever And She Planned The Whole Trip For Me But Anyway Great Video And Keep Up The Amazing Work You Do✌️
That's so cool that you're going to get to go see the ship you were on 🙌🏻 Thank you for your service! Are you going anywhere else with your rail pass or just over to San Diego & back to Florida? That will be quite the journey! (In a good way though, hopefully 🙂) Please send us whatever questions you have about riding Amtrak & we'll be happy to help however we can
@@inthegreatwide Thank You Very Much But This Is Just A Roundtrip To San Diego For The Ceremony Which Used Up The Whole Rail Pass I'll Have To See How This Trip Ends Up Before I Plan Any Future Amtrak Travel 😂 But I Feel Much Better Knowing I Can Reach Out To You For Any Amtrak Travel Related Questions Have A Wonderful Day✌️
@@inthegreatwide I have a A LOT questions, I don’t know where to begin.😂 I haven’t bought the pass yet (you have until the 20th). I just wish that the pass could be used for up to a year or even 6 months, because I’d love to take the trips in the fall or winter but at the discounted price. Haha. But I’ll definitely revisit this video and thread if i have any specific questions. I appreciate the response!
@@alc6370 Whatever questions come up, let us know! We have many videos already that will probably answer many of your questions; you can find them all in this playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html Anything that comes up, please ask! It's highly likely that other people have the same questions so we want to help as much as we can!
I used the USA Rail pass twice in the last 2 years,...and your description and tips on the pass were rock solid. My only complaint with Amtrak is so many routes have only 1 train per day,...so you are totally at the mercy of the schedule. You could literally get dropped off in a smaller town,...in the middle of the night with no one in sight,..and that can be very scary.
We agree. Plus there are routes that would have incredible views if the schedule was different so you could pass by them during the day instead of at night, such as the Empire Builder and Lake Shore Limited. Amtrak recently announced a lot of updates they're working on for new trains in the Northeast, but we would love to see them put some more effort into the rest of the country too.
The railroads before Amtrak all ran two trains per day on their long distance routes. The Empire Builder used to have a companion called the Western Star. I’m also hoping the North Coast Limited gets brought back. It’s one of the routes the states have been looking into.
@@thetrainhopper8992 What are you talking about? The western routes already lose money and you want to run two trains a day? It is never happening, so keep dreaming.
I am using the Rail Pass this Fall to travel from Las Vegas, Nevada to Exeter, New, Hampshire. Will have to use two of my segments for connecting busses because the train no longer rolls through Vegas. So it will be Kingman, Arizona to Chicago on the Southwest Chief. Chicago to Boston on the Lake Shore Limited. Boston to Exeter on the Downeaster. Then back down to Boston and on to New York City by way of the Northeast Regional. Once again the Late-for-Sure Limited from NYC to Chicago and then hop on the Empire Builder to Portland. Portland to Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight and finally the Southwest Chief to Kingman where I hop back on the connecting bus to Las Vegas.
Hello! I love that you are sharing your route here and especially that you're traveling in autumn. I hope the timing works out for you to see some amazing fall colors like we did! Looking at your route though, I noticed that you actually have 11 legs planned. I'm not sure if you realize it. You have: 1 - Las Vegas to Kingman, AZ - Bus connector 2 - Kingman, AZ to Chicago - Southwest Chief 3 - Chicago to Boston - Lake Shore Limited 4 - Boston to Exeter, NH - Downeaster 5 - Exeter, NH to Boston - Downeaster 6 - Boston to NYC - Northeast Regional 7 - NYC to Chicago - Lake Shore Limited 8 - Chicago to Portland - Empire Builder 9 - Portland to LA - Coast Starlight 10 - LA to Kingman, AZ - Southwest Chief 11 - Kingman, AZ to Vegas - Bus connector That means that 1 of those legs you would have to pay for separately from your USA Rail Pass. Maybe one of the bus connectors would be the cheapest option...? If you want to avoid the extra leg, you would simply need to eliminate the Northeast Regional from Boston to New York City, which makes sense because you can still catch the Lake Shore Limited from Boston back to Chicago. However, to avoid taking the Lake Shore Limited twice, and assuming you don't mind keeping the extra leg on the Northeast Regional, you could take the Cardinal from New York City to Chicago instead. We haven't taken that route yet, but it's just another option to get to see even more of the country instead of taking the same route twice. If you don't mind keeping the extra leg but don't necessarily have your heart set on stopping in New York City, then consider taking the Northeast Regional from Boston down to Washington DC instead. From there, you'd have the option of taking the Cardinal or the Capitol Limited. On that same note, I'd like to offer some friendly advice and tell you that the California Zephyr is much better than the Empire Builder. If you would be willing to go from Chicago to Emeryville (San Francisco) instead of from Chicago to Portland, then I would recommend switching out the Empire Builder for the California Zephyr. We've made videos about both routes; I'll link them below. Obviously, I don't know if you're choosing to go to any specific city on this route for a specific reason (so you may not want to cut out your visit to NYC or Portland), so these are just friendly suggestions 🙂 Please feel free to send us any questions that come up as you're planning your trip! I love helping people figure all this stuff out. California Zephyr video: th-cam.com/video/5LLskbL_S7A/w-d-xo.html Empire Builder video: th-cam.com/video/Y74-cn86Yp4/w-d-xo.html
@@inthegreatwide Hi! Thanks for replying. I watch a lot of Amtrak vids to get differing perspectives and you two were the first presenters to reply. I appreciate that. I should have gone into greater detail about my itinerary but I felt the post might get too long. Anyhoo, I am aware of the extra leg, but I am planning to visit cousins in NYC so I will have to pay for the connector back to Vegas. That should be about $25 bucks likely. As for the Empire Builder, back in the '80's and '90's I used to take the Zephyr back and forth between Denver and Los Angeles. (at that time they had a segment of the Zephyr that ran out of Los Angeles and hooked up with the San Fransisco and Seattle trains in Salt Lake City). So I am not really interested in riding it again. Have never been on the Empire Builder and many have recommended it. It will take me through some states I have never been through before as well. I chose Portland because I was just in Seattle a couple of years ago and being that I will have to stay the night in either place I thought hotels would be cheaper in Portland. And I have never visited Portland! Here''s a story: When I used to take the Zephyr they showed movies on mounted TV's at either end of the observation car. It is where I first saw that delightful romantic comedy Moonstruck. When they cut service to L.A. I was already living in Vegas and got one of the last trains to run out of Vegas. This was back in '97. Story is they are planning to resume service through here. Don't know when. again thanks for replying. Btw I thought about taking the Cardinal to Chicago but it departs very early in the morning. Ugh!
@@MrEternityroad Well it sounds like you've got your route all figured out then 👍🏻 I feel like the talk about getting a train connecting Los Angeles to Las Vegas has been going on for so long. Who knows when someone will finally make it happen, but it sure would be nice! Make sure you watch our video about the Empire Builder before your trip. I'm not saying don't take it, but you should be prepared and know what you're getting yourself into before you get on that 2-day train ride. I think a lot of people recommend it simply for the views in the Pacific Northwest, which are fantastic, but only last for the last few hours of the ride. The full day you have in North Dakota and Eastern Montana was the most mentally trying day we've ever spent on Amtrak, probably because we were expecting gorgeous mountains when it's really just plains, plains, and more plains. I look forward to hearing about your trip! It will be great to have the insight of which direction you recommend on the Lake Shore Limited, and if the route to Boston or New York City is better. That route was surprisingly great and disappointing all in one for us, so I'd be interested to hear your experiences. Until then, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions that come up as you're getting ready to go!
@@inthegreatwideI don't know why they ever stopped it. It was good for the gambling/tourist business and probably we need it more these days, though there is talk of light rail between the two cities. It was always lovely being on the train from Denver and descending into Vegas. It would be at night and the city would glitter like a diamond with a sea of darkness all around it.
@@inthegreatwide I took the Lake Shore Limited once before. Back in 2014 from NYC to Chicago and stayed in a roomette. All along the way the regular riders referred to this train as The Late For Sure Limited. And sure enough we were over an hour late! So this time I will be going east on the LSL for the first time. Will get into Boston around 8:30pm if the train isn't late for sure! lol
I traveled the way you did when I got a discounted USA Rail Pass back in 2021 and used up all 10 segments, making a sort of figure 8 journey between L.A. and Washington, D.C. I did have to stop in Chicago twice, but it was worth it because I got to spend the entire day at the Art Institute of Chicago during my second stop. I planned out everything extensively, from sleeping accommodations to tours and additional transportation. When I talked to other people on the train who were travelling with the pass, I was shocked to discover that some didn't even know where they might stop. I'm too much of a planner to do that, but to each their own!
I love the idea of taking a big trip and deciding where you want to go next in the moment, but my biggest concern is finding affordable accommodations. I am NOT down paying $300 a night for a hotel, which is one of the biggest reasons why I do so much research beforehand. Are you going to use the USA Rail Pass again?
I wouldn't want to fork over that much money for a hotel either, especially out of desperation. I'm still deliberating on getting the pass again. Last time, there were two places I long wanted to visit (Santa Fe* and Harpers Ferry), which helped me structure my trip and find other great stops along the way. I'm looking for other small towns or cities along Amtrak's routes that strike my fancy as much as those places did. *FYI: It ended up being much easier to stop in Albuquerque and take the local Rail Runner Express to Santa Fe!
@@ja4264 Visiting smaller towns is such a great way to use the USA Rail Pass - there are SO many places you could go that you usually wouldn't fly to. I can't wait to hear what you find! But TODAY (1/20/2023) is the last day for Amtrak's current sale to get the pass for $299, so if you're thinking about it, BUY IT TODAY. It's fully refundable for 120 days after purchase as long as you don't book any individual legs with it, so you still have time to figure out a trip for the springtime, but if it doesn't work out, you can get your money back!
@@inthegreatwide You could do that in 2021 because prices were still depressed because of the pandemic. But no more - you have to plan your itinerary and hotel stays in advance if you want to get any decent deals. Another reason to plan ahead is that many trains do not have WiFi or even cell service in spots, so planning as you go is doubly difficult.
@@mikeymutual5489 Oh yes that's what we always recommend! Sorry if that wasn't clear. We DEFINITELY recommend doing as much planning as you can before you go, at least just with booking all your train legs, accommodations, and rental cars if you need them. I think planning a full 30-day trip across the country with multiple stops is just so overwhelming for a lot of people, so we are looking for ways to help make it easier. Open to any thoughts you have on the matter 🙂
Great info. I got mine on sale a couple weeks ago. Planning a trip from nc to west coast and back. Glad u told me about the 120 day thing. They don’t make that clear at all😅
There are definitely some important things to understand about the pass that Amtrak doesn't really make clear, so I'm glad our video was helpful for you! We also have reviews of several specific routes on Amtrak, so you may want to give those a look as you're planning your trip 😉 Don't miss taking the California Zephyr! Here's our playlist with all our Amtrak videos: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
So you do not have four months from purchase to completion (120 + 30), you have 120 days only. And I loved the line: "You might actually have to talk to people!" Very informative video - great route choice - next time go to the southwest.
Hi Michael, thanks for watching & commenting! 120 days is approximately 4 months, which is the total time you have to finish using the pass after you purchase it. So yes, your 30 consecutive days of travel have to be completely within the 120 days after you purchase the pass. I hope we made that clear for everyone watching. As far as going to the Southwest, we actually live in Southern California, so we're here most of the time! There are so many more trains in the Northeast to explore so many more places, so that's why we chose that route, but we're definitely looking to explore more of California and Arizona in the coming years!
What a GREAT video!!!!! I subscribed as my wife and I want to explore some train travel in our retirement! Sad we can't get a sleeper, but you know what the Rolling Stones say! Can we buy TWO Passes each (so 20 legs each) so that we could stop in more cities? Thinking Cincy (home) thru Chicago,, then Glacier for 4-6 days/nights, then maybe a stop in Idaho (?) for a friend, then Portland for a few days, then maybe.....oh who knows.....this is what dreaming and planning are for! Also, with above plan, I imagine that as long as within the 30 days, we could a)use a leg to Chicago b)use a leg to Glacier THEN BUY separate Sleeper Car tix for that LONG trip on Empire, then pick up "Legs" again, then maybe another Sleeper Car on another part, followed by more legs. Am I thinking about this correctly? Thanx again for the help, and Happy Travels!!!!
Hi Joe, I'm excited for you! We've met lots of people on Amtrak who are retired and enjoy taking the trains around the country while reading, playing card games, knitting, and so on. I bet you'll be able to make lots of new friends on your travels if you want 🙂 It sounds like you're just getting started with planning and figuring everything out, so I'm happy to help! You can definitely go from Cincinnati (at least, I think that's what Cincy means 😆) to Chicago (9.5 hours), then to Glacier National Park (the stop is in Whitefish, MT), which will be the longest leg of what you've proposed so far at 32 hours. If you REALLY want the sleeper car experience, that would be the leg to do it on, but I personally do not think it's worth the $900+ price-tag they put on it for 2 people (for comparison, coach seats on the same train would be ~$200 total for 2 people). Have you seen our video about the Empire Builder? Here's a link if not: th-cam.com/video/Y74-cn86Yp4/w-d-xo.html If you decide you don't want to take Empire Builder from Chicago to Whitefish but you still want to go to Glacier National Park, you could instead take the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville (San Francisco), which is my favorite Amtrak route, and then take the Coast Starlight up to your stop in Portland, and then take the Empire Builder for the shorter distance just through the beautiful Pacific Northwest section to Whitefish. That way, you could bypass that looooong day on the Empire Builder between Chicago and Whitefish. That's what I would recommend, but obviously that's totally up to you. Some people really like the Empire Builder, but it was not great for us. Here's our video about the California Zephyr route I mentioned that you could take instead: th-cam.com/video/5LLskbL_S7A/w-d-xo.html One other thing I want to mention just to make sure you are aware: there is only 1 Amtrak stop in Idaho, which is at Sandpoint. It's pretty far north in Idaho, so depending on where your friend lives, taking the train to somewhere in Nevada or Utah might be closer (those stops would be on the California Zephyr). As far as the number of passes, yes, you and your wife could buy 2 USA Rail Passes each to use back-to-back. You just have to make sure that you stay within the validity period for both passes if you buy them at the same time, and you use all the legs off of one pass before starting to use legs on the second pass. For example: 1) Let's say you find a good sale today and buy a total of 4 passes. Let's call 2 of them Pass Group A, which you & your wife would use all the legs of together first (10 legs each for 2 people), & the other 2 passes will be Pass Group B (another 10 legs each for 2 people), which you will both use together after Pass Group A is all used up. 2) All 4 passes would expire 120 days from today. 3) If you start your travels 90 days from today, you would still only have 30 days to use ALL the legs of Pass Group A AND Pass Group B. 4) If you start your travels 30 days from today, you would have 30 days to use all of Pass Group A. At that point, you could then spend up to 30 days of extra time staying somewhere/exploring a region, say if you want to rent a car to drive around Idaho to visit your friend and check out some National Parks. You could also use this time to take an Amtrak trip in the sleeper car since that has to be purchased separately from the USA Rail Passes. You could spend a week or 2 doing that kind of stuff, or (in this scenario) up to 30 days, and THEN start using Pass Group B to continue traveling around in coach on Amtrak. You would then still have 30 days left within the validity period to use Pass Group B. I sure hope that all makes sense. If not, please let me know and I'll help you as much as I can! Please feel free to reach out to us with questions that come up. We have a whole playlist of Amtrak videos that include route reviews, short Q&A's, & examples of the views you can see along the way. I bet you'll find lots of helpful info there, so here's a link to the playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
Thanks Andrew! Whatever questions you have about riding Amtrak trains, feel free to send them our way! We have lots of videos already about Amtrak but are constantly making more 🙂
this was the most thorough video i've seen so far, getting ready to go on my trip from pennsylvania to the west coast and it was really helpful. i've subbed because i appreciate the honesty and effort you put into your guide. I'm trying to figure out if i should go to see the sites in SF or the Pacific Northwest. Cheers!
