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On your next vacation, whether you fly or train, you’ll make a difference in time, cost, comfort, and experience. With speed comes added stress and expense, but relaxing, fun trips are not for travelers in a hurry.
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“When it comes to the pros and cons of traveling by plane and train, it really comes down to the needs and preferences of the individual traveler,” says Chris Watson of My Adventure Diaries. “In general, traveling by plane is faster and more convenient, but can be more expensive and stressful. Traveling by train, on the other hand, is usually cheaper and more convenient, but can take longer.”
There’s nothing like watching the world go by through a train window.
In terms of the experience on board, there is no comparison between the narrow confines of an aluminum tube in the sky and the serene coolness of a train ride.
“Trains offer a unique, more scenic view of the country, allowing you to enjoy changing landscapes, from city skylines to rural pastures,” says Spanish-inspired travel blogger and founder Anna Hamilton. “Being on the tracks, watching the world go by from the window – when you’re on a train, it’s the journey, not the destination, that brings joy.”
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It’s not just appearance. Train travel offers a more relaxed and stress-free journey.
“The train is almost always a more enjoyable experience than traveling a long distance that has to be covered in a hurry,” said Tim Leffle, publisher of Al Centro Media, which specializes in travel content. “When traveling by train, security and boarding are much faster and easier, baggage restrictions disappear, and there is easily twice as much leg room even in the lower class of trains. You don’t have to worry about your liquid volume or whether your bag has a limited amount to carry.
Airplanes are fast – but getting to and from airports isn’t.
If getting from A to B is the only consideration, a plane is faster every time—but the logistics of air travel can quickly turn a two-hour flight into an eight-hour ordeal.
“The train stations are usually in the heart of the city, which makes travel a lot easier,” said Harry Jones-White, who flies both frequently and trains as marketing manager for the NBA Blast. “I don’t have to worry about taking a taxi or shuttle from the suburbs to the city centre, I’m there as soon as I get off the train.”
Also, you can arrive 15 minutes before your train departs. You can easily spend twice as much time checking your bags at the airport.
“You don’t need to arrive as early as you do at airports,” Hamilton said. “There are no long security lines and you can bring a lot of luggage without a huge fee – plus you can keep your shoes on.”
For short jaunts, at least, train travel is often cheaper.
Many factors affect the cost of train tickets and flights, but in general trips of a few hundred miles are cheaper by train.
“For example, a high-speed train ticket can cost $40 per person with no baggage fees,” says Michael Woodruff, travel writer and owner of Sometimes Home. What’s more, if we want to book a first class ticket on a train, it usually costs only $10 to $20 per ticket, which is the standard fee for extra class.
But for long distance, air ticket is more economical.
In general, it is cheaper to travel by train for short trips, but it is more economical to fly for long trips.
“A round-trip train ticket between St. Louis and Chicago can cost up to $50 less than a plane ticket,” says Mark Stoneman, founder of Hello Door County. However, a round-trip ticket for a sleeper train between Seattle and Chicago costs more than $1,000, more than double the cost of a high-priced plane.
Trains make long journeys.
Trains can be faster or faster over short distances because you only need to get on and off. But for a long trip, the amazing speed of a plane will prevent wasted time getting to and from the airport.
“While the journey is fun, it’s true that trains take longer to get to the same destination than planes, especially if the destination is far away,” Hamilton said. “If you’re incarcerated, that could be a huge loss.”
According to Vander, it takes 70 or 80 hours to get from New York to LA by train, compared to about five by air.
US rail infrastructure lags behind much of the world.
Riding the rails can be more fun and efficient than traveling by train in the US, where rail infrastructure is aging and more likely to be neglected.
“America has a long way to go to match the experience in Europe and Asia,” Leaf said. “In most parts of Europe, there’s not much benefit when flying, especially since trains go downtown. In countries like France and Spain, the trains are fast, they don’t get bogged down by freight queues, and the stations are convenient places to wait between rides.
Train travel can be difficult beyond the more populated beaches.
While train travel in Europe can be affordable, fun, and practical, in America the same benefits are mostly limited to short trips between large cities near oceans.
“I’ve traveled by train in Boston and New York, New York and DC, and Virginia to Florida, and I’m especially glad I didn’t fly during the holidays,” Leff said. “You can also travel by train in large states like Florida and New York and reach many destinations. It’s often less than $40 to go from Tampa directly to the Miami airport on Amtrak.”
However, this is rarely the case when coordinating rail travel far inland.
“Unfortunately, outside of the East Coast, connections are very limited and the rail network is very thin, making it nearly impossible to travel comfortably,” White said. “So the convenience of flying has its advantage.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBANkingRates.com: Should you travel by plane or train? The value of time versus money
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