IF YOU'RE planning on heading to the United States, why not swap the stress of air travel for rail?
According to Rail Plus commercial director Ingrid Kocijan, train travel in America is much less stressful and offers spacious, comfortable seats with plenty of legroom and no set baggage allowance.
"Plus there is absolutely no chance of seat overbooking on trains," she said.
"Peak travel times would usually see an increase in capacity with additional carriages on selected trains; otherwise passengers would be informed straight away of seat availability and alternatives when making their seat reservations."
If you have the time, train travel is a great way to explore the country.
Rail Plus recorded a 36 per cent year-on-year increase in Australian and New Zealanders travelling the US by rail last year.
It says the most popular point-to-point destinations and journeys being booked include:
- New York City - Washington DC, a two-hour journey starting at $72.
- New York City - Boston, a 41⁄2-hour journey starting at $72.
- Seattle - Vancouver, four hours, starting at $47.
- Los Angeles - Grand Canyon, a 12-hour journey starting at $159.
- Universal Studios: Miami - Orlando, just over seven hours starting at $67.
- Disneyland: Los Angeles to Anaheim, a 39-minute journey starting at $37.
All prices quoted are Australian dollars.
Amtrak passes remain popular with travellers planning to hop around the country on longer visits of up to 45 days.