@@inthegreatwide coming from Pittsburgh then stopping in Chicago for a couple days, from there I'm leaning toward the Empire Builder but breaking up the trip by staying in ND and MT (westbound and eastbound) ... and Ending up in Portland for a few days, and taking a day trip to the oregon coast as well... I know its the "more boring" route, but I think breaking up the trip will help, and I wanted to try the California, Zephyr but those 2 segments in SF kinda kill my trip planning. If I like this trip I will no doubt do that next time. I kinda wanna see the lesser travelled places in the US. Thanks again, i've been binging all your videos
@@randomanton Oh we love Pittsburgh! If you're a local there, we'd love whatever recommendations you have for restaurants, bars, stuff to do... we've only been there once but we'll definitely be back. Yes, the Empire Builder was a big struggle for us when we did it all in one go from Chicago to Seattle. The scenery was not what we were expecting, there wasn't good cell service, no wi-fi, and there definitely were not enough fresh air breaks. Breaking it up like you are, I'm sure you will be fine, but I do have to admit that the California Zephyr is a MUCH better route, especially between Denver and Emeryville. Since you said you've been binging our videos, I'm assuming you've seen our reviews of both, but if you haven't, definitely look at those 😉
@@inthegreatwide im not a local , im actually coming from the harrisburg area, but I figured everyone knew pittsburgh 🙁. . but therein lies a problem w/ the zephyr,, its 2 segments from harrisburg to chicago + 2 segments from emeryville to SF ... Going there and back means it would be 8 segments used just between those 2 locations ... and i don't wanna spend 2 days on a train to be honest. ( i suppose i could take a local bus from emeryville to SF?) I've been to pittsburgh before, but i dont really know any niche spots, only the inclines, museums, sports stadiums and primanti bros, maybe a local can chime in? , hopefully? I really do appreciate you responding, it kinda helps to talk to someone else about it so i'm not just running circles in my head, since im solo travelling.
That's crazy the count the Emeryville to downtown San Francisco as a "segment" for the rail pass; I believe when I booked the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Reno and back, I was able to take the bus transfer to San Francisco from Emeryville for free.
If you're just booking that route on its own (not with a rail pass) then it only costs a couple extra bucks, but unfortunately it DOES count as an extra leg on the USA Rail Pass and the bus can't be booked separately on its own. Some of the bus transfers are much longer rides so I understand the idea; it's just that in this case, it is definitely NOT worth using up a leg for that ride across the bridge. 🤷🏻♀
Great I bought rail pass. I have booked some tickets but I want to change them cancel and want to select new destinations. Still these bookings are valid. But I have changed my plans so I want to visit other states.
Thanks for watching, Ignacio! And yes, we did! We mention it in the "Cost" chapter of the video 😉 The route that we did would have cost us around $950 per person without the USA Rail Pass!
You're not alone there, Marvin! I think most people who take Amtrak trains consider it to be the best part of the trip, and we certainly enjoy it too 🙂 To get a private room, you have to book each leg separately and pay a much higher price tag. There aren't any rail passes that include sleeper cars, unfortunately.
I ride the train just to ride the train. But I take it to the extreme, I don't know think most casual train riders would do it this way. I live in the salt lake city area so the only train that serves my area is the California Zephyr. I started out my first time by taking the train east to Holdredge Nebraska. The east bound train arrives in Holdredge a couple of hours before the west bound train does. And so I just sit there in a folding chair (if I take that) and wait there track side in the middle of the night, watching freight trains until the west bound train arrives to take me home. That is how it started and it reached it's zenith in November 2019. I used a rail pass, traveling from salt lake city to Emeryville CA. Arriving about 4pm. I then spent several hours getting food, restocking my cooler, (yes, I take a cooler with me and have cold drinks and food with me at my seat) then boarded the Coast Starlight to Portland Or. Arriving there about a half hour before I was due to board the Empire Builder to Chicago. It was at this point where I did get a hostel for the night. The next day I was able to restock my cooler well before boarding the southwest Chief to LA CA. Where I missed my connection to the Coast Starlight to Sacramento and had to be bussed to Sacramento when I caught the zephyr home. all told, 9 days in coach with only one overnight in any kind of a hotel. All just to ride the train. It was fantastic!!! You have to be able to absorb the trains being late, sometimes very late, and learn how to sleep in coach. I watch other people and try out the ways I see others do it.
Wow yeah that's a long time just on the trains! My biggest problems with doing a trip like that would be not enough fresh air and wanting a shower. I really wish Amtrak had some sort of shower option for coach passengers; I think that's a big factor that stops people from wanting to take the trains. How was the Southwest Chief though?! We are looking at taking that one this year.
@@inthegreatwide it's pretty cool! The scenery at times is like that on the Empire Builder crossing the plains, but there are some cool mountain passes and some very desert areas. There is a section of track from Colorado to about Las Vegas NM, Amtrak is the only train on the track. Raton pass still has the old semiphor and cantilever signals and it's mostly still stick rail. The fresh air for me is not a problem, I get off at a lot of the fresh air stops. As for the shower thing, while it's not the same, I use baby wipes. Like I say, I ride the train specifically to ride the train. I don't want to read books, I don't want to watch videos. I don't want to miss anything. But sometimes the interaction with others is fantastic as well.
@@shospulecolupis9718 Yeah unfortunately all those cross-country trains can't avoid the Great Plains. I don't remember minding it so much on the California Zephyr, but the Empire Builder was brutal. We use baby wipes on those overnight trains too, but we don't like going more than 1 day without a shower. Then the trips become more about "I feel icky" than enjoying the scenery.
Planning a trip that will take me through most areas west of the Mississippi. Starting from LA to Chicago. Then to Glenwood Springs and Emeryville. Up to Portland. Making a stop at Whitefish before continuing to Minneapolis (Mall of America). Back to Chicago. Down to Memphis (Graceland) stopping in New Orleans. Finally back to LA. I've ridden the Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight, so I wasn't too worried about those routes.
Wow that sounds like quite a trip! You'll get to see so much of the country! Are you based in Los Angeles? That's our home city so we always enjoy giving rec's when people need them. You're going to a lot of places I am looking forward to going myself so I'm a little jealous!
@In The Great Wide Yup, based in Los Angeles. This will be the longest vacation I'll have ever taken. May be tedious, but looking forward to the adventure
@@filmfreak11 It was the longest trip we've ever taken too and it was quite an adventure! And it's always good to meet other people in Los Angeles; do you have any restaurants that you'd recommend we check out?
@@inthegreatwide Yes, based in Los Angeles area. I've always wanted to visit Clifton's Republic. There's always something to try in Grand Central Market in Downtown LA. Philippe the Original is between Chinatown and Olvera Street say they invented the French Dip Sandwich. Little Tokyo has Daikokuya for ramen. Always hungry to try something new.
@@filmfreak11 The only one of those I haven't been to is Daikokuya, so I'll mark that down! We always go to Kura when we're in Little Tokyo - it's the best reasonably priced sushi in LA! The other place that claims it invented the French Dip is Cole's on 6th between Main and Los Angeles in downtown, which I actually prefer over Philippe, personally, but I've also been there more. Clifton's is really cool on a weeknight when it's empty and on the weekends when they have live jazz bands, otherwise it's a super crowded club, which isn't my vibe, but it's definitely worth going to!
Hi 👋🏻 You're not alone in that wish for a roomette pass 😆😉 But if Amtrak made one it would be WAY more expensive. As far as being an introvert, I think you would be okay in coach, because people generally keep to themselves. If you're in the observation car, you may get a friendly "hey, how's it going" and on rare occasions someone will want to chat, but if you take a book or wear headphones then 99% of the time they'll get the hint. For germs, we ALWAYS take disinfectant wipes on the train and we wipe down our whole coach seat area first thing, and then we do the same when we go to the observation car. That wouldn't be weird at all if you want to do that. At the end of the day, you could always try a short ride (maybe 2-4 hours) first just to try it out. You could end up loving it, and if you hate it, then that's okay too 🙂
Have you seen power wheelchair users ( I am a quadriplegic) & is there a section with accessible isle width to all that a abled body would walk to within the train ? How is the luggage process - as you switch trains & do layovers ? Any lost luggage? Ty, you have earned your views :)
Hi there! Excellent questions - & ones we haven't gotten before! I don't recall ever actually seeing a wheelchair of any kind on our Amtrak trains, however the lower levels are technically wheelchair accessible and we have seen Amtrak attendants helping disabled elderly folks on and off the train numerous times. There's a ramp that they pulled out to help someone board and they stayed right there with the person the whole time, and then helped get their luggage onboard. When you book your ticket, you should select the lower level (if applicable - some routes are only 1 level trains anyway). I believe after booking your ticket, you should call Amtrak to let them know what kind of assistance you will need. They are usually very happy to help! As far as luggage when transferring trains, we have only done a short layover one time (in Chicago) & we definitely don't recommend doing it that way if you can avoid it, simply because the trains often run late. Better to have an overnight layover that you planned for than spend your trip stressing about whether or not you're going to make your next train & then dealing with the headaches if you don't. With that being said, the 1 time that we had a 3-4 hour layover, our train made it on time & we grabbed our checked bag from the carousel & then immediately re-checked it in for our next train. If you book multiple legs in one go WITHOUT the USA Rail Pass (say, Emeryville to New York City, which would stop in Chicago to change trains), then I believe they can transfer your luggage for you, but when booking with the USA Rail Pass, each leg that you book is treated as a separate trip, so you have to get your checked luggage at the end of each leg. Hopefully that makes sense...? For someone like yourself who needs more assistance however (such as with luggage), I'm sure that Amtrak would work with you to make sure you get your luggage where it needs to go. I would just recommend calling them as soon as you book your tickets to make them aware of your needs (you can also book tickets on the phone), then get to your starting station early to make sure they know what you need, then make sure the car attendant on the train knows what you need. As long as you're communicating your needs, I think they'll be happy to help.
This sounds like a great tour of the northeast! Have you done the math for what those individual tickets would add up to vs the USA Rail Pass? I'm just thinking it *might* be cheaper to buy them individually than the $500 for the rail pass.
Thanks for watching, Sherrie! Please send us any questions you have about riding Amtrak 🙂 We also have a full playlist of all of our Amtrak videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
That would be the perfect place to stop half-way on the Empire Builder! You really NEED a break when you're taking that route, so it sounds like you've got the perfect spot for it.
Looking into USA Rail Pass research and I found this video, but I'm a little confused on some parts. Namely -- 1. How does booking the legs work if you've bought the Rail Pass? Do you just book as normal and on the website there's a checkbox that says "I'm using my Rail Pass for this fare" and it doesn't charge you any extra money because you already spent $500 on it? (forgive me if this is explained on your blog or in another video, haven't gotten there yet so figured I'd ask.) And 2. When a missed leg counts as one used for the rail pass, what are some reasons it would be the Passenger's fault in that case and not the company's? Something like, missing it because you overslept, or because you were too late to board? Need more information. Very helpful and informative video nonetheless!
Hi there! These are good questions. After you buy your USA Rail Pass, you're given a code to use when booking each of your legs. So you'll essentially book them like normal and use the code in your confirmation email the same way you would use a coupon code for shopping online. This is already on our list to make a video about because you are not the only person asking 😉 I think the easy way to answer to your second question is that the only thing that wouldn't count as your fault for missing your train would be an Amtrak delay. Say you've booked the California Zephyr from Denver to the Pennsylvanian to Pittsburgh like we did, with a 3ish hour layover in Chicago. At one point, the Zephyr was running 2-3 hours behind to get us into Chicago. Even though we ended up making it in the end, if we had missed the Pennsylvanian train because we were on the Zephyr and it was late getting into Chicago, then that would have been Amtrak's fault and we would not have lost a leg. On the other hand, if we were just late getting to the station to board a train (for whatever reason), or say we took too long getting lunch during our layover and we missed getting on our train, that would have been our fault. Does that make sense? It works the same way as getting on a plane, if you have experience flying. If you get to the airport too late and get stuck in a long security line and end up missing your flight, that's considered your fault, but if you miss a connecting flight because your first flight was delayed, then that's the airline's fault. Keep in mind that it is common for the trains to run late, so I advise against making any connections that have less than an 8 hour layover. I hope that helps! We have a playlist of all of our Amtrak videos I'll link below, which has route reviews, short Q&A's, and examples of some of the sights you can see along the way. Please feel free to reach out with more questions and I'll help however I can 🙂 Amtrak playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
@@inthegreatwide can't take advantage now of 299$ sale now,but you answered all my questions on rail pass,very thoughtful video . My plan is to see our beautiful country by rail . Can't afford the roomett,but maybe several well thought out stop overs will work for me,thanks again, you gave me room for thought,to run this by you,some people live on cruise boats, would not do that myself, but if I had fortune enough, I could live on a train , myself, 70 yo single grand father hoping to cross country with rail pass back and forth, thanks much both of you
@@budop7036 I certainly would not recommend the idea of "living" on a train the way that some people consider living on cruise ships, but it's a GREAT way to see the country! And yes, many stops along the way is always a good idea if you can to avoid multiple nights in a row on the train. Around 30 hours is the max I would want to be on a train without stopping somewhere now. You just need the fresh air. If you have any other questions about Amtrak, send them our way!
Hi Mark! This is an excellent question and one that we are working on a whole article for to show the cost breakdown of what we spent and where, since this was obviously a huge trip with a lot of moving parts. I see you just subscribed to our channel too, so thank you and welcome! 🙂
I’m pllanning my trip and actually having a problem with my last leg… I’m trying to get off the train 29 days and 15 hours after I get on and it tells me it’s outside the window so I texted them…someone first answered and was “looking into it” but then I was bounced around for over an hour before I got a message saying there was a problem with the chat system…so I emailed them. My trip is from Home (central Florida) to DC, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Emryville (San Francisco), Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta (to visit family), Philadelphia and then back home
Hey Kari! We got your email about your upcoming adventure so check your inbox for our reply 😉 Hopefully calling Amtrak customer service will get that last leg sorted out.
Hello again 👋🏻 We actually made a video answering this question because I'm sure other people are wondering to, so thanks for asking! Here's the video: th-cam.com/video/9TF1vR-KR9k/w-d-xo.html 🙂 Did you end up getting the pass?
Thanks for a great video and good information. My wide an I have never been out west or traveled on a train an we are considering a rail pass. It seems a bit overwhelming as we wasn't familiar with it, but the video helps quite a bit. One question,if you don't i ask, do you have assigned seats or first come first served. Are we able to sit with our spouse on each train or you have to scramble on to get seats together? Thanks so much.great videos. BTW, we live nearSavannah,GA a d the Palmetto goes by our house from Flordia to Washington. Happy Travels
Aw, Jerry! I'm so excited for you to come out west and see how beautiful it is here! Whether or not you have assigned seating on the Amtrak trains depends on which route you're taking, and I think it may also depend on how full the train is. We talk about that in our video reviews of the individual routes, as there are some instances when it may be a problem to sit with a companion if you're not getting on the train at the starting point of the route. Have you seen our other videos about each of the routes we took? Here's our Amtrak playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html But this is a GREAT question to bring up; I think we'll likely make another short video about it. Whatever other questions come up, please send them our way! One more thing because I'm not sure if you saw, but the USA Rail Pass is on sale through this Friday, January 20th, for $299! It is a STEAL at that price.
Awesome - Thank you, both! A quick question please: You suggest booking trips "far in advance," yet the PASS is only valid for 120 days total, so the maximum advance booking I can do is actually only about 90 days in advance of the travel date (plus the 30-day travel window = 120 days total). Is that correct, or did I miss something? I can't book a PASS trip, say, one year in advance -- right?
Excellent question! Your calculations are correct. When we say book as far in advance as possible, we are thinking of that as including the 120 day validity period of the pass. Personally, I would map out your route first just to make sure all the legs you want to do will work for your schedule and where you want to go, THEN buy the pass, THEN book the legs immediately. Especially if you're traveling on the weekends or around a major holiday, when tickets can sell out on popular routes. Amtrak's cancellation policy on the pass is pretty flexible too, so say the pass is on sale and today is the last day for the sale but you don't have time to map out your route right this second... we've bought the USA Rail Pass before and then realized that the time constraints weren't going to work for us and were able to get it fully refunded since we hadn't booked any of the legs yet. This way of thinking is more a cautionary tale for the spontaneous traveler, because a lot of people think they can just wait until the morning of the train ride to book it, which won't always be possible and could leave you stranded in a city for days at a time depending on the route.
@@RodMcPherson-n2u I think this is a great route! You're going to see so much of the country & visit some excellent cities. If you want to go to Glacier, then take the Coast Starlight from San Francisco to Portland or Seattle and then take the Empire Builder from there to Whitefish. That section of the Empire Builder between Seattle & Glacier is fantastic! (It's just everything east of there on that route that we're not a fan of.)
The Acela technically doesn’t have Coach class. It’s only “Business” and First. Part of why they stopped with the sleepers that I heard are that they sell out on their own now. So they will likely sell them out ahead of time. Not covering Business is annoying.
Thank you. A real education. Like to see the usa this April 2023. Back in 1985 21 day u rail pass hope I can do the trip in April I am older now yours truly Evans w Robinson ret sgt
We haven't ridden the Acela train, but that would make sense. But you can take the Northeast Regional on the same route between Boston and Washington DC, so you're not missing out on any of the destinations on the Acela. Regardless, our coach seats were just fine for us. No need to pay 2x+ more for a sleeper car!
@@lindarobinson195 The USA Rail Pass is a great option if you want to see a lot of the country in a short amount of time. I'm glad our video is helping you figure out your next big trip!
