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I travel between Denver and Chicago a lot now (so not a huge distance) and have been thinking about using ground transportation once or twice for the experience. I don't want to drive due to gas prices and safety and have heard many horror stories about Greyhound, so my main choice would be the California Zephyr. Please share your experiences with greyhound or Amtrak and if you've flown before, how they compared to your experiences with airlines.
Yes, I would definitely stay far away from Greyhound, especially for a long-haul trip like that.
Amtrak could be worth it, it's a lot more comfortable, there's a bit more privacy, etc. The drawbacks, though, are that the Zephyr only runs once a day in both directions, and it's overnight both ways. Redeye travel can be a great way to save time in your final destination, but it can also be pretty exhausting. And it's still a 17 hour commitment to being on a train, so "saving time" is also a relative term. Also traveling mostly through the night cuts down on being able to see the countryside, which is one of the major perks of train travel IMO (and this portion of the Zephyr is not the most scenic, anyway).
I do enjoy Amtrak and I do highly endorse taking a long train ride across this country at least once, but if these trips of yours are for business or anything else where time is of the essence, you're probably better off just flying. Southwest's non-stop flights between Denver and Midway, often for less than what Amtrak charges for that same itinerary just makes it so painless that you're not really gaining anything by taking the train (other than the experience).
I'd really recommend taking the Zephyr the other way, to California at some point if you have the time. That's a beautiful ride.
I travel between Denver and Chicago a lot now (so not a huge distance) and have been thinking about using ground transportation once or twice for the experience. I don't want to drive due to gas prices and safety and have heard many horror stories about Greyhound, so my main choice would be the California Zephyr. Please share your experiences with greyhound or Amtrak and if you've flown before, how they compared to your experiences with airlines.
The California Zephyr stops in my city as well, but I never consider taking it anywhere because the price is similar to flying and unless I pay a very high price for a sleeping room, I will be exhausted when arriving the next morning.
It's different for everyone depending. I do not find Greyhound terrible. We have no train and little air transport so I frequently take it to the Bay ARea as do many local college students. I believe the train time from Denver to Chicago is 17 hours. To me, that's nothing. The trip I am currently putting together will be entirely by Amtrak, Greyhound and Megabus. My ambition is never to fly again except for overseas. Have fun whatever you decide!
Last edited by eureka1; 02-06-2013 at 11:31 AM..
Reason: forgot something
I travel between Denver and Chicago a lot now (so not a huge distance) and have been thinking about using ground transportation once or twice for the experience. I don't want to drive due to gas prices and safety and have heard many horror stories about Greyhound, so my main choice would be the California Zephyr. Please share your experiences with greyhound or Amtrak and if you've flown before, how they compared to your experiences with airlines.
No offense, but there are some ridiculous fares - as low as $109/ RT between ORD-DEN - in the past month on Frontier. That alone would make it cost prohibitive to use the train.
For me, travel is not just about the cost. And the journey to my destination is as important as the time at the destination.
That said. I detest the current state of airplane travel. They used to be bad enough, but have only gotten worse. I hate the hours waiting at airports. I hate the cramped, full planes and the cranky, harried passengers.
I haven't been on Greyhound in many, many years. Not after my last trip, with the seat in front of me fully reclined for the 10-hour drive. And that was when I was young and spry. See my remarks above regarding airports and multiply by 10.
Amtrak ... I love traveling by train. The processes of getting on and off the trains are so much calmer. The seats and surrounding area are spacious. The ability to get up and walk around, from car to car, up and down stairs ... all are great features. And being able to go sit in the club car, away from my seat, is a nice bonus. And my fellow-passengers are usually friendly and relaxed.
Traveling by train, I arrive at my destination ready to go. On the plane (or bus) I arrive feeling stressed and exhausted.
My husband has abunch of "use or lose" time he needs to take off - we're considering taking the train up the coast of California (we live in San Diego). My husband was Restless Leg - so flying and driving (we do alot because we have to) isn't much fun for him.. Plus my 2yr really loves the train.
The California Zephyr stops in my city as well, but I never consider taking it anywhere because the price is similar to flying and unless I pay a very high price for a sleeping room, I will be exhausted when arriving the next morning.
Amtrak usually costs the same as flying and takes longer. So I would only consider it if you were going for the experience of the train ride.
No offense, but there are some ridiculous fares - as low as $109/ RT between ORD-DEN - in the past month on Frontier. That alone would make it cost prohibitive to use the train.
And that is too far on a Greyhound bus.
Yes, that $109 round trip would be very cheap and for that it would make sense to fly. For some routes, the bus is fine, it depends on how long the trip is, where stations are located, if you someone has to drive 2 hours to an airport to pick you up and again to take you back, then a bus can be easier.
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