There are plenty of great reasons to travel by rail but, when you're looking into transportation opt

The thought of taking the train to your next travel national car rental coupons destination might conjure images of vintage Westerns or classic Alfred Hitchcock films. But trains are anything but modes of transportation national car rental coupons from the past.
Intercity train routes are widely available throughout the U.S., primarily through Amtrak. You easily can find out if there's a train that travels in the direction you're headed by consulting Amtrak's interactive route atlas.
For shorter trips, online travel guide IndependentTraveler.com , Pennington, N.J., recommends checking TrainWeb's TouristRailways.com for local railways serving North America. Discounts and deals for train travel can significantly lower ticket costs.
Taking the train can provide convenience that driving and flying can't. For example, if you're traveling to a metropolitan area, getting there by train can help you avoid traffic if you're driving and expensive taxi fares if you're flying into an outlying airport.
"The train will usually get you right to the heart of the city," national car rental coupons says Sarah Schlichter, editor of IndependentTraveler.com . "It also can be more convenient [than driving] if you don't know where you're going."
You'll also encounter more lenient baggage policies when riding the train. Amtrak, for instance, allows each passenger to bring up to two pieces of carry-on baggage aboard for free�and that's in addition to personal items such as purses and briefcases. Each ticketed passenger also can check up to three pieces of luggage at no charge.
"You can really bring your kitchen sink for free, as opposed to the plane, where it's expensive to check bags," says Schlichter. "Trains are so much less hassle than planes�you don't have to worry about [carrying on] liquids or gels, either."
Size and weight limitations do apply to carry-ons and checked baggage, and additional baggage national car rental coupons can be checked for a small fee. For the specifics, check Amtrak's baggage policy. Also, be aware that not all trains and stations offer checked baggage services, so confirm before you book.
Finally, if you've experienced the pressure of trying to book the cheapest flight national car rental coupons at precisely the right time, you'll probably like this train-travel perk: Ticket pricing is consistent no matter when you buy.
"With air travel, sometimes national car rental coupons you can find a good deal, but the trains national car rental coupons are really going to cost the same whether you're walking up and buying national car rental coupons a ticket or buying in advance," says Schlichter. "I find it's less stressful because you're not wondering when to pull the trigger to buy."
Most trains feature a variety of onboard services to keep you cozy and content. For long-distance, multiday national car rental coupons trips, most Amtrak trains offer sleeping accommodations (you can even take a virtual tour of available sleeping cars) and dining cars. On shorter trips, trains are typically outfitted with dinettes or snack bars.
Some Amtrak trains also are equipped with free Wi-Fi, quiet cars, and onboard entertainment like the Trails and Rails program, which features seasonal presentations and commentary by volunteer rangers from the National Park Service.
There are plenty of great reasons to travel national car rental coupons by rail but, when you're looking into transportation options, the deciding factor usually is price. The distance you're traveling, the number of people traveling with you, and other factors can influence how much it will cost you to take the train.
"If you have a family, it's usually cheapest to take the car," says Schlichter. "However, I would say if you're going to a city, you may not want a car in the city because you probably have to pay to park it."
Schlichter offers another example, citing a recent online search for travel options from Washington, D.C., to New York. Her search returned a round-trip train ticket for $160 and round-trip airfare for $134. "But if you check a bag [on the plane], it's almost the same price," she explains.
You also can find discounts and deals for train travel that significantly lower ticket costs. On Amtrak, children ages 2 through 15 ride half-price every day. Amtrak also offers a 15% discount for seniors and 10% discounts for active-duty U.S. military personnel and AAA members. You can find a complete list of discount fares on Amtrak's website.
Other organizations provide discounts, as well. Members of the National Association of Railroad Passengers receive national car rental coupons a 10% discount on most Amtrak fares and a 20% discount on coach fare aboard the Grand Canyon Railway. Membership fees vary; calculate how much you could save on train tickets by purchasing one.
All else aside, there's one other aspect of train travel to keep in mind when deciding whether national car rental coupons to climb aboard: the unique experience of the ride itself. "The train is kind of about the journey," national car rental coupons says Schlichter. Many train routes reveal national car rental coupons breathtaking views and scenic perspectives of parts of the country national car rental coupons you may never get a chance to see from a car or plane�and that opportunity can be priceless.