As I settle back into my home life, I am trying to figure out my take-aways from my trip. Why was I so happy being on the rails and on my journey? And what would I like to share with others about it?
I loved my experience on the trains.
PEOPLE: I loved the option to have long conversations with whomever was sitting next to me, people from worlds I am not in, in my daily life. People from outside my bubble, people who have never met a Jewish person before (I am Jewish and I spoke with a few Amtrak riders who had never met a Jew before; they are probably typical of so many more!), and people who vote, think, and live very differently from me.
AC: It was wonderful to sit in comfort as we traveled through all sorts of hot countryside. I don't have AC at home, for environmental reasons, so I am not sure how what to make of the fact that the coolth (that is a word!) added to my enjoyment.
SLEEPING: The trains' sleeper accommodations were fun and rather luxurious (and expensive). I urge Amtrak to explore an intermediate kind of sleeping accommodations that could be a more accessible, less costly option. There are great minds out there that could conquer this little design challenge, and it would make train travel a much better experience for so many more people. (America used to be a more classless society. Can we make it that way on Amtrak, where everyone gets good, reasonably priced, accommodations and where we mix with each other, a la Frederick Law Olmsted's visions!)
BALANCE: This trip had a perfect balance for me of traveling solo, connecting with other travelers, and spending time with very close friends and family I had not seen in ages. Not all trips hit this mark, so I was very lucky! Also, my travels had enough slack in them that the lateness of the trains did not negatively impact me.
WORK/WIFI: I had intended to be in much closer touch with work colleagues than I ended up being able to be. I did not have a good data plan, which I discovered was necessary for being online on Amtrak west of Chicago. And once I had the taste of true vacation and being away from my work, it was hard to plug back in.
ENVIRONMENTAL: Compared to flying, this trip was very green. I am proud of being able to travel so far without depositing my travel mode's refuse in the upper reaches of our atmosphere, where it truly causes a lot of damage. Could it be greener? Yes. Without doubt. I could have not gone, walked, biked, etc. maybe even driven or taken a bus. But, I think that the train can and should be a good option for people to travel these kinds of distances. And I would love to see our country and Amtrak explore and do what it takes ASAP to make train travel as environmentally friendly as is possible.
PACE: Of course, it might be wonderful if the trains could travel fast... (For instance, the train is much slower than a car as it goes across MA from Boston to Albany). But the leisurely pace felt great and led to relaxed conversations and activities. There was no jet lag or fatigue on arrival at one's destination. I am not sure what would be lost by making the trains travel more quickly, and there's not a lot I would like to give up... But, then, I had the time to spend this way.
RELIABILITY: If a mode is to be viable, it must be reliable. Very few people can tolerate the lack of reliability that Amtrak's system has, and it's a real shame. Can the public, ie. Amtrak, reclaim the tracks that the freight train companies "own" and better schedule passenger trains? I don't know any of the details, but imagine that this is a solvable issue, if there were the interest.
HOW MUCH TRAVEL? While I have worked and traveled abroad a fair bit, and always really enjoyed traveling, I increasingly wonder I "should" or need travel as much as I did even on this trip. Might I be able to use the time spent on traveling to far-away to have as eye-opening, liberating, rich, and fun adventures closer to home? Possibly! I think travel is just the latest exploitative fads perpetrated on the gullible by those wanting their money. There are now lines at the top of Everest and every other "destination", for all those who need to keep up with their peers.
Of course, like many other travelers, I had my reasons for doing it this year, and maybe it's okay. I really wanted to see where my daughter was studying and be with her there. And I loved seeing my cousin's neighborhood of the last 35 years, and visiting friends and relatives along the way...