MNN.COM > MNN BLOGGERS > Shea Gunther's Blog

Shea Gunther

How a 13-hour train ride is better than a 1-hour flight

It's a long time to be riding the rails, but it beats flying. Guest blogger Jaymi Heimbuch explains why.
Tue, Feb 02 2010 at 8:39 AM EST
Read more: AIR TRAVEL, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, TRANSPORTATION

Photo: TreeHugger
A note from Shea: I'm out of pocket this week working on a project in Iowa and I've asked a few of my green blogger friends to help me out by writing some guest posts. Enjoy this piece from Jaymi Heimbuch from Treehugger. I'll be back in action next week. 
 
Jaymi Heimbuch is a full-time writer at TreeHugger and Planet Green, covering tech and gadgets, water issues, and other random cool green topics as they strike her fancy.
 
I live in San Francisco and have family in Los Angeles. This past weekend was a family event and I wanted to be there. But, being carless, transportation is a bit of a pain to figure out. Do I do a short-haul flight, do I rent a car, do I take the train, do I try to find someone on a ride-share service? Renting a car is not cheaper than flying or taking the train, and I'd have to actually make that very long drive by myself. Yuck. That ruled that out. A flight was a tempting alternative. It only takes about an hour to fly from San Francisco to Los Angeles. And there are dozens of flights a day so I would have been able to pick exactly when I wanted to arrive. But ultimately I chose to go for the train ride — the insanely long train ride. From the first bus outside my apartment to the last train outside my sister's apartment, it took 13 hours. All weekend when people asked how long the train ride was and I replied with, "13 hours," jaws would drop, eyes would widen, and the inevitable, "What? That's awful," would follow. But really, the trip was great. In fact, a 13-hour train ride was better than a 1-hour flight. Here are the perks:
 
1. Comfort.
The way the train schedules worked had me taking a bus for the first part of the trip. Taking the bus for long trips never sounds appealing, and I wasn't sure what to expect. But this was a really comfortable bus with big, cushion-y seats. It felt more like a tour bus than a Greyhound. The train was equally comfortable. There were outlets at every seat so I could charge my cell phone and laptop while I worked. There was tons of leg room and I could get up and move around as much as I wanted. There was no getting dehydrated from the processed air as happens on a plane, and there was lots of space to spread out my laptop, books and other items.
 
2. No frustrating packing and security requirements
I didn't have to worry about how big my shampoo bottle was or if all my liquids fit into a Ziplock bag. I didn't have to arrive early to stand in line and be scanned in my stocking feet. I didn't have to worry about having my carry-ons be a certain size or type, and no one checked that my laptop was a laptop. It was peaceful to just arrive at the station, hop on, and away we go.
 
3. Scenery
I grew up on the Central Coast so this trip allowed me to see my own backyard at a prime time of year. I enjoyed rolling green hills spotted with cows, miles and miles of gorgeous coast line, and even watched the sun set over the Channel Islands. Rather than flying above it and barely seeing anything, I got to really enjoy it, with uninterrupted views that even a car wouldn't provide.
 
4. Required unplug time
A one-hour flight would have been just enough to get through all that security, sit down, be bored for awhile because why bother taking out a book when I'm going to have to put it away right when I get absorbed, and then get mushed into the bustle of the airport where I have to navigate public transit again. While the flight might have been only an hour, there would have been a good 3 total hours just getting in and out of airports. Nothing relaxing about that. Instead, I enjoyed a rarity — time to be still, to read, draw, write, think. To take photos, daydream, chat with random people, and on the way back, write this post.
 
5. Tiny price
The round trip was $90 total. The average price for a round-trip plane ticket is around $120. I'll save $30 where I can, and after tacking on an extra $4 for the MUNI buses to and from the train stations, I call it a darn cheap mini-vacation.
 
6. Smaller carbon footprint
The primary reason for me to choose this travel option actually wasn't all of the above — those were perks discovered and enjoyed after the fact. The two main reasons were the carbon footprint and consumer demand. The carbon footprint of the train trip, because of the portion where I had to ride the bus, wasn't significantly smaller than flying or driving to L.A. and back. But it was one of those do-what-you-can-where-you-can moments, so I took it. But the other reason for the trip is to show consumer demand for train travel. While California has plans to build a bullet train, we're a long, long way off from having it, and the bus and train schedules are terrible, with few options that don't require going out of the way or taking the bus most of the way. So, by buying a ticket, I was showing that there are some people who want to ride trains, and hopefully that will help make a tiny difference in keeping the tracks hot and making schedules more lively.
 
BONUS: People wave at trains
Every so often, as people waited at track crossings or even while standing on the beaches, they waved at us. It brought up a feeling of friendliness, of excitement around travel and seeing trains go by, of community support in some vague way. No one waves at planes ... what's the point? But they still wave at trains. It was neat to slow down and experience that.
 
So, was it worth the 13 hours of travel just to get from San Francisco down to Los Angeles? In this case, every moment. Let's hear it for taking the train! If you're down for trying out a longer train ride, check out these six essential tips, and start off with some of the most scenic routes around.
 
Follow Jaymi on Twitter for the latest talk in greener gadgets and all things eco happening on TreeHugger and PlanetGreen.
 
 
Are you on Twitter? Follow me (@sheagunther) there, I give good tweets.
 
And if you really like my writing, you can join my Facebook page.
 
