Is Solo a Good way to Travel Amtrak?

[Amtrak Apple]

I traveled for 6,940 miles this summer alone and loved (almost) every minute of it!

 

[Law638]

I traveled to FL for the first time on the Silver Star in early June solo! I never felt safer, mainly due to Walter, my cabin attendant. It was truly a adventure & delightful. I had no issues connecting in DC’s station. I am now hooked on train travel & prefer traveling alone. Walter made the trip. He had us all engaging with each other.
I am now planning a cross country on the Zephyr.

 

[cirdan]

I just lost my train riding partner so I'm doing it solo again. But I've done other solo trips even when they were in the picture. I rather enjoy traveling by myself. I'm a people pleaser so I enjoy talking to people and finding out their stories. I always meet really interesting people when I travel. People who knew Arlo Guthrie when he was starting, people who work in the oil fields, Australian doctors. If you have an open mind it can be amazing.

I know exactly what you mean.

I once met a musician travelling with a 17th Century baroque cello. He said he would never fly with it because of the risk of it getting damaged. He had a two-bed roomette with one bed for himself and one for the cello.

 

[cassie225]

My first trip solo everyone here assured me I would be ok, I was afraid I would be lonely, this was before Covid, I mostly book bedrooms by myself, except this last trip I had a roomette, going back to bedrooms, anyway, I had a blast traveling solo, I love to talk, met great people, watched movies on my devices, caught up with friends via phone,enjoyed my solitude when needed, took loads of books, read maybe a few pages, I’m a jazz person, listened to my music. Actually the 2 trips I shared with my husband, he was a dud, complained and basically slept , didn’t see the joy of traveling by train, if you have a great SCA makes it awesome also, but I get the me time solo without hubbie, daughter, dog and it is glorious. I get to be selfish if I want to lol Try it, you might get hooked

 

[Exvalley]

The only time that I travel solo is when I travel for work. It gives me time to unwind and do things that I never seem to have time to do at home. I bring my Kindle and download some shows to my iPad - that, and staring out the window, can keep me content for quite some time.

However, there is one aspect of traveling solo that I definitely do not like as much: Seeing sights and partaking in experiences at my destination.
So, for me, an Amtrak trip is very enjoyable solo because I really like the time to just decompress. However, once I am at my destination I prefer to have a companion.

 

[Sidney]

The only time that I travel solo is when I travel for work. It gives me time to unwind and do things that I never seem to have time to do at home. I bring my Kindle and download some shows to my iPad - that, and staring out the window, can keep me content for quite some time.

However, there is one aspect of traveling solo that I definitely do not like as much: Seeing sights and partaking in experiences at my destination.
So, for me, an Amtrak trip is very enjoyable solo because I really like the time to just decompress. However, once I am at my destination I prefer to have a companion.

I travel solo most of the time. I was in Kansas City last week and a trolley tour of the city was offered. Usually sightseeing tours are offered from major stations. Many solo travelers take advantage of these.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

In coach you have to sit next to a stranger.

In a sleeper, you have to pay an arm and a leg (probably more like an arm and two legs).

If I could find a sucker willing to travel with me, I would. But I can't.

 

[Exvalley]

In coach you have to sit next to a stranger.

If I am solo, I will not travel overnight in coach class.

 

[jis]

If I am solo, I will not travel overnight in coach class.

I have stopped traveling overnight by Coach class on Amtrak on long journeys. I generally travel solo on Amtrak and indeed all around the world by train, plane or whatever.

 

[20th Century Rider]

I just lost my train riding partner so I'm doing it solo again. But I've done other solo trips even when they were in the picture. I rather enjoy traveling by myself. I'm a people pleaser so I enjoy talking to people and finding out their stories. I always meet really interesting people when I travel. People who knew Arlo Guthrie when he was starting, people who work in the oil fields, Australian doctors. If you have an open mind it can be amazing.

Well said! And what you said speaks for many of us!

 

[neroden]

In coach you have to sit next to a stranger.

In a sleeper, you have to pay an arm and a leg (probably more like an arm and two legs).

If I could find a sucker willing to travel with me, I would. But I can't.

If there wasn't a pandemic on, you could ask me. I like travelling solo fine but it's more fun with someone else to point out scenery to.

 

[Qapla]

Prior to the pandemic I had no problem traveling solo in coach ... after all, if I have to sit next to a stranger it means they are also sitting next to a stranger and I have found most I have sat next to keep as much to themselves as I do.

