#train-travel

#train-travel

One of my favorite things about flying with just a backpack is avoiding the stress of finding a spot for my suitcase in the overhead compartment. I typically travel on a budget, which means I'm often in the last boarding group for flights. This tends to make having luggage more difficult, and I've often found myself frantically searching the aisles for any open spot - even if it's nowhere near my seat.

Can you earn credit card rewards on train travel? It's easy to earn credit card rewards on train travel, even if you don't have an Amtrak-branded credit card. Nearly all rewards credit cards offer at least 1 point or mile per dollar spent on train tickets, and many credit cards offer boosted rewards rates for travel purchases like airlines, cruises and trains.

Very doable, it turns out. It felt surprisingly similar to a normal couple of days of work - I answered emails, filed stories, and chatted with my editor - but with the added novelty of daily life on the train. I made it to Chicago without any flight delays or airport traffic, and without using up any PTO on travel time. And the views from my "desk" could not be beat.

If you need yet another reason to visit Italy, boutique travel company SmoothRed just unveiled an enticing new train experience. This seven-day journey connects two of the country's most celebrated wine regions by train and offers the chance to sample more than 20 of the country's best wines. The trip begins with three nights in Turin in Italy's northern Piedmont region, an area known for its white truffles, coffee culture, and its connection to the Slow Food Movement.

The 351-mile route hugs swaths of one of the most scenic coastlines in the world, but you don't have to travel the full route to experience its beauty or convenience. It can be a smooth, easy way to travel between Los Angeles and San Diego, or, if you're flying into Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), you can hop directly on the Surfliner and be in Santa Barbara in a couple of relaxing hours.

My partner and I took an overnight train ride from London to Scotland on the Caledonian Sleeper. We splurged on the Caledonian double en-suite, which came with a shower, a toilet, and a bed. I didn't get much sleep, but this beat a flight. I'd do it again, but only under a few conditions. In my opinion, there's something alluring about the idea of an overnight train ride -

Into my bucket list this journey went. But the thing with a bucket list is that, once you've turned the corner in the direction of bucket-kicking territory, you need to set about emptying that bucket as well as adding to it. Nobody wants to have much left in that bucket when the time comes to join the great majority. That's the whole point of a bucket list.

Departing from its 1905 depot like a moving postcard, the train follows the Toccoa River, passing sycamores and sourwoods, rolling hills, and farms along the way. It's leaf-peeping without the hairpin turns or crowded parking lots, just windows down and the car doors open wide, a thermos of cider, and the steady click of the rails. The classic trip is a 26-mile, four-hour round-trip from downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia, to the twin border towns of McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee.

I thought, 'Well, this doesn't look like a good idea.' But at the time, when things weren't good ideas, I did them anyway," Batchelor said.

When James Joyce first travelled from Dublin to Trieste in 1904, he went via Paris, Zurich and Ljubljana. Zurich, because he mistakenly believed a job to be awaiting him there, and Ljubljana because groggy after the night train he thought they'd pulled into Trieste. By the time he twigged, the train had departed and, without ready cash, Joyce and his partner Nora Barnacle had to spend a night on the tiles.

"One of my favorite getaway recommendations from New York City is Hudson, New York in the Hudson Valley," Victor Rivera, the general manager of LUMA Hotel Times Square, shared with Travel + Leisure. "It's only about a two-hour train ride from Penn Station on Amtrak, and the views of the Hudson River along the way already help you transition into a completely different pace of life."

Amtrak's Mardi Gras Service relaunches for the first time since 2005, offering twice-daily departures between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, with stops at key Gulf Coast cities.

LNER's Simpler Fares pilot, initiated in January 2024, replaces Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares with three fixed fare options, simplifying fare structures.

Getting our suitcases off the fast train and onto the hopelessly overcrowded regional train was not exactly how we had imagined the start of our vacation.

Trains were specifically rated on criteria such as comfort, service, scenery, and on-board amenities, allowing readers to express their preferences based on personal experiences.

"I love the idea of night trains, but my compartment was tiny and shared with strangers. My train was two hours late, and I paid €250 but barely slept."

Only one track will be open to traffic between Malmö and Copenhagen until June 9th, causing delays and requiring patience from travellers.

"DB is one of the best operators when it comes to offering through tickets to/from or across Germany, including connections from Amsterdam to Prague or Zurich to Copenhagen."