AveMariaPurissima Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I am hoping to make a trip in a couple months, and I've been researching my travel options. In particular, I've been looking into the possibility of traveling either on an Amtrak train or a Greyhound bus. I've never been on either, though. If anyone has experience with these, I'd appreciate hearing your opinions, thoughts, suggestions, recommendations, etc. Thank you! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazeingstar Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Amtrack often has delays, especially in the winter, very annoying. Greyhound is pretty good with delays, but being a rather cheap ground service you can also have rather unsavory characters crammed next to you. I'd do amtrack hands down every day if I could spare the time as its much more comfy and often has food, better bathrooms and even sleeping accomidations (and even an auto train on some rides) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaTherese Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I haven't had problems with delays with Amtrack in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe it's a difference of part of the country. (Okay, there was a long delay once when there was a windstorm and a tree fell on the tracks. But that isn't exactly normal.) It's worked well for me. I also can't compare to Greyhound, since I've never used the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I've done extensive trips on greyhound. Take ear plugs, eye shades and a neck pillow. Sling bag for valuables so you don't have to take it off. I used a duffel bag for just my clothes to go under the bus. When in a layover, the duffel doubles as a bed. On long trips, that's the one thing you can't do is lay down. I used to lay down in the line. Hard to explain until you actually do it. The line starts forming an hour or two ahead for boarding and people sit on their luggage in line. If you have a sensitive nose, a travel size febreeze for your seat is nice. Lysol if you have germ issues. Definitely bring your own toilet paper and toilet seat covers. If your going to be long enough to want to bathe, get a small sink stopper so you can run a sinkful of water. I'd take a dish scrub sponge and cut it in half for the trip. That way I could sanitize the sink, put stopper in, and wash my face and hair. Wasn't perfect, but 5-6 days on a greyhound and it feels like a spa day. Don't leave the terminal at night. Bus stations are rarely in the best part of town. I always took paper backs and read. I like using large headphones so people have a visual don't disturb sign even if not listening to anything. Don't wear flashy jewelry and expensive electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AugustineA Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Traveled on Greyhound a few times and vouch for Catherine's recommendations. Pretty much nails it. I've noticed the same as Blazeingstar. We get alot of men travelling to and from the camps in the north via greyhound, resulting in some drunk or rowdy types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dUSt Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 If I was traveling on a train route I would choose train 100% of the time. Better ride. Better views. Classic. Nostalgic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Rode the greyhound once from Ohio to Arizona and back to Ohio...No problems but it was a grind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bus Station Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Amtrak is srsly DA BEST. Way more comfortable than flying. More open space, seats recline forever, atmosphere in general is much more relaxed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AugustineA Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Amtrak is srsly DA BEST. Way more comfortable than flying. More open space, seats recline forever, atmosphere in general is much more relaxed. How are their bus stations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Has been MANY years ago, but I took a 24 hour greyhound on a discernment. If you travel by Greyhound, you won't see the BEST parts of the area you will travel, but you will see the grandeur and the expanse of our country in a way you would not any other way. Same comment regarding the train, but obviously, it goes where the tracks go! Catherine gave you great ideas. I would also suggest taking something like a small travel blanket or shawl you can use as a blanket (because you can get COLD on those things!). If you can, stay closer to the front near the driver. AND if you go to the rest rooms, be sure not to hang your bag OR your coat on the hook, because people can and WILL lift stuff off those over the door and you are stuck in a situation where you can't follow immediately. Lost my warm coat that way on my greyhound trip and nearly froze. Bringing some portable snacks that don't require refrigeration can be a good move (trail bars, carrot sticks, cheese, raisins and/or nuts, etc.) because while they will offer you a 'meal break' you might find (as I did) that it was at 4 AM and the only food they were offering at that location was greasy sausage and fried eggs (and not what I could face at that hour). You WANT to have some emergency food -- and water -- available in case you need it. And if you are used to caffine (coffee, tea) you may want to carry some instant or tea bags... you can always get hot water. Can you give us a rough idea of where you would be going? We might be able to give you better feedback if we know if it is in the West or the East, for example. How long would you anticipate you would be staying? would you need transport from the station to a hotel or other place where you would be staying? These could affect which choice you make.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Amtrack is pretty nice but sometimes inconsistent on arrival times. I once had train delayed for 4 hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaTherese Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I ran an experiment today and took one of the double-decker trains with sleeping space instead of a normal commuter train. It was so worth it. Lots of leg room, real food, a car full of windows and chairs facing the windows, nice conversation with other passengers over dinner.... Would it sound awful if I said it reminded me of the train in Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie? It did, anyway. I mean, minus the murder. But my point is that it was lovely, and I can't imagine that a bus would be better. Cheaper, yes. But definitely not better. Did I mention that those seats had wonderful amounts of foot room? And they were comfortable? And the only other time I've had a trip that nice was when I got a random upgrade to first class on a trans-Atlantic flight? I really should reiterate that I've never taken Greyhound though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AveMariaPurissima Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 Thank you everyone for your feedback. I really appreciate it. :) More details, in case it helps: I would be travelling in the mid-west/northeast, and it's really not a very long trip. (It's just that I don't drive and I don't want to bug my parents to drive me somewhere that's 6-7 hours away.) I would be travelling to visit a religious community for a few days for discernment, so I'm assuming that the Sisters would be able to pick me up from the station and take me there at the end. Based on the research I've done, Greyhound has a departure available that both leaves and arrives at a reasonable time of the day, no transfers, and also the price of the fare is very low. Amtrak's fares cost more, plus all the routes I've checked seem to arrive at 5:05 am. I'd prefer not to travel during the night, plus that seems too early to ask the Sisters to pick me up. Given this, Greyhound definitely has some advantages, but from what I've heard, there are definite drawbacks too. :/ I also am well aware that travelling by bus is not particularly comfortable -- I found that out in January when I went by bus to the March for Life with our local pro-life group! An advantage of that situation, though, was that I knew almost everyone on the bus, and I knew that they were pretty upstanding people -- something that would definitely not be the case in the Greyhound scenario. (or Amtrak for that matter.) I've heard about various security issues w/ Greyhound; I mean, I know that there's the potential for weirdos everywhere you go and that you have to pay attention to what's going on around you no matter what -- how concerned should I be, esp, considering I have very little experience travelling, particularly by myself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I've traveled by bus alone all over the US and Mexico when I was your age. It's safe enough if you stay in the terminal. There are security guards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJon16 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) I take an Amtrak back and forth between home and NYC (the seminary is in Queens, which I have to take the LIRR to get to from Penn Station) and it's the best. The train is faster and more comfortable, but can be a pain if there isn't a station where you want to go. Usually I can spread out too, getting both seats to myself. And the view is better from a train window than a bus. The view of a highway/interstate/traffic on the bus VS the clean, smooth countryside of the rail line. I can easily pass time quickly by putting my iPod on and just enjoying the scenery outside the window. Edited March 21, 2014 by BigJon16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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