@@inthegreatwide the annoying thing about business class on Amtrak is it’s not consistent. In most places, it’s just long distance coach on a short distance train with maybe a non alcoholic beverage. There there are a handful of routes that have 2+1 seating or the Surfliner which gives you a snack box and wine in the afternoon.
Shame they have eliminated the discount on sleeper legs! I did a double cross-country in 2009 and am planning a circumnavigation of North America (including trans-Canada -- Halifax to Vancouver) for 2023.
@@josephsgroi4474 The "new" rules don't discount anything off the roomette/bedroom charges. The "old" passes used tocover the value of a coach seat against the sleeper charge, but not now.
@@josephsgroi4474 The term "legs" is used to describe one train or bus ride on Amtrak. "Sleeper cars" are the private rooms on many cross-country Amtrak trains, which you cannot upgrade to from coach class if you're using the USA Rail Pass. You can still take those same trains overnight using the USA Rail Pass, but it will be in coach class seats, not a private room. Does that clear things up?
WARNING: The Canadian train will be LATE. If they arrive in Vancouver within 24 hours of the schedule, it is considered to be on time. Ours arrived just short of 24 hours and then backed out of the station for us to wait for a couple of hours, because the terminal was not ready to accommodate us. But the trip is awesome.
@@inthegreatwide yes! I’ve been planning a trip since I heard about the pass last year for this April. For whatever reason, i decided to check the website last night and saw the sale so I bought my pass today. I’m so excited!
@@inthegreatwide no I haven’t, this will be my first time. I live in NC and am starting there then going to TN, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and California. The plan is loose so I may add some other places. I will probably fly back from the west coast
That sounds great! But make sure you book your train tickets as far in advance as you can; the California Zephyr and the Coast Starlight sell out OFTEN. We have video reviews of both routes (and more) on our channel; I'll leave links below. What questions do you have before your first time using Amtrak trains?! California Zephyr: th-cam.com/video/5LLskbL_S7A/w-d-xo.html Coast Starlight: th-cam.com/video/iyEs6DgwcWg/w-d-xo.html Empire Builder: th-cam.com/video/Y74-cn86Yp4/w-d-xo.html
Hey, thanks. I am planning a start in about a month: ny - philly - pittsburgh - chicago - denver - sf - seattle - LA - San Diego - LA, out to overseas. Do you think that this is a good idea? Thanks!!!
This sounds absolutely fabulous! Looks like you do have 1 more leg to use if you wanted to stop somewhere else along the way 😉 Unless you're planning on using the bus shuttle to get from Emeryville into SF, then that would mean that you actually have 11 legs planned. You're riding 3 of my favorite routes! The California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, and the Pacific Surfliner. All with amazing views! How long are you staying in each place between trains? One thought if you wanted to avoid stopping in LA twice (which I don't necessarily recommend against; we live in LA and love it and there is SO much to do here but you might want to see some more places)... you could take the Coast Starlight from Seattle back down to San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara, stay there for however long you were planning to be in LA, and then take the Pacific Surfliner down to San Diego, stay there, then come back up to LA to stay and catch your flight overseas. Also, do you know about the LAX FlyAway to get to the airport? It departs from Union Station in LA and is WAY cheaper than taking an Uber or something like that.
@@inthegreatwidewow, I am quite impressed that you took time and answered in details. I’m hooked and subscribed! Already watched over 10 videos of yours. Thank you again. To answer your question, I am willing to spend as many days as I can, especially for major cities like Philly (2 nights), Pittsburgh (2 nights), Chicago (maybe 4 nights), Denver (2 nights), SF (3 nights), LA (4 nights, back and forth), Seattle (3 nights, never been here), San Diego (2 nights). That’s total of 20 or 21 nights. Do you think that this is too tight? Initially I wanted to take Roomette, then I was thinking, if I stay in each city, maybe I could just use Coach? For major distance, I might still add Roomette separately (Denver - SF). Would you recommend Rommette for this route? (How long would it take) also Is this possible to purchase Roomette for this and not going to affect rail pass? Man, I asked too much. Have a good weekend! - from manhattan
@@noabaak Hello again! Lots of questions in here, so let me see if I can get everything answered. Might end up being long 😬 You will have to lay out your plans in a calendar to see how it will work for timing with your train routes, because you only have 30 days to use all 10 legs on the pass and several of your routes will be overnights. Your day 1 will be when you get on the train from NY - Philly, so let's see how this would play out... Day 1 - Train from NY to Philly (night 1 in Philly) Day 2 - Philly (night 2) Day 3 - Train from Philly to Pittsburgh (night 1 in PGH) Day 4 - Pittsburgh (night 2) Day 5 - Train from PGH to Chicago (probably an overnight on the train) Day 6 - Chicago (night 1) Day 7 - Chicago (night 2) Day 8 - Chicago (night 3) Day 9 - Train from Chicago to Denver (overnight on train) Day 10 - Denver (night 1 there) Day 11 - Denver (night 2) Day 12 - Train from Denver to SF (overnight on train) Day 13 - SF (night 1 there) Day 14 - SF (night 2) Day 15 - SF (night 3) Day 16 - Train from SF to Seattle (overnight on train) Day 17 - Seattle (night 1 there) Day 18 - Seattle (night 2) Day 19 - Seattle (night 3) Day 20 - Train from Seattle to LA (overnight on train Day 21 - Still on train from Seattle to LA (most likely gets in in the evening, so that's night 1 in LA) Day 22 - LA (night 2) Day 23 - Train from LA to San Diego (night 1 there) Day 24 - San Diego (night 2) Day 25 - Train from San Diego back to LA (night 3 there) Day 26 - LA (night 4) So yeah it looks like that could work! You even have a little wiggle room if you wanted to add an extra day somewhere or stop somewhere else. You just have to be finished with your last train ride by the end of day 30. Of course, you'll have to look at the specific train times for those routes to make sure that schedule will work, but I think it will. As for the roomette, we have never found it necessary. For that leg from Denver to SF, you'll probably want to spend all your time in the observation car anyway. I personally wouldn't spring for a roomette, but there are a lot of factors to that that each person has to consider for themself. Also, you could do all that train travel with the USA Rail Pass (so no more than $500), but you can't pay to upgrade to a roomette so that would be another full cost on top of the rail pass. Not worth it IMO, especially since you never have 2 overnights on the train in a row. You can just shower in the morning before getting on the train and then shower the next day at night after getting off the train. I'd save the money and spend it on stuff you want to do in the cities you're visiting. I hope that answered all your questions... I really do my best! And a big thank you for subscribing to our channel! I hope you've been able to find lots of helpful info in our videos. Have you found our Amtrak playlist? It has all those videos in one place. I'll link it below. Please feel free to keep sending questions that arise as you're planning your trip 🙂 Amtrak playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
It's definitely meant for people to ride cross-country and spend more (or equal) time on the trains as they do at the stops in-between. I doubt they would make a sleeper car version because it would just be so expensive. Have you seen the price of a roomette on these long train rides like the Empire Builder? It's at the very least 4x more than a single coach ticket, and there's a much more limited amount of them so if they did a rail pass for it they'd probably just be booked all the time and Amtrak would lose money on it. As a consumer, I'm definitely with you - that option would be great - but I get why Amtrak doesn't have it. If you don't mind sharing, what kind of trip(s) are you looking to do?
Hi Fred, good question. We definitely recommend making a full on vacation out of the USA Rail Pass if you have the time and stay in some cities overnight (or for a couple days) between each long train ride. We stayed with friends & family and in hostels & Airbnb's in-between so we could refresh, do laundry, and explore before the next train ride. On the 1+ day train rides, we took overnight bags with baby wipes and a fresh change of clothes so we could freshen up as best we could while on the trains.
I'd like to buy a rail pass, but not sure if this is allowed. I can't sleep in a couch seat so any over night rides I'd buy a roomette. I want to use the rail pass for all stops during the day then spend the night somewhere. If I reboard the train in the evening or in middle of the night then I'd buy a roomette. So in essence, I'd use the rail pass for a few times then put it on hold and buy a roomette for an overnight leg then go back to using the rail pass. Is that allowed?
Hi 👋🏻 Unfortunately no, there's no way to place your USA Rail Pass "on hold" so you can book other legs in a roomette and then restart using the rail pass. The 30-day period of the pass is what it is once you start using it. Also, I'm not sure if you're aware because of your mention of reboarding the train in the evening, but most of the trains only run once per day, so you don't have the option of "reboarding" a train that you got off earlier that day, if that makes sense, nor do you get to choose what time of day you're on the train through certain areas. It sounds like it might be better for you to look at the pricing for the trip you want to do as a whole, and see then see if the coach sections would cost more or less than a USA Rail Pass. My guess is that it will be cheaper to not use it in that case, because the high ticket items are going to be your roomette legs. Also, just checking, but have you seen the Amtrak coach seats before? Although they certainly are not perfect, they're much nicer to sleep in than most people expect.
@@inthegreatwide Thank you for the helpful response. I’ve seen the train seats and I need a roomette since I wear a cpap and I need quieter space with a plug in. It’s really unfortunate amtrack doesn’t allow some upgrades to the rail pass. I plan on spending the night(s) in cities along the way. It sounds like I need to buy separate tickets for each leg.
@@jeffhoover4240 All of the coach seats have outlets, so needing a plug wouldn't be a problem, but coach is definitely going to be noisier than a roomette. Also keep in mind that on some of the routes at some of the fresh air stops, they turn the power off to the whole train, sometimes with and sometimes without notice. I'm not sure what would happen with a cpap machine if the power went out while you're wearing it in the middle of the night. Just a friendly tip and something you could ask about when you get onboard your train. If you're open to sharing, I'd be interested to know where you're wanting to go on the trains. Stopping in cities in-between trains along the way is definitely what we recommend, but in most cases, if you get off the train, say at 9pm, to spend the night in a hotel, then you want to get back on that same train the next day to continue in the same direction you were going, you'll just be getting back on the train at 9pm and be facing the same overnight travel that you would have been the day before. I hope that makes sense.
@@inthegreatwide Yes I would stay a couple nights in a hotel in selected cities. Once I reboard the night train I’d purchase a roomette. I live in the Phoenix area so closest train station is maricopa AZ and nothing much is there. I would travel east into NM then Texas then New Orleans and then maybe north towards Chicago. I’ve been searching on the amtrack website and trying to get the most cost effective fares. Doesn’t sound like the rail pass is best way to go. Thanks for all the good info.
@@jeffhoover4240 Well it sounds like you're figuring it all out! Please let us know what other questions come up as you're planning; we're happy to help!
Essentially, yes. You'll have a code for your USA Rail Pass to use when you go to book each individual segment of your trip instead of entering in a credit card or something to pay for it. I hope that makes sense.
Hi Kevin, this is an excellent question. To be completely honest with you, we are still learning more about the Amtrak Rewards program and how to best utilize it. It appears to me that TQPs are reset for each calendar year, but that feels like that can't be right, because if you travel a ton in December then it wouldn't be fair for it to reset the very next month. We will have to look further into this.
Thanks for your info about the time limits for purchasing and using the USA Rail Pass. It saved me from a booking problem. I had it in mind to buy s Rail Pass tomorrow, the last day of the sale, and delay the start of the trip as long as possible. I called Amtrak and an agent told me I’d have until May 19th, 120 days after purchase, to board my first leg. Then I remembered watching this video a few weeks ago, and what the agent told me seemed fishy. I called again and a different agent told me that, yes, I could wait as long as May 19th to start travel, but travel would also have to be completed by May 19th, as well, as the pass expires 120 days after purchase. Tricky! The first agent failed to mention that little tidbit! On a whim, I asked if that meant I had to board the last leg on or before May 19th, or if travel had to be completed by May 19th. She said as long as I boarded by May 19th- “What are they going to do? Kick you off the train?” From what you said, the system wouldn’t allow you to book it for boarding on Day 120 and disembarking on Day 121, so I’ll just plan on that. Interesting that I was given the same misinformation as you were. BTW, the day you purchase the Rail Pass counts as Day One, so if anyone else is making plans, it works out such that the trip must end on the same day of the week as the day the pass was purchased, 14 weeks later (or earlier, of course).
Yeah it definitely seems like even the Amtrak employees are confused about what to tell people; that's so frustrating! But I am SO GLAD to hear that our video saved you from what could have been a total nightmare with scheduling. What questions do you have about using the pass or the trains themselves?
I'm planning a trip soon... Never been on Amtrak So if i buy segments....I can get off at any stop and stay there over night or even a week? I would just need to check the schedule to hop back on when needed?
Hello 👋🏻 Are you talking about using the USA Rail Pass to travel or buying each Amtrak segment separately? We talk in this video about what a leg is, how many you get, and when you have to use them by if you're using the USA Rail Pass. We also made a short Q&A video answering the question about hopping on and off the trains when you're using the USA Rail Pass that I'll link below, and maybe that will help answer your question. If not, please let me know; I'm happy to help 🙂 Can you hop on / hop off the trains with the USA Rail Pass: th-cam.com/video/AC9t-CQ2FRM/w-d-xo.html
I believe there are some people in the Northeast that use the train for regular commuting, which is why the trains there are so much "better" in that there are more of them and they run more frequently. But yeah, not enough people use the trains everywhere else in the country for companies to consider investing in them but no one uses the trains because no one is investing in them so it's a circular issue, unfortunately. Who knows if it will ever be solved.
Thanks for this Just wondering if I got this pass can I go back the same way I came or do I have to take another route to get back where I started from Say San Francisco to Chicago and Chicago down to Memphis can I go back the same way or would I have to take another train back to LA a different route Thanks David 🙂 And thank you for your reply to my other message
You can refer to the "Commuter Restrictions" chapter of the video (starting at 5:48). Also, here's the fine print of what it says on Amtrak's website: "Travel is restricted to two roundtrips (four one-way trips) between the same two stations - as well as all intermediate destinations on the route." - Meaning yes, you could take the CA Zephyr and the City of NOLA trains to go from Emeryville to Chicago to Memphis, back to Chicago, back to Emeryville. Personally, I would recommend taking some other routes though and checking out more cities! A lot of people do loops around the country, so if you wanted to land back in Emeryville, you could take the City of NOLA train the rest of the way down to New Orleans, then the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles, then the Coast Starlight up to Emeryville. If you wanted to explore the Northeast after Memphis, you could either take the same train back north to Chicago and go from there (you have lots of options from Chicago - it's the major Amtrak hub between the east & west coast) or you could take the same train further south to New Orleans and then take the Crescent route to the northeast. There are practically endless options if you have the time to use the full 30 days of the rail pass!
@@inthegreatwide Wow thank you for all this information I really appreciate it what you are saying is very good I can see most of the country from the seat on the train I have been to America before I've been twice actually and I have been on a train but only a couple of hours trip and I rather enjoyed it I reckon I can rough it up a bit for a few weeks and also on a bit of a budget and also can you or do they have showers at the train stations like restrooms Thanks David I sent through an email to let them know I'd like to be on their mailing list for up and coming deals
@@123elvislives The USA Rail Pass is the BEST way to see the country on a budget. On our month-long trip, we stayed 2-3 nights each in 7 cities along the way, hitting up Denver, Pittsburgh, New York City, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, and Seattle, starting and ending in Los Angeles. We stayed with friends where we could but otherwise stayed in hostels, which are very hit and miss in the U.S., but they are around if you're looking for budget accommodations 😉 Unfortunately, train stations don't really offer showers from what we've seen. Since we live in LA, I can tell you that that's probably because they would mostly end up being used by people experiencing homelessness rather than train passengers, and the train stations want to discourage loitering from people who aren't waiting for a train. Even if you're just staying 1 night in a city between trains, you'll appreciate the hot shower, bed, fresh air, and fresh meals. Amtrak trains DO have showers onboard for sleeper car passengers, but they're not available for coach passengers, even at an upcharge. Since the USA Rail Pass is for coach travel only (and you cannot pay the difference to upgrade), that means no showers on the trains if you're using the pass. You should definitely plan on taking toiletries in a carry-on bag on the trains to freshen up as best you can in the onboard restrooms.
@@inthegreatwide Yeah with the shower thing l can understand 🤣 Thanks so much for your help and yes a room and a shower would be good at the end of a train ride I would like to get a hotel near a train station at the end of a long leg May as a person I like doing the normal things not the big tourist attractions but just everyday life things and everyday life towns I must see how close Graceland is away from the train station stay there for a few days and then off on my next leg get off and then hopefully get back to LA I am trying to keep it simple as I can I just got a reply back from Amtrak they said that I need an address in the USA or Canada maybe it's because I'm not a resident of either one oh well
@@123elvislives Do you mean that Amtrak said you need an address in the US or Canada in order to purchase a USA Rail Pass? There's zero information about that in their terms & conditions, so that doesn't make sense... Most Amtrak stations are right in the middle of the downtown areas of major cities, so finding nearby accommodations should be easy, but might be more pricey. Graceland is definitely on our list too! We almost did another month-long train trip this year but the timing just didn't work out with other plans we had already made - but Memphis was one of our stops too! I've heard good things about the city 🙂 If you need any recommendations for LA, we are locals! Hit us up!
