Train vs Plane

Art & I set out on an adventure by train to Reno. I wasn't to sure about this adventure by train since it was going to take twice as long by train then by car.

We took the train from Sacramento to Reno. The way to Reno took 5 hours & we sat in coach class. Coach was splendid! There was lots of leg room, you could stretch out, foot rest, room for small luggages overhead, a little tray & nice size window to enjoy the view.

There is no comparison between a plane & a train when it comes to room. Here are some of the comparisons.....

Amtrak doesn't require you to be strapped into your seat!!! This was the best news! I HATE airplane seat belts!!!!

The seat on a train is large enough for you to relax. The train has 2 seats per side. Plane - you are stuffed into a midget size seat and normal it is 3 seats per side. Now the sucker that gets stuck in the middle is not only lucky enough to be in between 2 strangers, but also gets 2 elbows to their ribs the entire flight! On the train it is 2 seats per side & they are over sized chairs....heavenly!

Let's talk about trays....on the train there is a drop down tray that can be down during take off. When the tray is down people can get in & out of their seats & not have to put the tray away.

Plane tray - that thing is all up in your business. When its down no one can move.

Leg room - no comparison at all!!!! If you have carry on luggage at your feet on a plane just be prepare to have leg cramps. You better spend the flight praying you don't get a blood clot before you land!
On a train your legs can stretch out, no issues with being cramp.

Luggage - you don't have to worry with liquids, Xray machines, only 2 carry ons, 2 checked pieces,
You can have 3 pieces of carry on & 3 checked pieces. That is SIX pieces of luggages...yes, you read that right SIX!!!!! There is a list of items you can't take on a train. One of the items that puzzled me was a sewing machine. You can't take a sewing machine on the train....#1 my sewing machine could fit in my suitcase/carry on & no would know its there. #2 who in the world caused such a ruckus with a sewing machine to get it banned on a train???? #3 Do you think they might be referring to the horse & buggy days when they had large peddle sewing machines?

On our way to Reno there were people with coolers full of food & drinks. One family was protecting their cooler like their life depended on it. Art asked me do you think they are carrying an organ in that thing? LOL

On the way home we had a sleeper car. Art pulled down the top bunk while I sat below. Worked perfectly! We could both stretch out & sleep! Our meals were also included with the sleeper car. Right there we got our money worth! A microwave hamburger costs 7 bucks. I could have bought a pack of 30 from Costco for 7 bucks! Pack a cooler & bring you own stuff!

The top bunk had a seat belt, so you could strap yourself in while you slept! I am not sure where you would roll, but Art was convinced you would fall down & break your neck. I couldn't stop laughing thinking of him rolling off the top. I laughed so much I was crying! I was also very sleep deprived at this point!

Electricity = HEAVEN!!!!! The train has a plug in at every seat!!! You can charge your cell phone, ipod, computer etc while you are traveling down the tracks!!!! O-M-G!!! No more running around to find a plug in prior to boarding a plane! Wait - you can use your cell phone the entire trip!!!!! No turning off your phone for take off! My BFF & me didn't have to be separated at all during our travels!!!

Price - it would have cost us about 300-400 to fly to Reno. Train cost us 200 with a sleeper car. If we had taken coach we would have spent about 120.

View - no comparison here either! If you aren't seated next to a window on a plane forget seeing what is below! The windows are teeny tiny & hopefully the shmuck beside the window keeps the shade open. There are large windows on a train & you can take in the entire country side view!

Bathroom - on a plane you don't have room to turn around in that tiny cubby! You better back your bazooka in that bathroom to fit on a plane! Train there is plenty of room to turn around & even do jumping jacks!

Time/speed - a plane ride of course is much faster. A plane ride plus the hour early arrival we would have 5 hrs round trip traveling. The train was 9 hrs round trip. Our train traveled about 45-50mph. I felt at times I was being driven by Miss Daisy. We were able to see the country side on the train! Enjoy the view of snow from the warmth of our train car :)

I really loved the whole train experience! I love the roominess, you can bring your own food & drinks, the view, & how relaxed I felt! I just felt I could relax while traveling instead of dealing with the rush to get through security, boarding a flight, finding a seat etc.

I highly recommend you try Amtrak the next time you travel a short distance! The experience alone is worth every penny!