Experience Adventure On The Way: Take A Train
- Updated: 04/08/2022
Part five continued, of our ten-series “Amazeballs Guide To Better Family Travel.”
When considering the question of “how to get there” for any vacation, may I suggest the humble train as an option?
Especially for families with kids and locomotive-loving adults, traveling overnight by train can be a real adventure. Travelers get to go to bed in a sleeping car, eat in the dining car, and possibly even hang out in an observation car with a 360-degree view – depending on the rail line.
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Train travel makes what could be a forgettable hum-drum method of transport into something far more memorable and unique.
Related: Another benefit of train travel is it is more environmentally friendly and has a smaller carbon footprint than air or car travel. Learn more about it in an article from The Points Guy here.
A Sample Train Journey: The Empire Builder
For years, I have wanted to travel to Glacier National Park in Montana via Amtrak’s Empire Builder overnight train line – despite its unfortunate anachronistic name – from my hometown in Chicago. It is a top trip on my travel to-do list.
Is traveling by train worth it? The photos above indicate – yes. Though – the price can be steep for families who want to book a room in a sleeper car.
Generally, the cost for a family bedroom in a sleeper car that can accommodate four travelers runs roughly $2,000 one-way when it is available.
Because the train journey to Glacier from Chicago takes about 36 hours, and plane tickets are cheaper, I would fly home at the end of my trip instead of taking the train to save time and money.
To determine the total transport costs for the train/plane combo, I priced four one-way return plane tickets from the West Glacier airport (to Chicago) during the height of the summer season and found they cost around $1,000. Between plane and train tickets, I could expect to spend a total of about $3,000.
That is a steep cost for some families, so it pays to understand what a family room on Amtrak train includes, which is a few things.
Customers in sleeping cars can expect to receive private overnight accommodation, window-gazing, and importantly all meals. There is real value in this.
Pro Tip: Do you prefer to have a private in-room bathroom? If yes, be sure to book a more expensive bedroom suite vs. a family bedroom when traveling on Amtrak. Learn the difference between Amtrak’s room options here.
On the low end of average, a family of four can typically expect to spend $300 for a room and all meals over a 36-hour period while on vacation, and some far more than this. So, knowing in advance that meals and lodging are included with a sleeper car room, helps to soften the sting of the premium-priced tickets.
Curious to see what the Empire Builder experience is all about? Check out the excellent video below.
And for those who would love to take the train, though find it too pricey – for the tradeoff of comfort and sleep – there is the option of forgoing a private room for overnight coach seats, aka no beds.
This tradeoff will save you a ton of money and could even cost less than plane tickets, depending on the time of year.
A family of four can expect to pay about $600 for four one-way overnight coach seats (priced at $150 per ticket) on a long-distance Amtrak train line, like the Empire Builder, in the summer. Meals are not included with the coach fare, though the view and the experience still are.
Pro Tip: Be prepared to go offline or have alternate Wi-Fi plans on overnight Amtrak routes. Most of Amtrak’s long-distance trains, including the Empire Builder, do not have Wi-Fi. Learn more here.
North American Rail Journey Options
To browse ideas for other vacation-by-rail train journeys in North America and beyond, check out family tours offered by Chicago-based Vacations By Rail. Some highlights include their Canadian Rockies’ journeys or their California Zephyr with Yellowstone National Park trip.
Or visit Amtrak’s website to view their catalog of North American rail vacation journeys.
You can purchase the trips outright – or borrow from the itineraries to create your own rail-inclusive adventures.
Related: If you prefer to custom-make your own itineraries vs. booking with a tour company, check out the article “The Highest Form of Flattery: Borrow An Itinerary.”
International Train Journeys
For travelers interested in going further afield, check out the impressive website The Man In Seat 61, which specializes in providing information about international train journeys throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Found and managed by a one-time station manager with a career in the rail industry, it is a valuable resource for anyone interested in train travel throughout the world.
And for travelers who do not want to figure out how to connect the dots – and the tickets – on their own, Seat61 recommends using Discover By Rail to help book train itineraries.
Or would-be-riders can also view itinerary options on Great Rail Journeys, the British-based parent company of Vacations By Rail.
Whichever way you plan to arrive, you will need a place to stay once you get there. And if you have ever thought, “I could do better,” when it comes to lodging, read “How To Find Just-Right Accommodation In Five Steps,” part six of the ten-series “How To Plan Better Family Travel” guide.
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Hi, I am Janice and and I run the Gather and Go Travel blog. I am a travel writer, blogger, and bookhound, specializing in family and group travel. I have traveled extensively domestically and internationally to 40+ countries. I am fascinated by other cultures, religions, and languages—and love to share what I have learned in my writing. For more on my background, read my bio, our story, and how to work with me.
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