MNN homepage photo: artcyclone/iStockphoto
CLOSE link:
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
« Previous
China, U.S., and Europe race for the smart grid		   Next »
Is the environmental movement screwed?

Comments(11)

Sort by:
Posted By Mayre Press - Tue, Feb 09 2010 at 7:26 PM EST

Hope for a resurgence in rail travel

Loved your article. Haven't taken any long-distance train rides lately, but do seek opportunities for historic steam engine rides at vacation destinations.

Took the Durango & Silverton narrow-gauge train a few years ago and it was the highlight of my "Four Corners" odyssey. Such great scenery and fun waving at people. With those trains on a fixed schedule, people would come out of their homes just to wave. That's the USA that I love!

Posted By Vic Nowoslawski - Fri, Feb 05 2010 at 10:40 AM EST

Bagage Extra

Baggage cost should also be added, the airlines charge around $25 per bag one way.
This can add a significant amount to your travel. At least $50 to your round trip flight just for one bag.
So the total should be $170 if you packed two bags. You also have to remember that the fee goes up if you have more than one bag at ticket counter. There is a slight discount if you do this on the Internet.

Here is some additional information about various airlines and their bag.... More

Posted By Jimmy Dolittle - Wed, Feb 03 2010 at 9:51 PM EST

Its safer

I dont know about better, but I know is a lot SAFER.

Jess
www.web-privacy.cz.tc

Posted By jenwin - Wed, Feb 03 2010 at 12:52 PM EST

Love, love the train...

I completely agree. Whenever possible, I take the train for business -- its only a five-hour trip that leaves me relaxed and recharged. Folks on the train are much less stressed and impatient.. people are just simply more relaxed. My colleagues at work don't understand how I could choose this method of travel vs. flying... for me, there's no question what is better.. and try to plan most of my meetings in the afternoon to be able to take advantage of catching the train in the early morn. Plans.... More

Posted By Henrik - Tue, Feb 02 2010 at 4:05 PM EST

Great

Trains are best!
you haven't mentioned that 1h flight is not really just one hour - but at least 4; and the cost to and from the airport adds up!
well, skipping airport/airplane hassle completely = priceless!
best!

Posted By Jaymi - Wed, Feb 03 2010 at 12:09 PM EST

Yup - more than 1 hr

I briefly mentioned it in #4 - noting that it'd take about 1.5 hours on either side of the flight to get in/out and to/from the airport. It's taken me as long as 5 hours to get to/from airports...so much sitting around after getting through security!! LAME. The train on the other hand...I waited at most 15 minutes from arriving at the station to when we pulled away. So much better. :)

Posted By Chris Wiegman - Tue, Feb 02 2010 at 2:20 PM EST

It's the best way to go

I live in Southern Illinois and have friends and family in Chicago. I could drive it or fly it, but we don't we always take the train. There isn't a single reason why I wouldn't want to take the train. The sad part is though that nearly everyone looks at me like I'm on something when I tell them how I'm going. Even my boss when I offered to train it for work thought I was nuts even after it saved them close to $400.

Posted By Jess @OpenlyBalanced - Tue, Feb 02 2010 at 2:07 PM EST

Another Train Lover

I also love taking trains, but I particularly like your last bonus! Waving at trains is awesome :). High speed rail up and down the I-5 corridor can't come soon enough!

Posted By Eric - Tue, Feb 02 2010 at 1:57 PM EST

40 hour train ride

I took the train from central Illinois to L.A. one time. It was one of the best trips I've ever taken - loved it. Made friends, listened to a TON of music, saw a huge variety of scenery across the entire country... It was awesome. I ended up taking the train for 40 hours, spending 40 hours in L.A., and taking the train 40 hours back, and it was totally worth it - despite everyone's immediate reaction of "well that sucks" when I told them about the travel time.

Posted By Kathy Heimbuch - Tue, Feb 02 2010 at 11:24 AM EST

So true

I loved this article. I'm a family member who was at the event that Jaymi traveled 13 hours to attend and I saw that she was a happy, relaxed young woman. And yes, I was one of those that said "13 hours! Oh, my gosh!!". But seeing the pictures she sent of the beautiful scenery she passed on her trip made me wish I lived as far away and "had to" take the train to attend the same event she did.

Posted By Kim Woodbridge - Tue, Feb 02 2010 at 9:11 AM EST

Love the train!

I was really happy to read this article. When I go to visit family in Vermont I always take the train, which is a 8-9 hour ride. People think I should drive or fly. Driving takes just as long and my family doesn't live near the airport so the time spent flying and driving and dealing with security just isn't worth it.

And when the train isn't too crowded it's a fun trip - like you said you can walk around, read, nap, use the laptop, etc. And I usually travel with my kid who is 7.... More

Add your comment

You can’t fool Mother Nature
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA

ADVERTISEMENT

About Shea Gunther

Eco-entrepreneur blogs about politics, energy and Earth's resources.

Shea's RSS Shea's profile

FROM OUR SPONSOR

EarthCents® Energy Efficiency Tips Watts Up
Save Money, Save Energy How nuclear plants work

Shea's BLOGROLL

EcorazziEco-Chick
WorldChangingTreehugger
GroovyGreenTriple Pundit
Green DigGreen LA girl
Jetson GreenEcoGeek
Marc GuntherEarth2Tech
Twlight EarthMax Gladwell

SHEA'S RECENT POSTS

POLITICS, ENERGY, AND OUR EARTH'S RESOURCES
+ add this to my site