Hmmm, all this is very intriguing. How does the hygiene thing work traveling coach for so long? Does it occur, that a certain leg is passed in the dead of night...and do you then sleep in your seat...and if the plan was to SEE the county? Will Amtrack help plan your trip?
Hi David, this is a multi-part question, so I'm going to do my best to answer everything: Regarding hygiene, sleeper car passengers do have access to showers, but coach passengers do not. We took baby wipes, overnight toiletries, and a change of clothes onboard to freshen up during rhe long trips. For overnight trips, yes you will sleep in your seat. Coach seats on Amtrak vary depending on the route, but there's always only 2 on either side of the aisle, so they are far more comfortable than sleeping on a plane. We review the specifics of the coach seats on each route we take, which you can view in our Amtrak playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html When traveling overnight, you will not be able to see outside the train. Unfortunately, that does mean that the views are lost during that time. As far as Amtrak helping plan your trip, I imagine they would try, but I would definitely recommend doing as much of the leg work as you can on their website. Decide where you want to go or the routes you want to take, and build your own map based off of that! But the Amtrak employees were very helpful with all our questions or if something didn't work right. I hope that all helps! Please let us know if you have more questions!
There is a cafe car available for all passengers but you won't have access to the dining car if you're using the USA Rail Pass since you'll be in coach. We have a whole video about food & drinks on Amtrak trains here: th-cam.com/video/PoYmBN5XT8I/w-d-xo.html I hope that helps!
Now that I’ve been in Europe I’m really trying to wrap my head around why even younger people aren’t using the U.S. rail pass. You’d think with something like this solo traveling would be way more common. My own anecdotes are the U.S. is just uninteresting, the U.S. rail pass isn’t advertised enough, u.s is unsafe especially in the bigger cities.
I agree that the pass isn't advertised enough, but I have to disagree with the idea that the country isn't interesting or that big cities aren't safe. There are definitely specific areas in big cities that aren't safe, but there are also specific areas of the backwoods that aren't safe, so that's not a unique situation to cities. And there's TONS of interesting stuff to do & see all over this country, but I suppose it depends on what you're into. But yes! More young people should totally be using Amtrak to explore! We hadn't heard of it until we got the amazing deal in our inbox as part of Amtrak's newsletter, so I think most people just don't know it's an option. Hopefully our videos will help change that, even if just a little bit 🙂
I was good until you said we actually have to talk to people. oh hecks no! lol lol lol Thanks for the video. Thinking about buying this pass and going on a food hunt.
@@MattDV Well there are plenty of places to choose from! Send us whatever Amtrak questions you have while you're planning & we'll help out the best we can 🙂
@@inthegreatwide funny I just came from Penn Stations Amtrak. Im going from Newark to Florida then to New Orleans and back with a few stops on the way. I saw somewhere that there may be restrictions on the east coast. But the ticket agent could not find any restrictions.
Thanks Paul! This isn't the first time we've heard that about the sound effects, so we greatly reduced the volume and frequency of them for our newer videos, and we're considering eliminating them entirely moving forward. Thanks for the feedback 👍🏻 If you have any questions we didn't answer about Amtrak, please feel free to send them our way!
That's certainly what a lot of people think, but for what it's worth, coach on Amtrak trains is way more comfortable than coach on an airplane. Have you taken an Amtrak train before?
I did this about 2 years ago for an amazing $199. I loved train travel before this. I will never travel by Amtrak again. Out of the 8 legs I used, seven were late, one of them 11 hours. Rules, during the pandemic, varied by the leg depending on the conductor. Some said that they could be fined $10,000 if they didn't enforce them. Bathrooms were horribly maintained. What a nightmare. Important hint: It is very, very difficult to book these legs yourself. Use the services of an Amtrak sales rep, definitely the best part of this whole deal. Plan your trip and then call the rep.
We certainly had a couple of late trains on our trip, but only 1 out of the 10 legs we took was problematically late, by 5 hours. It was a situation with a fire near the tracks ahead of us that was out of Amtrak's control though, so we can't really blame them for that. As far booking the legs, we thought it was really easy except for our last leg, which we talk about in the video. We've heard that a lot of people much prefer the Amtrak app over their website for booking the legs, but we used the website and didn't have a problem. There were certainly differences in how much the rules were enforced depending on which train we were on though, so I hear you on that. It may be worth giving Amtrak another try on a shorter train ride though, because some of the routes are absolutely beautiful!
@@inthegreatwide Thanks. Enjoyed your video. And I will try again sometime. Add wildfires in the Northwest that cancelled everything north of Sacramento and the number of close connections, and it was a trip from heck. Amtrak personnel blamed almost all the problems with difficulties with freight trains. And that has always been the excuse. It is also the problem in Canada with the transcontinental VIA train (see my comment farther down). One Canadian car attendant said that their trains were a lot cheaper and more on time before the system was bought by a bunch of U.S. billionaires. It certainly was cheaper. I used the website and was stifled in bookings by some trips being limited by day/time. The Amtrak sales rep was VERY helpful and gracious. I've done all but two of the Amtrak multi-state routes. But am more likely to try a shorter one as you suggest. But that means I have to fly, since I've traveled by car to almost everywhere--all 50 states and all Canadian provinces and territories. Speaking of which, kind of, have you done any train travel in Mexico? One other hint you might work in about coach seats. They vary in the distance between rows. I discovered during my megatrip that legroom may vary as much as about 10-16 inches. If there's a chance to make a choice on the spot, it is well worth it.
@@inthegreatwide Does Amtrak now accept cash on-board? During my trip two years ago, they did not and some people without credit cards were really stuck.
@@inthegreatwide Regarding cash on-board, the Amtrak station in New Orleans actually had machines that you could put cash into to get a "credit" card for on-board transactions. The only one I've ever seen in scores of stations.
@@bethmanus6808 Train travel in Mexico has never occurred to me, if I'm being honest, but we ARE looking at a trip to Mexico; we've both been but never together. As far as the legroom, we discuss what the coach seats are like on each individual train route we take, because you are right: the legroom varies wildly depending on if you're on a leisure style train or a commuter style. We do individual reviews for each route, which are up on our channel if you'd like to take a look. Maybe things have changed a little since the last time you were on some of them...?
Try hostels or Airbnb's instead of hotels, or plan to visit places where you have friends or family you can stay with; then you get the added bonus of a local guide. That's what we did! And there's plenty of stuff to do without spending so much on "other" activities. Washington DC has tons of free museums; you can spend hours wandering around in Central Park in New York City for free; hell, you could just go to the beach when you're in LA. Every city has free and cheap stuff to do! There isn't a whole lot you can do to avoid food costs, but a lot of hostels and Airbnb's have full kitchen access, so you could go to the local grocery store and cook your own meals like you would at home. Or you could even plan a "food tour" as your activity for a day - that would be a 2-for-1! I hope this helps change your way of thinking about it. So many people are held back from traveling because of that way of thinking, and one of our goals is to help people break free of that mindset. Yes, travel can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be!
Hi Mikey, thanks for the feedback. We have significantly reduced the use of the dings & buzzers in our more recent videos because of this kind feedback, but I'm not sure what you mean by distracting graphics? If you could offer a specific example that would be helpful 🙂 We're always looking to improve! Thanks for watching!
@@mikeymutual5489 Ah, I see. Well we have certainly pared down on them moving forward and turned the volume of the sound effects way down, but we are keeping some in because they help our viewers identify specific positive and negative parts of the experience we're talking about. Thank you for your feedback; it is always valuable to us! I'd be curious to hear what you think about our more recent reviews after we've toned down on the pop-up text 🙂
Hi there, we've taken the feedback from our viewers and lowered the sound of the dings and buzzers for our new videos, but we will not be removing them because they help our viewers identify specific positives and negatives of the places and experiences we're reviewing. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
WATCH NEXT - Our guide to food & drinks on Amtrak trains, including what you can bring with you to save money: th-cam.com/video/PoYmBN5XT8I/w-d-xo.html
I used 3 consecutive rail passes in summer 2022 for 90 days covering 27 cities doing nearly 20,000 miles from coast to coast twice and canada to mexico on a anti-clockwise route all in Amtrak coach around the USA!!! I vistied 36 states and did 10 overnight trains, very, very tiring but amazing scenery and memories. 👍
What an INCREDIBLE journey that must have been! If we could take the time to do multiple USA Rail Passes back-to-back, it would be amazing to spend more time in each city and/or visit some of the smaller towns along the way. You never know what you might find!
Nice trip…this will be my first and I’m coveting over 10k miles doing a loop around the country
You are great 👍🎉 hope you video recorded your trip!
Teach me your ways.
Oh man. Sounds wonderful. I wonder if you could get 3 passes like you, but over lap time line, like all in one month?
Thank y'all for this!
So glad you found it helpful! Please let us know if you have any questions because someone else is always wondering the same thing but sometimes no one will ask the question! We're happy to help however we can 🙂
My husband & I are planning on using the rail passes to plan regional trips. We live in Pittsburgh, so we'll take the Pennsylvanian across the state, then transfer & visit New England. I like your idea of stopping in some smaller towns & staying a few days to relax & sight see.
First, I just want to say we LOVE Pittsburgh! We've visited twice and it's definitely somewhere that has surprised us with how much we enjoy it 🙂
When it comes to regional Amtrak trips, I suggest you take a look at what the tickets would cost if you were to just buy them individually and compare that to the cost of the USA Rail Pass. You might find that it costs less to buy the tickets individually if it's just a bunch of short trips 😉
@@inthegreatwide Thank you so much for the advice!! I'll definitely make the comparison!
@@bethdabruzzo7112 I'd be interested to hear what the result is! Using the trains to get around in the Northeast is a popular vacation option that I would love for us to do in autumn. Maybe next year!
The Emeryville - San Francisco trip: (1) may have been blacklisted from the USA Rail Pass and (2) may have been blacklisted because its not tied next to a train trip in their system
Hi there John 👋🏻 The thruway bus connection that Amtrak offers to connect Emeryville and San Francisco is still included on the USA Rail Pass as of now, if you want to use your rail pass legs that way. I personally don't think it's a good use of the legs, but if you have the legs to spare and the USA Rail Pass is still more cost effective for your trip than buying the tickets individually, then go for it.
Thanks to EVERYONE for all the great tips and videos on Amtrak. I'm thinking about train travel in the near future, the last time I was on a train was 1982. It has changed a lot. Again, thanks a lot.
This makes me so happy, Gary! I'm glad you're finding good info in our little community 😀 Please feel free to reach out with any questions as you're planning your trip; I'm happy to help!
Thank you so much for information about the Rail Pass. I will be purchasing the Rail Pass this summer.
Woohoo! Do you have a plan of where you'll go yet? Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions that come up as you're planning. I'm happy to help 🙂
If you haven't seen them yet, we have a bunch of other videos about Amtrak. We have route reviews, short Q&A's, a food and drinks guide, and some videos showing some sights you can see on the journey. Here's a playlist of all of them: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html&si=IJ31wSSgIOn1rN1C
I have learned a lot from your videos, and I actually took some "notes," as well (LOL) I have never been to the Midwestern region so that is my itinerary.
Sincerely, Orlando, FL@@inthegreatwide
@@KYONGEAGAN Cool! Not many people take advantage of the Midwestern region on Amtrak, but there are definitely some good places to visit. You could visit Chicago (obv), Memphis, Kansas City... We always find interesting stuff everywhere we go 🙂
Hi! Just rcvd a email that the usa rail pass is on sale for $299.00- saving 200.00- great sale
YES the sale is going on until January 20, 2023! Here's a link to buy: www.amtrak.com/tickets/departure-rail-pass.html
@@inthegreatwide thanks
Thankyou much! Utmost blessings.
Thanks for watching and leaving us a comment! Happy travels!
Great Video!!! Explained all the points Perfectly
on 5:50 Commuter Restriction Can I use it like for
New York -> DC
DC -> New York
New York -> Chicago
Chicago -> New York
I am bit confused
Awsome Explanation....
Hi Vikas! With your example, the answer is yes, because you are only going back and forth on each route once (a total of 2 rides on each route). What Amtrak does not allow would be if, say you live in NYC and want to visit DC 4 weekends in a row, you would only be able to use the USA Rail Pass for 2 of those trips because you can only take the same route back and forth 2 times (a total of 4 train rides on 1 route, between the same places).
However, if you were to take the same train route, say the Northeast Regional, from NYC -> Philadelphia -> Baltimore -> DC -> Richmond -> Boston -> NYC, that would all be covered on the USA Rail Pass because even though you're taking the same train route 6 times, you are taking it to destinations that are on the way to the next one heading south (therefore you aren't going back and forth), and THEN going back north.
I hope that all makes sense. It's definitely one of the most confusing parts of the USA Rail Pass.
Just a friendly tip, if your schedule will allow it, you can also ride the trains from NYC -> DC -> Chicago -> NYC without having to back to NYC in the middle. That would save you a leg and allow you to see more of the country on a route you wouldn't otherwise be taking 😉
Very helpful info.
Kind of hard to understand Amtrak's site.
You guys made it easy.
Thanks!
This is so nice to hear! Thank you, Greg! Please send any questions you have our way. We're happy to help!
Here’s mine
Coast Starlight Emeryville to Seattle
Seattle to Whitefish
Whitefish to Chicago
Chicago to Memphis
Memphis to New Orleans
NOLA to El Paso
Fly El Paso to Denver
Denver to Helper Utah
Helper to Emeryville
Staying a couple of nights in layover cities visiting family
Can’t wait!
This is a good route! You'll have some awesome stops in there - and I'm glad you're doing the Denver to Emeryville route on the California Zephyr! Have you taken Amtrak before or will this be your first time?
@@inthegreatwide No I’ve taken Amtrak several times. I have taken the CA Zephyr in Summer and Autumn from Denver. I’ll be on it from Chicago on Christmas Day and again in the Spring. I’ve been on the Coast Starlight several times and the Southwest Chief twice. This will be the first time on different routes in the South
@@dianethulin1700 Wow so it sounds like you have a lot of experience with Amtrak then, but a lot on the same routes. Have you ever thought about exploring the east coast on Amtrak? Have you taken the Coast Starlight the whole way down to Los Angeles? I'm jealous that you're doing the City of New Orleans route - that one has had to be cut from our trips in the past for various reasons, but we'll make it on eventually.
@@inthegreatwide This is why I’m branching out a bit. My cousins are in NOLA and visiting my brother in Tennessee so that’s why I’m taking that route. I used to take the Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner just to commute when I lived in Ventura and have taken it to L.A. many times. It was so great when my son was little. I am wanting to do East Coast for sure but that will be epic. My family came over into Plymouth and New Amsterdam so plan on a lot of family history. My daughter lives in NYC and we have been there for 400 years this year
@@dianethulin1700 That sounds fabulous! You'll have local guides to show you around; that's always the best. It's awesome that you know so much about your family history too. That would be a really cool trip to take.
Great summary! I plan on using the USA Rail Pass this summer. I live on the Empire Builder’s route, so to Seattle, LA, Chicago via Texas Eagle, New York, Miami, Washington, New Orleans, Chicago, LA via Southwest Chief, California Zephyr back to Chicago. That’s ten legs, and has the most built-in layover. I’ll stay an extra day in LA my first time through to avoid a fifty minute connection between the Coast Starlight and Texas Eagle.
I’ll also book some segments separately, like my last segment to get home from Chicago, and to also book travel with the California Rail Pass to get to San Diego, up to Oakland, then Bakersfield and finally Sacramento where I pick up the CZ. There’s no restriction on booking extra segments, as long as you pay for them separately they won’t count as a leg. You could have, for example, booked the Thruway bus service from Emeryville to SF and back without it being a leg.
Just don't forget about the time restrictions that say you have to use all of your USA Rail Pass legs within 30 days of each other; it sounds like you have a lot of travel planned!
We did look into booking the Thruway Bus separately between Emeryville and San Francisco, but Amtrak doesn't allow it for that specific bus for whatever reason.
There's plenty to do during your day in Los Angeles too! Have you been here before? It's our home city so we can always give recommendations 😉
Total time will be 27 days. I too asked if travel had to commence or end on day 30 and was told as long as I boarded on day 30 I’d be fine, but I’m glad it’s a moot point.
Other than Disneyland and La Brea (been there), what might you suggest in Los Angeles?
@@stephenkehl7158 There is SO MUCH to do in Los Angeles! It really depends on what you enjoy and how much time you'll actually have.
If it's just an overnight layover, it would be best to not venture too far away from Union Station, but if you have a full day, then renting a car to drive up to Malibu would be wonderful, especially since you'll be there in the summer! Duke's is our favorite restaurant there, and the Getty Villa just down the street is lovely for an afternoon in a museum.
