Cross-country: NYC to San Francisco one-way

[Devil's Advocate]

If your income absolutely requires reliable internet access you should not be on Amtrak.

This is not intended as a knock on Amtrak. As part of my job I have used every national mobile phone provider there is (including a few that no longer exist) and although some do better than others in various locations and services there are many areas Amtrak travels through where there is simply no reliable access from any provider. There are also several areas where the access is so slow that it's basically useless for anything but a short text-only email. I've found AT&T to be the worst bar none. T-Mobile is much better for phone calls but were only slightly better for data. Sprint was previously among the worst but has greatly improved in recent years. Verizon is probably the best but none of them would allow me to work reliably on most long distance routes. There is simply no way around this physical limitation. Originally I had a mega-trip planned for this weekend that included the Texas Eagle, California Zephyr, and Coast Starlight but I had to cut it way back in order to ensure I would be able to get online when my work required it. That was not fun but it was absolutely necessary to ensure everything went as planned at work. Even the worst hotel internet is still better than what I'm used to on Amtrak. Some day this may change but while I have greatly enjoyed my current trip I cannot in good faith recommend any mobile network solution for folks whose paychecks depending on reliable service. In the end I made sure to schedule some stationary time to handle my workload remotely. If I had something go haywire while I was en route I would not have been able to deal with it effectively. Instead it would have resulted in asynchronous text messages and voice mails explaining what needed to be done to folks who were still in the office. That's doable in a pinch but since I knew I needed to get some major work done this weekend I had to cut the trip in half and block off a couple days here in Portland to deal with it. Better to keep the folks at work happy and the paychecks coming in than to take a nice long trip that ends with a pink slip. I enjoy train travel a lot and this current trip has been my best ever, but that doesn't mean Amtrak will work for every possible trip. Many trips still see me flying or driving simply because Amtrak's routing or scheduling just didn't work out for my needs. Hopefully over time they'll be able to expand and enhance their current network with improvements that allow for more use on my part. Until then I'll still be making use of alternatives as necessitated.

 

[rkw]

If your income absolutely requires reliable internet access you should not be on Amtrak.

This is not intended as a knock on Amtrak. As part of my job I have used every national mobile phone provider there is (including a few that no longer exist) and although some do better than others in various locations and services there are many areas Amtrak travels through where there is simply no reliable access from any provider. There are also several areas where the access is so slow that it's basically useless for anything but a short text-only email.

Thanks for the insight and feedback. I was looking for someone who'd been on Amtrak who knows first-hand how realistic or unrealistic it is to even attempt this. Your conclusion is what I've come to.

I mean it's nice to say, "oh look out of the window." However, my job requires a few hours a day of looking at the screen on my laptop, strategizing, and getting content posted to the web. I'm a freelancer and can get that work done anywhere and anytime. I got a bunch of work done last night because I'm going to be on a radio spot today and have to move some boxes in the afternoon. However, the bottom line is I'll have to get a certain amount of work done on a daily basis. The mobility and flexibility is a perk too. I've worked in New Orleans, the Bay Area, Boston, etc. The reason I do well at this is I've got the discipline to focus in and get my job done. I also look ahead and make sure that it's possible. In this case it's not. I was simply hoping that the system, equipment and routes were up to snuff. They're not, so I have to make other arrangements.

My clients don't care that I want to take a cross country trip. (The initial idea was an RV. That way I could plot it and make sure to be in a town then stop and work. The perk would have been I'd not have to worry about mailing the few things I have. I'd just throw them in the RV and go. However, the one-way rental fee and fuel exceeds the cost of a train trip with sleeper cars. Pass.)

I'll do a cross country trip, eventually. This, however, won't be the one.

 

[momof5]

You mentioned a cat in one of your posts....you won't be bringing him on the train will you? If I recall you are not allowed any animals on the train except approved assistance animals.

 

[rkw]

You mentioned a cat in one of your posts....you won't be bringing him on the train will you? If I recall you are not allowed any animals on the train except approved assistance animals.

Yep, I did. However, I know that I didn't mention bringing her with me. She died at age 19 (human years) in 2009.