Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Traveling in the US and Europe

By Brad Kadinski


Airline travel during the holidays has become cumbersome, bothersome and unpleasant due to the increased security regulations following the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks. As a result, Amtrak has benefited from people turning away from air travel and rediscovering the railways as a reliable mode of transportation during the holiday season.

Traveling with children for the holidays can be stressful, especially if you are traveling with them alone. Keeping them entertained in a car for the trip is often a two person job so one can drive and one can play games or offer snacks to keep everyone in the vehicle happy for the duration of the trip.

Airplanes are very cramped and most people don't do well with children roaming the isles or crying during the flight. For younger children, the amount of pressure that can build in their ears on an airplane is very painful. Being stuck on a runway for hours will definitely make children uncomfortable and these delays often happen around the holidays. If you have ever tried to change diapers in the small airplane bathrooms you will know that it isn't an easy feat to accomplish.

Amtrak is very family oriented so this may be the best mode of transportation for your holiday travel. The cars are roomy and you are able to get up and walk around freely. There is plenty of scenery along the railway routes too for you to enjoy.

Amtrak can sell you tickets for sleeping cars if you're going to be doing holiday traveling over a period of time. You can find them in different sizes but there's often enough room for a family of four. It's a wonderful way to give your kids private space to play or to nap.

Amtrak offers excellent deals on your next holiday trip also when you get a sleep car in advance. You can also get free meals coupons in the dining car. A charge that you will have to pay on your own just to at least compensate the special use of the sleep car.

If you decide to travel by Amtrak, you must make your reservation early. During the holidays the tickets go fast, especially if you need a sleeping car. If you procrastinate you're apt to get stuck with one that is too small or find yourself traveling with no sleeping accommodation at all.

It is much easier to get in and out of a train station than it is an airport. You can park your car for free at a train station; most airports charge you by the day and this gets expensive. If you don't have a car and nobody can pick you up at the train station, there are lots of alternatives. There are usually rental cars and you can always take a cab.

Amtrak posts its schedules online, so you can easily find the destinations it travels to. If there are no locations with 100 miles of where you're heading, you can have someone pick you up or rent a car so that you can reach the location you're traveling to. Amtrak is much more comfortable and economical than flying or traveling in a car.




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