Would a train trip be romantic?
My 80-year-old parents just left for a week-long coast-to-coast Canadian train trip, just to provide you with a data point. Given the sorry state of Amtrak in the US, I wouldn’t take a train anywhere there except along the east coast. Once-reliable rail journeys in the UK also sound like a thing of the past. Why restrict yourself to North America? Great train rides I’ve had were in Europe and Japan, where you’ll find all ages among the passengers. I’ve also heard good things about train travel in Australia and South Africa (although those might only be for first-class travelers).
Two or three days in coach isn’t very romantic. Sleeper class, on the other hand … note, though, that a berth/room/roomette is much more expensive in Canada than it is on Amtrak, though by all accounts it’s a much more pleasant experience. Anecdotal evidence suggests that if taking Amtrak cross-country, and want the train to arrive reasonably on time, it’s better to take trains running mostly on BNSF track (Empire Builder, Southwest Chief) than UP track (Sunset Limited, California Zephyr): BNSF has a better reputation for dispatching passenger trains than UP does (CSX’s rep isn’t very good either, it appears).
My husband and I flew from the UK and went from Toronto to Vancouver to Newfoundland and back, 30 years ago. A great trip! 17 nights on trains, 2 on ferries. We stayed with friends/relatives twice, and took a night’s break in a motel twice. We upgraded to a sleeper only a couple of times — the ordinary bench seats were quite tolerable. We didn’t use sleeping bags, just jackets with hoods. We didn’t buy food on the train, but bought cheaper food at stops along the way — many stops were long enough to take a walk and find a supermarket. (Our budget was pretty low — what was/is “mock chicken”?) Travelling on the ordinary seats we met ordinary people mostly doing shorter trips. Very interesting!
I did the Indian-Pacific first class as a 25 year old, and I was the youngest by about 30yrs. It was a little odd, but they were all really nice, interesting, well travelled types. I only really spent any time with them during meals. There’s a description of Bill Bryson’s experiences in “Down Under” (or “In a sunburnt country”) As to romantic or not, well, with the right company, I would say yes. Getting your own cabin would obviously be preferable, but greatly increases the price. It also depends on your general disposition. If you are happy with your own (+SO’s) company, and can keep yourself busy for days at a time whilst somebody else worries about whether it’s a left or right turn, then you’ll enjoy it. If you’ve never done any train travel before, then I’d suggest a trial. I had vague ideas of driving instead of training until I did a four hour road trip and discovered how much I hated driving long distances. Another potentially cheaper, if more complicated, option would be to tr
I spent two months travelling around North America by train in 2001, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Will it be romantic? Well, they don’t call it ‘romance of the rails’ for nothing, but your enjoyment of the trip will be affected by your ability to: 1. sleep soundly despite ambient noise and motion 2. accept that you will have somewhat limited privacy (even in a sleeper) 3. spend a week not merely in each other’s constant company, but literally within 5 feet of each other at almost all times. (#3 would drive me crazy with someone who was not comfortable with shared silences and quiet contemplation, but YMMV, of course.) Will you feel out of place? What kind of people will be taking the train with you will vary considerably depending on the route you choose. But, in general: in coach you will see people of all ages, and from all walks of life, including significant numbers of 20-something backpackers. In sleepers the demographic is older (and wealthier), but as matil
