Suggestion: Travel for Photography by Train

I took an Amtrak train across the country and was quite impressed by the whole experience. As a photographer who has usually traveled by plane in the past, I know what an ordeal it can be to travel with all your expensive gear shoved as tightly into a barely regulation carry-on bag so as to not have to put camera gear as checked luggage. On the Amtrak trains, passengers can carry up to three 14x22x28 inch bags weighing no more than 50lbs each, plus you can check up to three larger in dimension (but still only 50lbs in weight) other bags at no additional cost. Compared to planes that have much smaller carry-on bag size limits and nowadays charge you for every bag you check, the train can be an awesome alternative if you have the extra time and aren't traveling too too far. Trains are generally cheaper, much more laid back, allow you to tote more gear, you can meet some cool people, and the rides can be pretty scenic. So give it a shot if you haven't tried it yet.

Hi Kari;

The trans-siberian rail was an exciting experience also; although not a short ride (approx 7,000 miles from Moscow to Far East Russia)-made the trip three times. They are much more restrictive for luggage, limited to 50 lbs. There are select trains with baggage cars but these are not the norm. Carrying more than allowed is a bit of a pain on Russian trains; once I had to pay for an extra berth just to load my baggage but was not permitted an extra berth, just the space in my personal bunk for my baggage-needless to say, the ride was tight sleeping with an Epson 3800 in my bed and all my equipment under my bed.

Nevertheless, I agree with you; when you have the time, the rail is an exciting experience and well worth the experience.

Thanks for posting this Kari. I am one who has been paranoid of flying with my gear (yet to do it) and never gave the train a thought. I am going to seriously look into that option.

As a side question, how long would it take to get from west to east coast by train (Amtrak?) and how much would it cost?

A one-way trip from Portland, Oregon to New York City costs $193 and takes about 3 days. The Amtrak website is pretty easy to use to get sample fares.

Only $193.00 US dollars? Are you sure? Seems awfully cheap.

My wife hates to fly so we decided to try Amtrac on our last trip (2002). We went from California to Pittsburgh, PA. What a great trip...and I wasn't "into" photography as much back then. I would highly recommend it! The only thing we would do different is book a "room". Traveling with two small kids and no room was a bit too much!

dougc wrote:Only $193.00 US dollars? Are you sure? Seems awfully cheap.

Yup, check it out yourself. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentSe ... k/HomePage Just type PDX to NYP (Portland to NYC Penn Station) inthe fare finder box. If you book at least 3 days in advance that is the rate you'll get (book the day before and its $243 one way).

I was thinking of maybe trying the Amtrak when I go to Texas next March/April, but every time I try to get a schedule or fare to Dallas or Houston, it keeps saying ERROR, no route for those cities. Ideally I would like Vancouver BC to Houston Texas and back. Both cities are listed as departures and destinations.

Kari, can we assume that the $193 fare was without a room?

Tim,

Booking trains is not like booking planes. You need to find out where the lines are for trains and book based on the lines. It's very possible that there is a gap between Vancouver and Houston that doesn't allow direct (connected) travel between the two.

I've never found the train option viable here in Canada due to both time and cost.

A one way ticket from Vancouver to Toronto costs over $500 for a economy fare and takes almost 4 days to arrive at the destination. There is no way I would want to be sleeping upright for 3 nights so the sleeper berth would push the price to $1500 one way.

A one way ticket on Westjet costs $289.

The train is also a great way to practice your pan blurs....