The Huntington Gardens are great if you enjoy botanical gardens. The California Science Center is cool if you're into space travel. Our Natural History Museum is huge and full of cool dinosaur stuff; it's right next to the Science Center and there's a big rose garden in-between.
Downtown rooftop bars are awesome in the summertime. The Griffith Observatory is iconic and has a great view of the Hollywood sign. Lots of good hiking up near there too.
You could tour the Warner Brothers lot, go to Universal Studios for a different theme park that's way closer than Disneyland (which you can get to directly from Union Station on 1 subway in 25 minutes).
We could go on and on and ON, if you can't tell. We're definitely going to start focusing on reviewing more places in Los Angeles for our blog, so stay tuned for all of that!
I had been to New Orleans several times but stayed over a day just to do the WWII museum. Fabulous. Also New Orleans is the only Amtrak station I have run into which has machines where you can put in cash to receive a "credit" card that you can use on-board. When I traveled on a 10-leg trip two years ago, Amtrak did not accept cash on-board for anything.
@@bethmanus6808 Yes Amtrak stopped accepting cash during the pandemic like many other businesses in attempts to limit the spread of covid. I believe they accept cash again now (they were certainly accepting cash tips when we were onboard), but we use travel credit cards for everything anyway - better to get the rewards to do more traveling!
I did a similar circuitous route one year earlier (in October 2021) starting and ending in NYC, actually. My route was: NYC to Chicago to St. Louis to Kansas City to Albuquerque to LA to Emeryville (via connecting bus and San Joaquins because there were fires along the Coast Starlight route that day) to Reno to Denver to Chicago to NYC.
That's too bad about the Coast Starlight; you'll have to come back to do the full route. We have a super bloom happening in CA right now so the Coast Starlight has ocean views on one side and hills of wildflowers on the other; we just saw it last week! It sounds like you got to go to a lot of places though; did you have any favorites you would recommend?
@@inthegreatwide Since the train only goes to downtown areas, that is all that I could see. So on that basis, Kansas City, St. Louis and Albuquerque were letdowns because they were mostly empty in their downtowns, except for tourists. However, they are good places for taking a break from train travel. The best cities I toured were Denver and Chicago. I hadn't been to those cities previously, and they were fun and interesting with lots to see and eat.
@@mikeymutual5489 Ah, yes! We go through Chicago a few times a year and visit friends in Denver once a year or so. Both are great cities with so much to offer! We are also trying to schedule a trip to Kansas City sooner rather than later; we haven't been there yet.
You guys are much better than Amtrak customer Rep.
I'm glad we're able to help!
Thank you so much, this video is so helpful
Glad to hear it, Barbara! Thanks for watching 🙂
Thanks so much for the info, wonderful way to arrange it & great information too! 🙏 You guys are super cute, keep up the good work
Awwww thank you! Please send us any questions you have about the pass or Amtrak trains; we're happy to help!
Thank you so much for this video! Im an 18 yr old college student planning on going on a trip next summer and this is a huge help!
GOOD FOR YOU! You should 100% use the USA Rail Pass then - it's such a great deal! Can't wait to hear where you'll go!
Did you get to go on your train trip?! How did it go?
I Just Found Out Recently That The Navy Ship I Was On In The Late 80s Is Being Decommissioned In San Diego In September I'm From Florida So I Thought This Would Be A Great Opportunity To Travel Across The Country By Train I Traveled From Tampa To Seattle Round Trip On Greyhound Back In 2017 And Swore To Myself That I Would Never Do That Again Anyway I Got The Rail Pass And Saved 274 Dollars And I Was Lucky Enough To Get In Touch With A Customer Service Agent Named Stephanie That Was Literally The Nicest Person Ever And She Planned The Whole Trip For Me But Anyway Great Video And Keep Up The Amazing Work You Do✌️
That's so cool that you're going to get to go see the ship you were on 🙌🏻 Thank you for your service!
Are you going anywhere else with your rail pass or just over to San Diego & back to Florida? That will be quite the journey! (In a good way though, hopefully 🙂) Please send us whatever questions you have about riding Amtrak & we'll be happy to help however we can
@@inthegreatwide Thank You Very Much But This Is Just A Roundtrip To San Diego For The Ceremony Which Used Up The Whole Rail Pass I'll Have To See How This Trip Ends Up Before I Plan Any Future Amtrak Travel 😂 But I Feel Much Better Knowing I Can Reach Out To You For Any Amtrak Travel Related Questions Have A Wonderful Day✌️
It's back to $299 per person now! Which is why I'm watching this video :) and now subscribed
WOOHOO! That's awesome! It is SUCH a good deal! What other questions do you have?!
Hey! Me too!
@@alc6370 YAY! Any questions about using it? Or about the routes? Packing? Something else? We're here to help!
@@inthegreatwide I have a A LOT questions, I don’t know where to begin.😂 I haven’t bought the pass yet (you have until the 20th). I just wish that the pass could be used for up to a year or even 6 months, because I’d love to take the trips in the fall or winter but at the discounted price. Haha. But I’ll definitely revisit this video and thread if i have any specific questions. I appreciate the response!
@@alc6370 Whatever questions come up, let us know! We have many videos already that will probably answer many of your questions; you can find them all in this playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
Anything that comes up, please ask! It's highly likely that other people have the same questions so we want to help as much as we can!
I used the USA Rail pass twice in the last 2 years,...and your description and tips on the pass were rock solid. My only complaint with Amtrak is so many routes have only 1 train per day,...so you are totally at the mercy of the schedule. You could literally get dropped off in a smaller town,...in the middle of the night with no one in sight,..and that can be very scary.
We agree. Plus there are routes that would have incredible views if the schedule was different so you could pass by them during the day instead of at night, such as the Empire Builder and Lake Shore Limited. Amtrak recently announced a lot of updates they're working on for new trains in the Northeast, but we would love to see them put some more effort into the rest of the country too.
The railroads before Amtrak all ran two trains per day on their long distance routes. The Empire Builder used to have a companion called the Western Star. I’m also hoping the North Coast Limited gets brought back. It’s one of the routes the states have been looking into.
@@thetrainhopper8992 Where did the North Coast Limited route go?
@@thetrainhopper8992 What are you talking about? The western routes already lose money and you want to run two trains a day? It is never happening, so keep dreaming.
@@mikeymutual5489 calm down little guy
I am using the Rail Pass this Fall to travel from Las Vegas, Nevada to Exeter, New, Hampshire. Will have to use two of my segments for connecting busses because the train no longer rolls through Vegas. So it will be Kingman, Arizona to Chicago on the Southwest Chief. Chicago to Boston on the Lake Shore Limited. Boston to Exeter on the Downeaster. Then back down to Boston and on to New York City by way of the Northeast Regional. Once again the Late-for-Sure Limited from NYC to Chicago and then hop on the Empire Builder to Portland. Portland to Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight and finally the Southwest Chief to Kingman where I hop back on the connecting bus to Las Vegas.
Hello! I love that you are sharing your route here and especially that you're traveling in autumn. I hope the timing works out for you to see some amazing fall colors like we did!
Looking at your route though, I noticed that you actually have 11 legs planned. I'm not sure if you realize it. You have:
1 - Las Vegas to Kingman, AZ - Bus connector
2 - Kingman, AZ to Chicago - Southwest Chief
3 - Chicago to Boston - Lake Shore Limited
4 - Boston to Exeter, NH - Downeaster
5 - Exeter, NH to Boston - Downeaster
6 - Boston to NYC - Northeast Regional
7 - NYC to Chicago - Lake Shore Limited
8 - Chicago to Portland - Empire Builder
9 - Portland to LA - Coast Starlight
10 - LA to Kingman, AZ - Southwest Chief
11 - Kingman, AZ to Vegas - Bus connector
That means that 1 of those legs you would have to pay for separately from your USA Rail Pass. Maybe one of the bus connectors would be the cheapest option...? If you want to avoid the extra leg, you would simply need to eliminate the Northeast Regional from Boston to New York City, which makes sense because you can still catch the Lake Shore Limited from Boston back to Chicago.
However, to avoid taking the Lake Shore Limited twice, and assuming you don't mind keeping the extra leg on the Northeast Regional, you could take the Cardinal from New York City to Chicago instead. We haven't taken that route yet, but it's just another option to get to see even more of the country instead of taking the same route twice. If you don't mind keeping the extra leg but don't necessarily have your heart set on stopping in New York City, then consider taking the Northeast Regional from Boston down to Washington DC instead. From there, you'd have the option of taking the Cardinal or the Capitol Limited.
On that same note, I'd like to offer some friendly advice and tell you that the California Zephyr is much better than the Empire Builder. If you would be willing to go from Chicago to Emeryville (San Francisco) instead of from Chicago to Portland, then I would recommend switching out the Empire Builder for the California Zephyr. We've made videos about both routes; I'll link them below.
Obviously, I don't know if you're choosing to go to any specific city on this route for a specific reason (so you may not want to cut out your visit to NYC or Portland), so these are just friendly suggestions 🙂 Please feel free to send us any questions that come up as you're planning your trip! I love helping people figure all this stuff out.
California Zephyr video: th-cam.com/video/5LLskbL_S7A/w-d-xo.html
Empire Builder video: th-cam.com/video/Y74-cn86Yp4/w-d-xo.html
@@inthegreatwide Hi! Thanks for replying. I watch a lot of Amtrak vids to get differing perspectives and you two were the first presenters to reply. I appreciate that. I should have gone into greater detail about my itinerary but I felt the post might get too long. Anyhoo, I am aware of the extra leg, but I am planning to visit cousins in NYC so I will have to pay for the connector back to Vegas. That should be about $25 bucks likely. As for the Empire Builder, back in the '80's and '90's I used to take the Zephyr back and forth between Denver and Los Angeles. (at that time they had a segment of the Zephyr that ran out of Los Angeles and hooked up with the San Fransisco and Seattle trains in Salt Lake City). So I am not really interested in riding it again. Have never been on the Empire Builder and many have recommended it. It will take me through some states I have never been through before as well. I chose Portland because I was just in Seattle a couple of years ago and being that I will have to stay the night in either place I thought hotels would be cheaper in Portland. And I have never visited Portland! Here''s a story: When I used to take the Zephyr they showed movies on mounted TV's at either end of the observation car. It is where I first saw that delightful romantic comedy Moonstruck. When they cut service to L.A. I was already living in Vegas and got one of the last trains to run out of Vegas. This was back in '97. Story is they are planning to resume service through here. Don't know when. again thanks for replying. Btw I thought about taking the Cardinal to Chicago but it departs very early in the morning. Ugh!
@@MrEternityroad Well it sounds like you've got your route all figured out then 👍🏻 I feel like the talk about getting a train connecting Los Angeles to Las Vegas has been going on for so long. Who knows when someone will finally make it happen, but it sure would be nice!
Make sure you watch our video about the Empire Builder before your trip. I'm not saying don't take it, but you should be prepared and know what you're getting yourself into before you get on that 2-day train ride. I think a lot of people recommend it simply for the views in the Pacific Northwest, which are fantastic, but only last for the last few hours of the ride. The full day you have in North Dakota and Eastern Montana was the most mentally trying day we've ever spent on Amtrak, probably because we were expecting gorgeous mountains when it's really just plains, plains, and more plains.
I look forward to hearing about your trip! It will be great to have the insight of which direction you recommend on the Lake Shore Limited, and if the route to Boston or New York City is better. That route was surprisingly great and disappointing all in one for us, so I'd be interested to hear your experiences. Until then, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions that come up as you're getting ready to go!
@@inthegreatwideI don't know why they ever stopped it. It was good for the gambling/tourist business and probably we need it more these days, though there is talk of light rail between the two cities. It was always lovely being on the train from Denver and descending into Vegas. It would be at night and the city would glitter like a diamond with a sea of darkness all around it.
@@inthegreatwide I took the Lake Shore Limited once before. Back in 2014 from NYC to Chicago and stayed in a roomette. All along the way the regular riders referred to this train as The Late For Sure Limited. And sure enough we were over an hour late! So this time I will be going east on the LSL for the first time. Will get into Boston around 8:30pm if the train isn't late for sure! lol
Thanks for a really useful overview and the practical advice.
Yay! We're so glad you found it helpful. Another video about food & drinks on Amtrak trains is coming soon!
I traveled the way you did when I got a discounted USA Rail Pass back in 2021 and used up all 10 segments, making a sort of figure 8 journey between L.A. and Washington, D.C. I did have to stop in Chicago twice, but it was worth it because I got to spend the entire day at the Art Institute of Chicago during my second stop. I planned out everything extensively, from sleeping accommodations to tours and additional transportation. When I talked to other people on the train who were travelling with the pass, I was shocked to discover that some didn't even know where they might stop. I'm too much of a planner to do that, but to each their own!
I love the idea of taking a big trip and deciding where you want to go next in the moment, but my biggest concern is finding affordable accommodations. I am NOT down paying $300 a night for a hotel, which is one of the biggest reasons why I do so much research beforehand.
Are you going to use the USA Rail Pass again?
I wouldn't want to fork over that much money for a hotel either, especially out of desperation.
I'm still deliberating on getting the pass again. Last time, there were two places I long wanted to visit (Santa Fe* and Harpers Ferry), which helped me structure my trip and find other great stops along the way. I'm looking for other small towns or cities along Amtrak's routes that strike my fancy as much as those places did.
*FYI: It ended up being much easier to stop in Albuquerque and take the local Rail Runner Express to Santa Fe!
@@ja4264 Visiting smaller towns is such a great way to use the USA Rail Pass - there are SO many places you could go that you usually wouldn't fly to. I can't wait to hear what you find!
But TODAY (1/20/2023) is the last day for Amtrak's current sale to get the pass for $299, so if you're thinking about it, BUY IT TODAY. It's fully refundable for 120 days after purchase as long as you don't book any individual legs with it, so you still have time to figure out a trip for the springtime, but if it doesn't work out, you can get your money back!
@@inthegreatwide You could do that in 2021 because prices were still depressed because of the pandemic. But no more - you have to plan your itinerary and hotel stays in advance if you want to get any decent deals. Another reason to plan ahead is that many trains do not have WiFi or even cell service in spots, so planning as you go is doubly difficult.
@@mikeymutual5489 Oh yes that's what we always recommend! Sorry if that wasn't clear. We DEFINITELY recommend doing as much planning as you can before you go, at least just with booking all your train legs, accommodations, and rental cars if you need them. I think planning a full 30-day trip across the country with multiple stops is just so overwhelming for a lot of people, so we are looking for ways to help make it easier. Open to any thoughts you have on the matter 🙂
Well done guys. I'm getting me a Rail Pass!
Yay! Where are you going to go?!
Thanks for putting out this information this is a great opportunity to see the US.
Yes it really is! Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment 🙂
Great info. I got mine on sale a couple weeks ago. Planning a trip from nc to west coast and back. Glad u told me about the 120 day thing. They don’t make that clear at all😅
There are definitely some important things to understand about the pass that Amtrak doesn't really make clear, so I'm glad our video was helpful for you! We also have reviews of several specific routes on Amtrak, so you may want to give those a look as you're planning your trip 😉 Don't miss taking the California Zephyr!
Here's our playlist with all our Amtrak videos: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
So you do not have four months from purchase to completion (120 + 30), you have 120 days only. And I loved the line: "You might actually have to talk to people!" Very informative video - great route choice - next time go to the southwest.
Hi Michael, thanks for watching & commenting! 120 days is approximately 4 months, which is the total time you have to finish using the pass after you purchase it. So yes, your 30 consecutive days of travel have to be completely within the 120 days after you purchase the pass. I hope we made that clear for everyone watching.
As far as going to the Southwest, we actually live in Southern California, so we're here most of the time! There are so many more trains in the Northeast to explore so many more places, so that's why we chose that route, but we're definitely looking to explore more of California and Arizona in the coming years!
What a GREAT video!!!!! I subscribed as my wife and I want to explore some train travel in our retirement! Sad we can't get a sleeper, but you know what the Rolling Stones say! Can we buy TWO Passes each (so 20 legs each) so that we could stop in more cities? Thinking Cincy (home) thru Chicago,, then Glacier for 4-6 days/nights, then maybe a stop in Idaho (?) for a friend, then Portland for a few days, then maybe.....oh who knows.....this is what dreaming and planning are for! Also, with above plan, I imagine that as long as within the 30 days, we could a)use a leg to Chicago b)use a leg to Glacier THEN BUY separate Sleeper Car tix for that LONG trip on Empire, then pick up "Legs" again, then maybe another Sleeper Car on another part, followed by more legs. Am I thinking about this correctly? Thanx again for the help, and Happy Travels!!!!
