Dreading Holiday Travel with the Kids? Author Says Take the Train
Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) November 16, 2007
Shelly Rivoli gets curious parents on board with a thorough section on rail travel in her new book, Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children.
“Once you’ve officially spent too many hours cramped in an airplane with your child, waiting for the drink cart to pass again before you can finally dodge to the lavatory aft (hopefully before the next round of turbulence) to change a diaper that needed attention well before take-off … the prospect of traveling by train may become truly enticing,” writes Shelly Rivoli in her new book Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children.
During the holidays, when traffic congestion peaks and airport lines are at their longest, train travel may be an especially refreshing option for families. Winter weather may also create delays or even cause flight cancellations, and driving during the holidays can present its own risks, delays, and challenges–especially for those traveling with little people stuck behind five-point harnesses.
Traveling by train is likely to be safer, more relaxing and more enjoyable for the whole family, plus no one has to get strapped in to a car seat. As Rivoli explains, “Even if you experience a delay on the train, which can and does happen at times, it feels like much less of an inconvenience. You can still stretch your legs, get refreshments or meals, and even use your cell phone to touch base with family and friends as you approach your destination.”
After spending their first Christmas as parents in Oregon, the Rivolis boarded Amtrak’s Coast Starlight for the journey back home to the San Francisco Bay Area. “As soon as we got onboard, we were shown to our roomette–where we had bottled water, fresh towels, and a newspaper waiting for us. Then our attendant invited us to a complimentary wine tasting underway in the parlor car. After flying in coach on an oversold flight on the earlier part of our journey, we had to pinch ourselves!” The couple enjoyed watching Christmas lights on passing houses as they ate dinner, then marveled at the full moon shining on snowy woods as they crossed the mountains through the night.
Last year, the Rivoli family skipped the notorious holiday traffic of the Bay Area’s Interstate 80, and rode Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor to Sacramento instead. “Taking the train on Thanksgiving was one of the best travel decisions we ever made,” she says. “Instead of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, watching for accidents and worrying that we’d be one of them, we were exploring the train, reading books, eating hotdogs, and counting the egrets dotting the wetlands outside our window.”
Another advantage of traveling by train with babies or toddlers–and all of their stuff–is Amtrak’s very generous baggage allowance: two suitcases of 50 lbs. each for carry-on, plus three additional checked suitcases (or other items) of up to 50 lbs. each. If that’s not enough, passengers may also bring onboard strollers, diaper bags, car seats, and laptops in addition to the two suitcases per passenger. Rivoli explains, “I’m not suggesting anyone actually bring that much baggage on a train trip, but it’s nice to know you can bring what you’ll need for a comfortable family vacation.”
Rivoli hopes that Travels with Baby will help make rail travel more popular among U.S. families. “Traveling by train isn’t always the best way to go in the U.S., and it’s not always an option. But sometimes it is–and I hope I can help families recognize when that’s the case, and to feel comfortable giving it a try.” She has included thorough information on rail travel in her latest book. Among the details: Amtrak’s major routes and highlights, onboard amenities for families, an explanation of overnight options, a list of train stations with airport connections, pricing policies and rail passes, and available discounts.
Travels with Baby also includes details for Twelve Scenic Day Trips by Train on private rail lines around the U.S. Also noted are rail lines offering special holiday-themed trains for children, which include the Grand Canyon Railway (AZ), the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway (GA), the Thunder Mountain Line (ID), Cape Cod Central Railroad (MA), Great Smokey Mountains Railroad (NC), and Pioneer Lines Scenic Railway (PA).
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