Hi Joe, I'm excited for you! We've met lots of people on Amtrak who are retired and enjoy taking the trains around the country while reading, playing card games, knitting, and so on. I bet you'll be able to make lots of new friends on your travels if you want 🙂
It sounds like you're just getting started with planning and figuring everything out, so I'm happy to help! You can definitely go from Cincinnati (at least, I think that's what Cincy means 😆) to Chicago (9.5 hours), then to Glacier National Park (the stop is in Whitefish, MT), which will be the longest leg of what you've proposed so far at 32 hours. If you REALLY want the sleeper car experience, that would be the leg to do it on, but I personally do not think it's worth the $900+ price-tag they put on it for 2 people (for comparison, coach seats on the same train would be ~$200 total for 2 people). Have you seen our video about the Empire Builder? Here's a link if not: th-cam.com/video/Y74-cn86Yp4/w-d-xo.html
If you decide you don't want to take Empire Builder from Chicago to Whitefish but you still want to go to Glacier National Park, you could instead take the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville (San Francisco), which is my favorite Amtrak route, and then take the Coast Starlight up to your stop in Portland, and then take the Empire Builder for the shorter distance just through the beautiful Pacific Northwest section to Whitefish. That way, you could bypass that looooong day on the Empire Builder between Chicago and Whitefish. That's what I would recommend, but obviously that's totally up to you. Some people really like the Empire Builder, but it was not great for us. Here's our video about the California Zephyr route I mentioned that you could take instead: th-cam.com/video/5LLskbL_S7A/w-d-xo.html
One other thing I want to mention just to make sure you are aware: there is only 1 Amtrak stop in Idaho, which is at Sandpoint. It's pretty far north in Idaho, so depending on where your friend lives, taking the train to somewhere in Nevada or Utah might be closer (those stops would be on the California Zephyr).
As far as the number of passes, yes, you and your wife could buy 2 USA Rail Passes each to use back-to-back. You just have to make sure that you stay within the validity period for both passes if you buy them at the same time, and you use all the legs off of one pass before starting to use legs on the second pass. For example:
1) Let's say you find a good sale today and buy a total of 4 passes. Let's call 2 of them Pass Group A, which you & your wife would use all the legs of together first (10 legs each for 2 people), & the other 2 passes will be Pass Group B (another 10 legs each for 2 people), which you will both use together after Pass Group A is all used up.
2) All 4 passes would expire 120 days from today.
3) If you start your travels 90 days from today, you would still only have 30 days to use ALL the legs of Pass Group A AND Pass Group B.
4) If you start your travels 30 days from today, you would have 30 days to use all of Pass Group A. At that point, you could then spend up to 30 days of extra time staying somewhere/exploring a region, say if you want to rent a car to drive around Idaho to visit your friend and check out some National Parks. You could also use this time to take an Amtrak trip in the sleeper car since that has to be purchased separately from the USA Rail Passes. You could spend a week or 2 doing that kind of stuff, or (in this scenario) up to 30 days, and THEN start using Pass Group B to continue traveling around in coach on Amtrak. You would then still have 30 days left within the validity period to use Pass Group B.
I sure hope that all makes sense. If not, please let me know and I'll help you as much as I can! Please feel free to reach out to us with questions that come up. We have a whole playlist of Amtrak videos that include route reviews, short Q&A's, & examples of the views you can see along the way. I bet you'll find lots of helpful info there, so here's a link to the playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
Very informative thanks
Thanks Andrew! Whatever questions you have about riding Amtrak trains, feel free to send them our way! We have lots of videos already about Amtrak but are constantly making more 🙂
I am new to your channel. This was a really good video with a lot of good information and tips.
Hi Debbie! So glad you found us and that our video is helpful for you! Have you ridden Amtrak before? Are you planning a trip with them?
this was the most thorough video i've seen so far, getting ready to go on my trip from pennsylvania to the west coast and it was really helpful. i've subbed because i appreciate the honesty and effort you put into your guide. I'm trying to figure out if i should go to see the sites in SF or the Pacific Northwest. Cheers!
Yay! Thank you, Anton! I'm so glad our guide is helpful. PA to the West Coast is quite a long ways! Which routes are you taking?
@@inthegreatwide coming from Pittsburgh then stopping in Chicago for a couple days, from there I'm leaning toward the Empire Builder but breaking up the trip by staying in ND and MT (westbound and eastbound) ... and Ending up in Portland for a few days, and taking a day trip to the oregon coast as well... I know its the "more boring" route, but I think breaking up the trip will help, and I wanted to try the California, Zephyr but those 2 segments in SF kinda kill my trip planning. If I like this trip I will no doubt do that next time. I kinda wanna see the lesser travelled places in the US. Thanks again, i've been binging all your videos
but everyone is ranting about the California Zephyr, so...
@@randomanton Oh we love Pittsburgh! If you're a local there, we'd love whatever recommendations you have for restaurants, bars, stuff to do... we've only been there once but we'll definitely be back.
Yes, the Empire Builder was a big struggle for us when we did it all in one go from Chicago to Seattle. The scenery was not what we were expecting, there wasn't good cell service, no wi-fi, and there definitely were not enough fresh air breaks. Breaking it up like you are, I'm sure you will be fine, but I do have to admit that the California Zephyr is a MUCH better route, especially between Denver and Emeryville. Since you said you've been binging our videos, I'm assuming you've seen our reviews of both, but if you haven't, definitely look at those 😉
@@inthegreatwide im not a local , im actually coming from the harrisburg area, but I figured everyone knew pittsburgh 🙁. . but therein lies a problem w/ the zephyr,, its 2 segments from harrisburg to chicago + 2 segments from emeryville to SF ... Going there and back means it would be 8 segments used just between those 2 locations ... and i don't wanna spend 2 days on a train to be honest. ( i suppose i could take a local bus from emeryville to SF?) I've been to pittsburgh before, but i dont really know any niche spots, only the inclines, museums, sports stadiums and primanti bros, maybe a local can chime in? , hopefully? I really do appreciate you responding, it kinda helps to talk to someone else about it so i'm not just running circles in my head, since im solo travelling.
That's crazy the count the Emeryville to downtown San Francisco as a "segment" for the rail pass; I believe when I booked the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Reno and back, I was able to take the bus transfer to San Francisco from Emeryville for free.
If you're just booking that route on its own (not with a rail pass) then it only costs a couple extra bucks, but unfortunately it DOES count as an extra leg on the USA Rail Pass and the bus can't be booked separately on its own. Some of the bus transfers are much longer rides so I understand the idea; it's just that in this case, it is definitely NOT worth using up a leg for that ride across the bridge. 🤷🏻♀
Great I bought rail pass. I have booked some tickets but I want to change them cancel and want to select new destinations. Still these bookings are valid. But I have changed my plans so I want to visit other states.
Great! You can change your tickets without any penalties as long as it's not the last minute. Where have you decided you want to go?
Cool... Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for watching! Please feel free to send us any questions you have about Amtrak 🙂
Great Video...Thanks..did you ever add up the cost of all your legs to see how much you saved?
Thanks for watching, Ignacio! And yes, we did! We mention it in the "Cost" chapter of the video 😉 The route that we did would have cost us around $950 per person without the USA Rail Pass!
The train ride is the best part of the trip! At least for me it is! So how do you get a sleeper???
You're not alone there, Marvin! I think most people who take Amtrak trains consider it to be the best part of the trip, and we certainly enjoy it too 🙂
To get a private room, you have to book each leg separately and pay a much higher price tag. There aren't any rail passes that include sleeper cars, unfortunately.
I ride the train just to ride the train. But I take it to the extreme, I don't know think most casual train riders would do it this way. I live in the salt lake city area so the only train that serves my area is the California Zephyr. I started out my first time by taking the train east to Holdredge Nebraska. The east bound train arrives in Holdredge a couple of hours before the west bound train does. And so I just sit there in a folding chair (if I take that) and wait there track side in the middle of the night, watching freight trains until the west bound train arrives to take me home. That is how it started and it reached it's zenith in November 2019. I used a rail pass, traveling from salt lake city to Emeryville CA. Arriving about 4pm. I then spent several hours getting food, restocking my cooler, (yes, I take a cooler with me and have cold drinks and food with me at my seat) then boarded the Coast Starlight to Portland Or. Arriving there about a half hour before I was due to board the Empire Builder to Chicago. It was at this point where I did get a hostel for the night. The next day I was able to restock my cooler well before boarding the southwest Chief to LA CA. Where I missed my connection to the Coast Starlight to Sacramento and had to be bussed to Sacramento when I caught the zephyr home. all told, 9 days in coach with only one overnight in any kind of a hotel. All just to ride the train. It was fantastic!!! You have to be able to absorb the trains being late, sometimes very late, and learn how to sleep in coach. I watch other people and try out the ways I see others do it.
Wow yeah that's a long time just on the trains! My biggest problems with doing a trip like that would be not enough fresh air and wanting a shower. I really wish Amtrak had some sort of shower option for coach passengers; I think that's a big factor that stops people from wanting to take the trains.
How was the Southwest Chief though?! We are looking at taking that one this year.
@@inthegreatwide it's pretty cool! The scenery at times is like that on the Empire Builder crossing the plains, but there are some cool mountain passes and some very desert areas. There is a section of track from Colorado to about Las Vegas NM, Amtrak is the only train on the track. Raton pass still has the old semiphor and cantilever signals and it's mostly still stick rail. The fresh air for me is not a problem, I get off at a lot of the fresh air stops. As for the shower thing, while it's not the same, I use baby wipes. Like I say, I ride the train specifically to ride the train. I don't want to read books, I don't want to watch videos. I don't want to miss anything. But sometimes the interaction with others is fantastic as well.
@@shospulecolupis9718 Yeah unfortunately all those cross-country trains can't avoid the Great Plains. I don't remember minding it so much on the California Zephyr, but the Empire Builder was brutal.
We use baby wipes on those overnight trains too, but we don't like going more than 1 day without a shower. Then the trips become more about "I feel icky" than enjoying the scenery.
Planning a trip that will take me through most areas west of the Mississippi. Starting from LA to Chicago. Then to Glenwood Springs and Emeryville. Up to Portland. Making a stop at Whitefish before continuing to Minneapolis (Mall of America). Back to Chicago. Down to Memphis (Graceland) stopping in New Orleans. Finally back to LA. I've ridden the Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight, so I wasn't too worried about those routes.
Wow that sounds like quite a trip! You'll get to see so much of the country! Are you based in Los Angeles? That's our home city so we always enjoy giving rec's when people need them. You're going to a lot of places I am looking forward to going myself so I'm a little jealous!
@In The Great Wide Yup, based in Los Angeles. This will be the longest vacation I'll have ever taken. May be tedious, but looking forward to the adventure
@@filmfreak11 It was the longest trip we've ever taken too and it was quite an adventure! And it's always good to meet other people in Los Angeles; do you have any restaurants that you'd recommend we check out?
@@inthegreatwide Yes, based in Los Angeles area. I've always wanted to visit Clifton's Republic. There's always something to try in Grand Central Market in Downtown LA. Philippe the Original is between Chinatown and Olvera Street say they invented the French Dip Sandwich. Little Tokyo has Daikokuya for ramen. Always hungry to try something new.
@@filmfreak11 The only one of those I haven't been to is Daikokuya, so I'll mark that down! We always go to Kura when we're in Little Tokyo - it's the best reasonably priced sushi in LA! The other place that claims it invented the French Dip is Cole's on 6th between Main and Los Angeles in downtown, which I actually prefer over Philippe, personally, but I've also been there more. Clifton's is really cool on a weeknight when it's empty and on the weekends when they have live jazz bands, otherwise it's a super crowded club, which isn't my vibe, but it's definitely worth going to!
I very much wish there was a roomette pass like this. As a germaphobic introvert I don't think I could survive coach overnight.
Hi 👋🏻 You're not alone in that wish for a roomette pass 😆😉 But if Amtrak made one it would be WAY more expensive.
As far as being an introvert, I think you would be okay in coach, because people generally keep to themselves. If you're in the observation car, you may get a friendly "hey, how's it going" and on rare occasions someone will want to chat, but if you take a book or wear headphones then 99% of the time they'll get the hint.
For germs, we ALWAYS take disinfectant wipes on the train and we wipe down our whole coach seat area first thing, and then we do the same when we go to the observation car. That wouldn't be weird at all if you want to do that.
At the end of the day, you could always try a short ride (maybe 2-4 hours) first just to try it out. You could end up loving it, and if you hate it, then that's okay too 🙂
Have you seen power wheelchair users ( I am a quadriplegic) & is there a section with accessible isle width to all that a abled body would walk to within the train ?
How is the luggage process - as you switch trains & do layovers ? Any lost luggage?
Ty, you have earned your views :)
Hi there! Excellent questions - & ones we haven't gotten before! I don't recall ever actually seeing a wheelchair of any kind on our Amtrak trains, however the lower levels are technically wheelchair accessible and we have seen Amtrak attendants helping disabled elderly folks on and off the train numerous times. There's a ramp that they pulled out to help someone board and they stayed right there with the person the whole time, and then helped get their luggage onboard. When you book your ticket, you should select the lower level (if applicable - some routes are only 1 level trains anyway). I believe after booking your ticket, you should call Amtrak to let them know what kind of assistance you will need. They are usually very happy to help!
As far as luggage when transferring trains, we have only done a short layover one time (in Chicago) & we definitely don't recommend doing it that way if you can avoid it, simply because the trains often run late. Better to have an overnight layover that you planned for than spend your trip stressing about whether or not you're going to make your next train & then dealing with the headaches if you don't. With that being said, the 1 time that we had a 3-4 hour layover, our train made it on time & we grabbed our checked bag from the carousel & then immediately re-checked it in for our next train. If you book multiple legs in one go WITHOUT the USA Rail Pass (say, Emeryville to New York City, which would stop in Chicago to change trains), then I believe they can transfer your luggage for you, but when booking with the USA Rail Pass, each leg that you book is treated as a separate trip, so you have to get your checked luggage at the end of each leg. Hopefully that makes sense...?
For someone like yourself who needs more assistance however (such as with luggage), I'm sure that Amtrak would work with you to make sure you get your luggage where it needs to go. I would just recommend calling them as soon as you book your tickets to make them aware of your needs (you can also book tickets on the phone), then get to your starting station early to make sure they know what you need, then make sure the car attendant on the train knows what you need. As long as you're communicating your needs, I think they'll be happy to help.
Im looking at Charlotte nc to dc, dc to nyc, nyc to Boston mass, Boston back to Charlotte. And each stop spending day in each city.
This sounds like a great tour of the northeast! Have you done the math for what those individual tickets would add up to vs the USA Rail Pass? I'm just thinking it *might* be cheaper to buy them individually than the $500 for the rail pass.
How did this go
Great video ❤🎉thank you
Thanks for watching 🙂
Great info!
Thanks for watching, Sherrie! Please send us any questions you have about riding Amtrak 🙂 We also have a full playlist of all of our Amtrak videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
I'd stop at my in ol' military town, Minot, North Dakota. Very flexible elsewhere ! 🇺🇲
That would be the perfect place to stop half-way on the Empire Builder! You really NEED a break when you're taking that route, so it sounds like you've got the perfect spot for it.
B-1 base and I have visited.
Looking into USA Rail Pass research and I found this video, but I'm a little confused on some parts.
Namely --
1. How does booking the legs work if you've bought the Rail Pass? Do you just book as normal and on the website there's a checkbox that says "I'm using my Rail Pass for this fare" and it doesn't charge you any extra money because you already spent $500 on it? (forgive me if this is explained on your blog or in another video, haven't gotten there yet so figured I'd ask.)
And 2. When a missed leg counts as one used for the rail pass, what are some reasons it would be the Passenger's fault in that case and not the company's? Something like, missing it because you overslept, or because you were too late to board? Need more information.
Very helpful and informative video nonetheless!
Hi there! These are good questions.
After you buy your USA Rail Pass, you're given a code to use when booking each of your legs. So you'll essentially book them like normal and use the code in your confirmation email the same way you would use a coupon code for shopping online. This is already on our list to make a video about because you are not the only person asking 😉
I think the easy way to answer to your second question is that the only thing that wouldn't count as your fault for missing your train would be an Amtrak delay. Say you've booked the California Zephyr from Denver to the Pennsylvanian to Pittsburgh like we did, with a 3ish hour layover in Chicago. At one point, the Zephyr was running 2-3 hours behind to get us into Chicago. Even though we ended up making it in the end, if we had missed the Pennsylvanian train because we were on the Zephyr and it was late getting into Chicago, then that would have been Amtrak's fault and we would not have lost a leg. On the other hand, if we were just late getting to the station to board a train (for whatever reason), or say we took too long getting lunch during our layover and we missed getting on our train, that would have been our fault. Does that make sense? It works the same way as getting on a plane, if you have experience flying. If you get to the airport too late and get stuck in a long security line and end up missing your flight, that's considered your fault, but if you miss a connecting flight because your first flight was delayed, then that's the airline's fault. Keep in mind that it is common for the trains to run late, so I advise against making any connections that have less than an 8 hour layover.
I hope that helps! We have a playlist of all of our Amtrak videos I'll link below, which has route reviews, short Q&A's, and examples of some of the sights you can see along the way. Please feel free to reach out with more questions and I'll help however I can 🙂
Amtrak playlist:
th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
Thank you, thank you, $299 until January 20th fyi on amtrak website
Yes thank you! Are you going to take advantage of the sale?!
@@inthegreatwide can't take advantage now of 299$ sale now,but you answered all my questions on rail pass,very thoughtful video . My plan is to see our beautiful country by rail . Can't afford the roomett,but maybe several well thought out stop overs will work for me,thanks again, you gave me room for thought,to run this by you,some people live on cruise boats, would not do that myself, but if I had fortune enough, I could live on a train , myself, 70 yo single grand father hoping to cross country with rail pass back and forth, thanks much both of you
@@budop7036 I certainly would not recommend the idea of "living" on a train the way that some people consider living on cruise ships, but it's a GREAT way to see the country! And yes, many stops along the way is always a good idea if you can to avoid multiple nights in a row on the train. Around 30 hours is the max I would want to be on a train without stopping somewhere now. You just need the fresh air.
If you have any other questions about Amtrak, send them our way!
Awesome video! What was your budget for when you stop at your locations for hotels and food? And what was your budget for your entire trip?
Hi Mark! This is an excellent question and one that we are working on a whole article for to show the cost breakdown of what we spent and where, since this was obviously a huge trip with a lot of moving parts. I see you just subscribed to our channel too, so thank you and welcome! 🙂
I’m pllanning my trip and actually having a problem with my last leg… I’m trying to get off the train 29 days and 15 hours after I get on and it tells me it’s outside the window so I texted them…someone first answered and was “looking into it” but then I was bounced around for over an hour before I got a message saying there was a problem with the chat system…so I emailed them. My trip is from Home (central Florida) to DC, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Emryville (San Francisco), Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta (to visit family), Philadelphia and then back home
Hey Kari! We got your email about your upcoming adventure so check your inbox for our reply 😉 Hopefully calling Amtrak customer service will get that last leg sorted out.
Could non-US citizens from another country use USA pass?
Very detailed review. Thanks
Great question! The USA Rail Pass is available to everyone; you do not have to be a U.S. citizen 🙂
Hello again 👋🏻 We actually made a video answering this question because I'm sure other people are wondering to, so thanks for asking! Here's the video: th-cam.com/video/9TF1vR-KR9k/w-d-xo.html 🙂 Did you end up getting the pass?
Thanks for a great video and good information. My wide an I have never been out west or traveled on a train an we are considering a rail pass. It seems a bit overwhelming as we wasn't familiar with it, but the video helps quite a bit. One question,if you don't i ask, do you have assigned seats or first come first served. Are we able to sit with our spouse on each train or you have to scramble on to get seats together? Thanks so much.great videos. BTW, we live nearSavannah,GA a d the Palmetto goes by our house from Flordia to Washington. Happy Travels
Aw, Jerry! I'm so excited for you to come out west and see how beautiful it is here!
Whether or not you have assigned seating on the Amtrak trains depends on which route you're taking, and I think it may also depend on how full the train is. We talk about that in our video reviews of the individual routes, as there are some instances when it may be a problem to sit with a companion if you're not getting on the train at the starting point of the route. Have you seen our other videos about each of the routes we took? Here's our Amtrak playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
But this is a GREAT question to bring up; I think we'll likely make another short video about it. Whatever other questions come up, please send them our way!
One more thing because I'm not sure if you saw, but the USA Rail Pass is on sale through this Friday, January 20th, for $299! It is a STEAL at that price.
Hey Jerry! We made a short Q&A video with your question about assigned seating on Amtrak trains: th-cam.com/video/fRlOF7KcN9k/w-d-xo.html
Awesome - Thank you, both! A quick question please: You suggest booking trips "far in advance," yet the PASS is only valid for 120 days total, so the maximum advance booking I can do is actually only about 90 days in advance of the travel date (plus the 30-day travel window = 120 days total). Is that correct, or did I miss something? I can't book a PASS trip, say, one year in advance -- right?
Excellent question! Your calculations are correct. When we say book as far in advance as possible, we are thinking of that as including the 120 day validity period of the pass. Personally, I would map out your route first just to make sure all the legs you want to do will work for your schedule and where you want to go, THEN buy the pass, THEN book the legs immediately. Especially if you're traveling on the weekends or around a major holiday, when tickets can sell out on popular routes.
Amtrak's cancellation policy on the pass is pretty flexible too, so say the pass is on sale and today is the last day for the sale but you don't have time to map out your route right this second... we've bought the USA Rail Pass before and then realized that the time constraints weren't going to work for us and were able to get it fully refunded since we hadn't booked any of the legs yet.
This way of thinking is more a cautionary tale for the spontaneous traveler, because a lot of people think they can just wait until the morning of the train ride to book it, which won't always be possible and could leave you stranded in a city for days at a time depending on the route.
@@inthegreatwide Thank you, again, for the detailed information. Cheers!
Acela is business only I think so it goes with the coach only restriction.
Oh, interesting. We haven't used it yet, have you? I'd be interested in finding out more about the differences.
Thank you for the review it was very helpful it made me decide not to take the empire builder
I'm so glad you found it helpful! If you'd like to share, I'd be interested to hear about where you're going to go on the trains!
@@inthegreatwide los Angeles to chicago to DC to NOLA to chicago to San Francisco id like to go to Glacier but that means theEmpire
@@RodMcPherson-n2u I think this is a great route! You're going to see so much of the country & visit some excellent cities. If you want to go to Glacier, then take the Coast Starlight from San Francisco to Portland or Seattle and then take the Empire Builder from there to Whitefish. That section of the Empire Builder between Seattle & Glacier is fantastic! (It's just everything east of there on that route that we're not a fan of.)
The Acela technically doesn’t have Coach class. It’s only “Business” and First. Part of why they stopped with the sleepers that I heard are that they sell out on their own now. So they will likely sell them out ahead of time. Not covering Business is annoying.
Thank you. A real education. Like to see the usa this April 2023. Back in 1985 21 day u rail pass hope I can do the trip in April I am older now yours truly Evans w Robinson ret sgt
We haven't ridden the Acela train, but that would make sense. But you can take the Northeast Regional on the same route between Boston and Washington DC, so you're not missing out on any of the destinations on the Acela. Regardless, our coach seats were just fine for us. No need to pay 2x+ more for a sleeper car!
@@lindarobinson195 The USA Rail Pass is a great option if you want to see a lot of the country in a short amount of time. I'm glad our video is helping you figure out your next big trip!
@@inthegreatwide the annoying thing about business class on Amtrak is it’s not consistent. In most places, it’s just long distance coach on a short distance train with maybe a non alcoholic beverage. There there are a handful of routes that have 2+1 seating or the Surfliner which gives you a snack box and wine in the afternoon.
Shame they have eliminated the discount on sleeper legs! I did a double cross-country in 2009 and am planning a circumnavigation of North America (including trans-Canada -- Halifax to Vancouver) for 2023.
The trains in Canada look amazing; we definitely need to go check them out too! We look forward to hearing more about your trip!
I’m confused by “sleeper legs”. You mean that you can’t upgrade to sleeper car? You can take a train that travels overnight, it seems to me.
@@josephsgroi4474 The "new" rules don't discount anything off the roomette/bedroom charges. The "old" passes used tocover the value of a coach seat against the sleeper charge, but not now.
@@josephsgroi4474 The term "legs" is used to describe one train or bus ride on Amtrak. "Sleeper cars" are the private rooms on many cross-country Amtrak trains, which you cannot upgrade to from coach class if you're using the USA Rail Pass. You can still take those same trains overnight using the USA Rail Pass, but it will be in coach class seats, not a private room. Does that clear things up?
WARNING: The Canadian train will be LATE. If they arrive in Vancouver within 24 hours of the schedule, it is considered to be on time. Ours arrived just short of 24 hours and then backed out of the station for us to wait for a couple of hours, because the terminal was not ready to accommodate us. But the trip is awesome.
Great info and thanks for sharing! Can you take your bike with you and keep it on a train?
Good question, Robert! I believe this depends on the specific train route you're on. This will be a great one to discuss in our weekly Q&A segments.
Heads up! They’re doing the $300 sale again now through January 20!
Yes, we saw! Are you going to use it?!
@@inthegreatwide yes! I’ve been planning a trip since I heard about the pass last year for this April. For whatever reason, i decided to check the website last night and saw the sale so I bought my pass today. I’m so excited!
@@sophiapinto1805 That's awesome! Where all are you going to go?! Have you taken Amtrak trains before?
@@inthegreatwide no I haven’t, this will be my first time. I live in NC and am starting there then going to TN, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and California. The plan is loose so I may add some other places. I will probably fly back from the west coast
That sounds great! But make sure you book your train tickets as far in advance as you can; the California Zephyr and the Coast Starlight sell out OFTEN. We have video reviews of both routes (and more) on our channel; I'll leave links below. What questions do you have before your first time using Amtrak trains?!
California Zephyr: th-cam.com/video/5LLskbL_S7A/w-d-xo.html
Coast Starlight: th-cam.com/video/iyEs6DgwcWg/w-d-xo.html
Empire Builder: th-cam.com/video/Y74-cn86Yp4/w-d-xo.html
Hey, thanks. I am planning a start in about a month: ny - philly - pittsburgh - chicago - denver - sf - seattle - LA - San Diego - LA, out to overseas. Do you think that this is a good idea? Thanks!!!
This sounds absolutely fabulous! Looks like you do have 1 more leg to use if you wanted to stop somewhere else along the way 😉 Unless you're planning on using the bus shuttle to get from Emeryville into SF, then that would mean that you actually have 11 legs planned.
You're riding 3 of my favorite routes! The California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, and the Pacific Surfliner. All with amazing views! How long are you staying in each place between trains?
One thought if you wanted to avoid stopping in LA twice (which I don't necessarily recommend against; we live in LA and love it and there is SO much to do here but you might want to see some more places)... you could take the Coast Starlight from Seattle back down to San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara, stay there for however long you were planning to be in LA, and then take the Pacific Surfliner down to San Diego, stay there, then come back up to LA to stay and catch your flight overseas.
Also, do you know about the LAX FlyAway to get to the airport? It departs from Union Station in LA and is WAY cheaper than taking an Uber or something like that.
@@inthegreatwidewow, I am quite impressed that you took time and answered in details. I’m hooked and subscribed! Already watched over 10 videos of yours. Thank you again. To answer your question, I am willing to spend as many days as I can, especially for major cities like Philly (2 nights), Pittsburgh (2 nights), Chicago (maybe 4 nights), Denver (2 nights), SF (3 nights), LA (4 nights, back and forth), Seattle (3 nights, never been here), San Diego (2 nights). That’s total of 20 or 21 nights. Do you think that this is too tight? Initially I wanted to take Roomette, then I was thinking, if I stay in each city, maybe I could just use Coach? For major distance, I might still add Roomette separately (Denver - SF). Would you recommend Rommette for this route? (How long would it take) also Is this possible to purchase Roomette for this and not going to affect rail pass? Man, I asked too much. Have a good weekend! - from manhattan
@@noabaak Hello again! Lots of questions in here, so let me see if I can get everything answered. Might end up being long 😬
You will have to lay out your plans in a calendar to see how it will work for timing with your train routes, because you only have 30 days to use all 10 legs on the pass and several of your routes will be overnights. Your day 1 will be when you get on the train from NY - Philly, so let's see how this would play out...
Day 1 - Train from NY to Philly (night 1 in Philly)
Day 2 - Philly (night 2)
Day 3 - Train from Philly to Pittsburgh (night 1 in PGH)
Day 4 - Pittsburgh (night 2)
Day 5 - Train from PGH to Chicago (probably an overnight on the train)
Day 6 - Chicago (night 1)
Day 7 - Chicago (night 2)
Day 8 - Chicago (night 3)
Day 9 - Train from Chicago to Denver (overnight on train)
Day 10 - Denver (night 1 there)
Day 11 - Denver (night 2)
Day 12 - Train from Denver to SF (overnight on train)
Day 13 - SF (night 1 there)
Day 14 - SF (night 2)
Day 15 - SF (night 3)
Day 16 - Train from SF to Seattle (overnight on train)
Day 17 - Seattle (night 1 there)
Day 18 - Seattle (night 2)
Day 19 - Seattle (night 3)
Day 20 - Train from Seattle to LA (overnight on train
Day 21 - Still on train from Seattle to LA (most likely gets in in the evening, so that's night 1 in LA)
Day 22 - LA (night 2)
Day 23 - Train from LA to San Diego (night 1 there)
Day 24 - San Diego (night 2)
Day 25 - Train from San Diego back to LA (night 3 there)
Day 26 - LA (night 4)
So yeah it looks like that could work! You even have a little wiggle room if you wanted to add an extra day somewhere or stop somewhere else. You just have to be finished with your last train ride by the end of day 30. Of course, you'll have to look at the specific train times for those routes to make sure that schedule will work, but I think it will.
As for the roomette, we have never found it necessary. For that leg from Denver to SF, you'll probably want to spend all your time in the observation car anyway. I personally wouldn't spring for a roomette, but there are a lot of factors to that that each person has to consider for themself. Also, you could do all that train travel with the USA Rail Pass (so no more than $500), but you can't pay to upgrade to a roomette so that would be another full cost on top of the rail pass. Not worth it IMO, especially since you never have 2 overnights on the train in a row. You can just shower in the morning before getting on the train and then shower the next day at night after getting off the train. I'd save the money and spend it on stuff you want to do in the cities you're visiting.
I hope that answered all your questions... I really do my best! And a big thank you for subscribing to our channel! I hope you've been able to find lots of helpful info in our videos. Have you found our Amtrak playlist? It has all those videos in one place. I'll link it below. Please feel free to keep sending questions that arise as you're planning your trip 🙂
Amtrak playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
Great vid...confirming a waste of time for me. Only 30 days, coach, limitations etc. I'd like a sleeper rail pass setup
It's definitely meant for people to ride cross-country and spend more (or equal) time on the trains as they do at the stops in-between. I doubt they would make a sleeper car version because it would just be so expensive. Have you seen the price of a roomette on these long train rides like the Empire Builder? It's at the very least 4x more than a single coach ticket, and there's a much more limited amount of them so if they did a rail pass for it they'd probably just be booked all the time and Amtrak would lose money on it. As a consumer, I'm definitely with you - that option would be great - but I get why Amtrak doesn't have it.
If you don't mind sharing, what kind of trip(s) are you looking to do?
How do you deal with laundry and showers while using the Rail Pass?
Hi Fred, good question. We definitely recommend making a full on vacation out of the USA Rail Pass if you have the time and stay in some cities overnight (or for a couple days) between each long train ride. We stayed with friends & family and in hostels & Airbnb's in-between so we could refresh, do laundry, and explore before the next train ride. On the 1+ day train rides, we took overnight bags with baby wipes and a fresh change of clothes so we could freshen up as best we could while on the trains.
I'd like to buy a rail pass, but not sure if this is allowed. I can't sleep in a couch seat so any over night rides I'd buy a roomette. I want to use the rail pass for all stops during the day then spend the night somewhere. If I reboard the train in the evening or in middle of the night then I'd buy a roomette. So in essence, I'd use the rail pass for a few times then put it on hold and buy a roomette for an overnight leg then go back to using the rail pass. Is that allowed?
Hi 👋🏻 Unfortunately no, there's no way to place your USA Rail Pass "on hold" so you can book other legs in a roomette and then restart using the rail pass. The 30-day period of the pass is what it is once you start using it. Also, I'm not sure if you're aware because of your mention of reboarding the train in the evening, but most of the trains only run once per day, so you don't have the option of "reboarding" a train that you got off earlier that day, if that makes sense, nor do you get to choose what time of day you're on the train through certain areas. It sounds like it might be better for you to look at the pricing for the trip you want to do as a whole, and see then see if the coach sections would cost more or less than a USA Rail Pass. My guess is that it will be cheaper to not use it in that case, because the high ticket items are going to be your roomette legs.
Also, just checking, but have you seen the Amtrak coach seats before? Although they certainly are not perfect, they're much nicer to sleep in than most people expect.
@@inthegreatwide
Thank you for the helpful response. I’ve seen the train seats and I need a roomette since I wear a cpap and I need quieter space with a plug in. It’s really unfortunate amtrack doesn’t allow some upgrades to the rail pass. I plan on spending the night(s) in cities along the way. It sounds like I need to buy separate tickets for each leg.
@@jeffhoover4240 All of the coach seats have outlets, so needing a plug wouldn't be a problem, but coach is definitely going to be noisier than a roomette. Also keep in mind that on some of the routes at some of the fresh air stops, they turn the power off to the whole train, sometimes with and sometimes without notice. I'm not sure what would happen with a cpap machine if the power went out while you're wearing it in the middle of the night. Just a friendly tip and something you could ask about when you get onboard your train.
If you're open to sharing, I'd be interested to know where you're wanting to go on the trains. Stopping in cities in-between trains along the way is definitely what we recommend, but in most cases, if you get off the train, say at 9pm, to spend the night in a hotel, then you want to get back on that same train the next day to continue in the same direction you were going, you'll just be getting back on the train at 9pm and be facing the same overnight travel that you would have been the day before. I hope that makes sense.
@@inthegreatwide
Yes I would stay a couple nights in a hotel in selected cities. Once I reboard the night train I’d purchase a roomette. I live in the Phoenix area so closest train station is maricopa AZ and nothing much is there. I would travel east into NM then Texas then New Orleans and then maybe north towards Chicago. I’ve been searching on the amtrack website and trying to get the most cost effective fares. Doesn’t sound like the rail pass is best way to go. Thanks for all the good info.
@@jeffhoover4240 Well it sounds like you're figuring it all out! Please let us know what other questions come up as you're planning; we're happy to help!
so The pass is paying for me when I go to book each individual trip?
Essentially, yes. You'll have a code for your USA Rail Pass to use when you go to book each individual segment of your trip instead of entering in a credit card or something to pay for it. I hope that makes sense.
@@inthegreatwide yes it did thank you.
Does each TQPs status require 5k TQPs earned in one calendar year?
Hi Kevin, this is an excellent question. To be completely honest with you, we are still learning more about the Amtrak Rewards program and how to best utilize it. It appears to me that TQPs are reset for each calendar year, but that feels like that can't be right, because if you travel a ton in December then it wouldn't be fair for it to reset the very next month. We will have to look further into this.
Thanks for your info about the time limits for purchasing and using the USA Rail Pass. It saved me from a booking problem.
I had it in mind to buy s Rail Pass tomorrow, the last day of the sale, and delay the start of the trip as long as possible. I called Amtrak and an agent told me I’d have until May 19th, 120 days after purchase, to board my first leg.
Then I remembered watching this video a few weeks ago, and what the agent told me seemed fishy. I called again and a different agent told me that, yes, I could wait as long as May 19th to start travel, but travel would also have to be completed by May 19th, as well, as the pass expires 120 days after purchase. Tricky! The first agent failed to mention that little tidbit!
On a whim, I asked if that meant I had to board the last leg on or before May 19th, or if travel had to be completed by May 19th. She said as long as I boarded by May 19th- “What are they going to do? Kick you off the train?”
From what you said, the system wouldn’t allow you to book it for boarding on Day 120 and disembarking on Day 121, so I’ll just plan on that. Interesting that I was given the same misinformation as you were.
BTW, the day you purchase the Rail Pass counts as Day One, so if anyone else is making plans, it works out such that the trip must end on the same day of the week as the day the pass was purchased, 14 weeks later (or earlier, of course).
Yeah it definitely seems like even the Amtrak employees are confused about what to tell people; that's so frustrating! But I am SO GLAD to hear that our video saved you from what could have been a total nightmare with scheduling. What questions do you have about using the pass or the trains themselves?
I'm planning a trip soon... Never been on Amtrak
So if i buy segments....I can get off at any stop and stay there over night or even a week?
I would just need to check the schedule to hop back on when needed?
Hello 👋🏻 Are you talking about using the USA Rail Pass to travel or buying each Amtrak segment separately? We talk in this video about what a leg is, how many you get, and when you have to use them by if you're using the USA Rail Pass. We also made a short Q&A video answering the question about hopping on and off the trains when you're using the USA Rail Pass that I'll link below, and maybe that will help answer your question. If not, please let me know; I'm happy to help 🙂
Can you hop on / hop off the trains with the USA Rail Pass: th-cam.com/video/AC9t-CQ2FRM/w-d-xo.html
Lol people in America don’t use rail for actual travel and just for tourism sometimes.
Not surprised with how slow the trains are
I believe there are some people in the Northeast that use the train for regular commuting, which is why the trains there are so much "better" in that there are more of them and they run more frequently. But yeah, not enough people use the trains everywhere else in the country for companies to consider investing in them but no one uses the trains because no one is investing in them so it's a circular issue, unfortunately. Who knows if it will ever be solved.
Thanks for this
Just wondering if I got this pass can I go back the same way I came or do I have to take another route to get back where I started from
Say San Francisco to Chicago and Chicago down to Memphis can I go back the same way or would I have to take another train back to LA a different route
Thanks David 🙂
And thank you for your reply to my other message
You can refer to the "Commuter Restrictions" chapter of the video (starting at 5:48). Also, here's the fine print of what it says on Amtrak's website: "Travel is restricted to two roundtrips (four one-way trips) between the same two stations - as well as all intermediate destinations on the route." - Meaning yes, you could take the CA Zephyr and the City of NOLA trains to go from Emeryville to Chicago to Memphis, back to Chicago, back to Emeryville.
Personally, I would recommend taking some other routes though and checking out more cities! A lot of people do loops around the country, so if you wanted to land back in Emeryville, you could take the City of NOLA train the rest of the way down to New Orleans, then the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles, then the Coast Starlight up to Emeryville.
If you wanted to explore the Northeast after Memphis, you could either take the same train back north to Chicago and go from there (you have lots of options from Chicago - it's the major Amtrak hub between the east & west coast) or you could take the same train further south to New Orleans and then take the Crescent route to the northeast. There are practically endless options if you have the time to use the full 30 days of the rail pass!
@@inthegreatwide
Wow thank you for all this information I really appreciate it what you are saying is very good
I can see most of the country from the seat on the train I have been to America before I've been twice actually and I have been on a train but only a couple of hours trip and I rather enjoyed it I reckon I can rough it up a bit for a few weeks and also on a bit of a budget and also can you or do they have showers at the train stations like restrooms
Thanks David
I sent through an email to let them know I'd like to be on their mailing list for up and coming deals
@@123elvislives The USA Rail Pass is the BEST way to see the country on a budget. On our month-long trip, we stayed 2-3 nights each in 7 cities along the way, hitting up Denver, Pittsburgh, New York City, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, and Seattle, starting and ending in Los Angeles. We stayed with friends where we could but otherwise stayed in hostels, which are very hit and miss in the U.S., but they are around if you're looking for budget accommodations 😉
Unfortunately, train stations don't really offer showers from what we've seen. Since we live in LA, I can tell you that that's probably because they would mostly end up being used by people experiencing homelessness rather than train passengers, and the train stations want to discourage loitering from people who aren't waiting for a train. Even if you're just staying 1 night in a city between trains, you'll appreciate the hot shower, bed, fresh air, and fresh meals. Amtrak trains DO have showers onboard for sleeper car passengers, but they're not available for coach passengers, even at an upcharge. Since the USA Rail Pass is for coach travel only (and you cannot pay the difference to upgrade), that means no showers on the trains if you're using the pass. You should definitely plan on taking toiletries in a carry-on bag on the trains to freshen up as best you can in the onboard restrooms.
@@inthegreatwide
Yeah with the shower thing l can understand 🤣
Thanks so much for your help and yes a room and a shower would be good at the end of a train ride
I would like to get a hotel near a train station at the end of a long leg
May as a person I like doing the normal things not the big tourist attractions but just everyday life things and everyday life towns I must see how close Graceland is away from the train station stay there for a few days and then off on my next leg get off and then hopefully get back to LA I am trying to keep it simple as I can
I just got a reply back from Amtrak they said that I need an address in the USA or Canada maybe it's because I'm not a resident of either one oh well
@@123elvislives Do you mean that Amtrak said you need an address in the US or Canada in order to purchase a USA Rail Pass? There's zero information about that in their terms & conditions, so that doesn't make sense...
Most Amtrak stations are right in the middle of the downtown areas of major cities, so finding nearby accommodations should be easy, but might be more pricey.
Graceland is definitely on our list too! We almost did another month-long train trip this year but the timing just didn't work out with other plans we had already made - but Memphis was one of our stops too! I've heard good things about the city 🙂
If you need any recommendations for LA, we are locals! Hit us up!
Homie got them samurai swords in the back lmao
Yep. I (Phoebe) have been collecting knives since I was 11.
Hmmm, all this is very intriguing. How does the hygiene thing work traveling coach for so long? Does it occur, that a certain leg is passed in the dead of night...and do you then sleep in your seat...and if the plan was to SEE the county? Will Amtrack help plan your trip?
Hi David, this is a multi-part question, so I'm going to do my best to answer everything:
Regarding hygiene, sleeper car passengers do have access to showers, but coach passengers do not. We took baby wipes, overnight toiletries, and a change of clothes onboard to freshen up during rhe long trips.
For overnight trips, yes you will sleep in your seat. Coach seats on Amtrak vary depending on the route, but there's always only 2 on either side of the aisle, so they are far more comfortable than sleeping on a plane. We review the specifics of the coach seats on each route we take, which you can view in our Amtrak playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRIKGdqms2y2JkAoYN-aymF1vsmMekOUO.html
When traveling overnight, you will not be able to see outside the train. Unfortunately, that does mean that the views are lost during that time.
As far as Amtrak helping plan your trip, I imagine they would try, but I would definitely recommend doing as much of the leg work as you can on their website. Decide where you want to go or the routes you want to take, and build your own map based off of that! But the Amtrak employees were very helpful with all our questions or if something didn't work right.
I hope that all helps! Please let us know if you have more questions!
Is dining room available for rail passes?
There is a cafe car available for all passengers but you won't have access to the dining car if you're using the USA Rail Pass since you'll be in coach. We have a whole video about food & drinks on Amtrak trains here: th-cam.com/video/PoYmBN5XT8I/w-d-xo.html
I hope that helps!
Now that I’ve been in Europe I’m really trying to wrap my head around why even younger people aren’t using the U.S. rail pass. You’d think with something like this solo traveling would be way more common. My own anecdotes are the U.S. is just uninteresting, the U.S. rail pass isn’t advertised enough, u.s is unsafe especially in the bigger cities.
I agree that the pass isn't advertised enough, but I have to disagree with the idea that the country isn't interesting or that big cities aren't safe. There are definitely specific areas in big cities that aren't safe, but there are also specific areas of the backwoods that aren't safe, so that's not a unique situation to cities. And there's TONS of interesting stuff to do & see all over this country, but I suppose it depends on what you're into.
But yes! More young people should totally be using Amtrak to explore! We hadn't heard of it until we got the amazing deal in our inbox as part of Amtrak's newsletter, so I think most people just don't know it's an option. Hopefully our videos will help change that, even if just a little bit 🙂
I was good until you said we actually have to talk to people. oh hecks no! lol lol lol Thanks for the video. Thinking about buying this pass and going on a food hunt.
😆 I get it! People were almost always friendly on the trains though, for what it's worth 🙂 Where would you go on your food hunt?!
@@inthegreatwide I'm going to try the Pass .
@@inthegreatwide not sure, would seek out certain cultural foods in whatever area i get off.
@@MattDV Well there are plenty of places to choose from! Send us whatever Amtrak questions you have while you're planning & we'll help out the best we can 🙂
@@inthegreatwide funny I just came from Penn Stations Amtrak. Im going from Newark to Florida then to New Orleans and back with a few stops on the way. I saw somewhere that there may be restrictions on the east coast. But the ticket agent could not find any restrictions.
Great video but the sound effects weren’t necessary 😊
Thanks Paul! This isn't the first time we've heard that about the sound effects, so we greatly reduced the volume and frequency of them for our newer videos, and we're considering eliminating them entirely moving forward. Thanks for the feedback 👍🏻
If you have any questions we didn't answer about Amtrak, please feel free to send them our way!
@@inthegreatwide Thanks so much, just subscribed 😊
@@paulz6491 Thanks, Paul! Hope to hear more from you soon!
Coach class only? Forget it!
That's certainly what a lot of people think, but for what it's worth, coach on Amtrak trains is way more comfortable than coach on an airplane. Have you taken an Amtrak train before?
🎉🎉❤❤
Thanks for watching 🙂
I did this about 2 years ago for an amazing $199. I loved train travel before this. I will never travel by Amtrak again. Out of the 8 legs I used, seven were late, one of them 11 hours. Rules, during the pandemic, varied by the leg depending on the conductor. Some said that they could be fined $10,000 if they didn't enforce them. Bathrooms were horribly maintained. What a nightmare.
Important hint: It is very, very difficult to book these legs yourself. Use the services of an Amtrak sales rep, definitely the best part of this whole deal. Plan your trip and then call the rep.
We certainly had a couple of late trains on our trip, but only 1 out of the 10 legs we took was problematically late, by 5 hours. It was a situation with a fire near the tracks ahead of us that was out of Amtrak's control though, so we can't really blame them for that.
As far booking the legs, we thought it was really easy except for our last leg, which we talk about in the video. We've heard that a lot of people much prefer the Amtrak app over their website for booking the legs, but we used the website and didn't have a problem.
There were certainly differences in how much the rules were enforced depending on which train we were on though, so I hear you on that. It may be worth giving Amtrak another try on a shorter train ride though, because some of the routes are absolutely beautiful!
@@inthegreatwide Thanks. Enjoyed your video. And I will try again sometime. Add wildfires in the Northwest that cancelled everything north of Sacramento and the number of close connections, and it was a trip from heck. Amtrak personnel blamed almost all the problems with difficulties with freight trains. And that has always been the excuse.
It is also the problem in Canada with the transcontinental VIA train (see my comment farther down). One Canadian car attendant said that their trains were a lot cheaper and more on time before the system was bought by a bunch of U.S. billionaires. It certainly was cheaper.
I used the website and was stifled in bookings by some trips being limited by day/time. The Amtrak sales rep was VERY helpful and gracious.
I've done all but two of the Amtrak multi-state routes. But am more likely to try a shorter one as you suggest. But that means I have to fly, since I've traveled by car to almost everywhere--all 50 states and all Canadian provinces and territories.
Speaking of which, kind of, have you done any train travel in Mexico?
One other hint you might work in about coach seats. They vary in the distance between rows. I discovered during my megatrip that legroom may vary as much as about 10-16 inches. If there's a chance to make a choice on the spot, it is well worth it.
@@inthegreatwide Does Amtrak now accept cash on-board? During my trip two years ago, they did not and some people without credit cards were really stuck.
@@inthegreatwide Regarding cash on-board, the Amtrak station in New Orleans actually had machines that you could put cash into to get a "credit" card for on-board transactions. The only one I've ever seen in scores of stations.
@@bethmanus6808 Train travel in Mexico has never occurred to me, if I'm being honest, but we ARE looking at a trip to Mexico; we've both been but never together.
As far as the legroom, we discuss what the coach seats are like on each individual train route we take, because you are right: the legroom varies wildly depending on if you're on a leisure style train or a commuter style. We do individual reviews for each route, which are up on our channel if you'd like to take a look. Maybe things have changed a little since the last time you were on some of them...?
I wanna save $$…. Oh here is the Amtrak rail pass just $299…woww
Oh and
Hotel $2000
Food $1000
Other spending $1000
🙄😢🤣
Try hostels or Airbnb's instead of hotels, or plan to visit places where you have friends or family you can stay with; then you get the added bonus of a local guide. That's what we did!
And there's plenty of stuff to do without spending so much on "other" activities. Washington DC has tons of free museums; you can spend hours wandering around in Central Park in New York City for free; hell, you could just go to the beach when you're in LA. Every city has free and cheap stuff to do!
There isn't a whole lot you can do to avoid food costs, but a lot of hostels and Airbnb's have full kitchen access, so you could go to the local grocery store and cook your own meals like you would at home. Or you could even plan a "food tour" as your activity for a day - that would be a 2-for-1!
I hope this helps change your way of thinking about it. So many people are held back from traveling because of that way of thinking, and one of our goals is to help people break free of that mindset. Yes, travel can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be!
There is a lot of helpful information here, but it is undermined by the distracting graphics and annoying sound effects.
Hi Mikey, thanks for the feedback. We have significantly reduced the use of the dings & buzzers in our more recent videos because of this kind feedback, but I'm not sure what you mean by distracting graphics? If you could offer a specific example that would be helpful 🙂 We're always looking to improve! Thanks for watching!
@@inthegreatwide I don't like the green and red pop-up graphics. I already got the point from the discussion.
@@mikeymutual5489 Ah, I see. Well we have certainly pared down on them moving forward and turned the volume of the sound effects way down, but we are keeping some in because they help our viewers identify specific positive and negative parts of the experience we're talking about. Thank you for your feedback; it is always valuable to us! I'd be curious to hear what you think about our more recent reviews after we've toned down on the pop-up text 🙂
You need to relax with the dings, it was very annoying and distracting.. Everything else top notch
Hi there, we've taken the feedback from our viewers and lowered the sound of the dings and buzzers for our new videos, but we will not be removing them because they help our viewers identify specific positives and negatives of the places and experiences we're reviewing. Thanks for the feedback 🙂