Now - I do not think I would feel comfortable traveling by coach overnight or otherwise ... since I cannot afford sleepers travel by train will just have to wait.

 

[20th Century Rider]

If there wasn't a pandemic on, you could ask me. I like travelling solo fine but it's more fun with someone else to point out scenery to.

Interesting concept... and this forum would be an excellent place to start... but with caution that a roomette is very small and confining... and the 'what if' factor if things don't go well with you and your travel partner?

That said, some coach assignments are made randomly and you may have an aisle or a window... with the conductor telling you that all the seats are the same... such as what happened to me when on the surfliner in business class. Because there were so many couples and so few singles, the singles were relegated to seating on the lower level where I was assigned that aisle seat. That is one of many areas where customer service is poor.

What do others who travel solo think about assigned coach seating that is randomly assigned with priorities given to couples and groups?

 

[Exvalley]

What do others who travel solo think about assigned coach seating that is randomly assigned with priorities given to couples and groups?

I definitely wish that coach seating could be reserved ahead of time.

That said, I completely understand why the onboard staff tries to keep couples and groups together. I wouldn't want it any other way.

 

[neroden]

Interesting concept... and this forum would be an excellent place to start... but with caution that a roomette is very small and confining... and the 'what if' factor if things don't go well with you and your travel partner?

I've met Philly Amtrak Fan at a previous Gathering. I wouldn't make the offer to someone I hadn't already met.

 

[20th Century Rider]

I definitely wish that coach seating could be reserved ahead of time.

That said, I completely understand why the onboard staff tries to keep couples and groups together. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Yes... that is the best way... to have seating available for reservations ahead of time... that way couples and groups could sit together and singles could have the option of getting that window seat. This works for all and it works better!

But the last minute random stuff is stressful... and with Amtrak unable or unwilling to move into the present with technology for seat selection like the airlines do... why not? No excuse!

 

[Qapla]

move into the present with technology for seat selection like the airlines do... why not?

As has been noted before ... most airline seating is static from origin to destination of the flight while Amtrak makes several intermediate stops causing seating availability to change during the trip from origin to destination.

Could this be worked around? Probably. Would the work around please everyone ... Probably not - thus one of the excuses why they don't do it.

 

[flitcraft]

In my experience, traveling solo and traveling with a partner are very different experiences--each enjoyable in its own way. I like the freedom I have when traveling by myself to be sociable when I feel like it, nap when it's naptime, eat when I want to eat, without feeling like I'm being inconsiderate. But you do miss the back-and-forth of a conversation with someone who knows you well. I did a fair amount of solo international business travel in the Before Times; one accommodation to my absent husband was to write detailed trip reports of anything I happened to see or do in my off hours. As long haul travel has become difficult for him, health-wise, even when COVID is in our rear view mirror, I expect to do some solo travel in the future. But not on Amtrak. Amtrak bedrooms are an ideal way to travel for those with physical challenges that make travel difficult. So, my future LD train trips are likely to be partnered in the future. (Assuming of course that we can afford them!)

 

[jis]

It is even worse when you get moved from a seat that you have occupied for over a day, just because the attendant thinks you must, for no reasonable reason. After that happened one too many times I decided that I will either travel by Sleeper on Amtrak LD trains or not at all. Since then when Amtrak has tried to put me in Coach the next day due to a misconnect I have arm wrestled them into refunding the segment and flown instead.

Presently my situation is that having traveled every Amtrak route multiple times already there is even less reason to put myself through pain to do so again. So the Sleeper only policy has been more firmly entrenched now, and oddly enough I find myself flying more and more mainly due to either unavaiability or absurd prices of Sleepers. Oh well....

 

[zephyr17]

As has been noted before ... most airline seating is static from origin to destination of the flight while Amtrak makes several intermediate stops causing seating availability to change during the trip from origin to destination.

Could this be worked around? Probably. Would the work around please everyone ... Probably not - thus one of the excuses why they don't do it.

They already manage it for sleeper accommodations in Arrow, as well as for Acela.

The railroads managed it, though they did it by maintaining manual car charts for each departure in their central reservations offices.

 

[Exvalley]

As has been noted before ... most airline seating is static from origin to destination of the flight while Amtrak makes several intermediate stops causing seating availability to change during the trip from origin to destination.

Could this be worked around? Probably. Would the work around please everyone ... Probably not - thus one of the excuses why they don't do it.

There are all sorts of railroads in this world that offer advance seat reservations. Amtrak would not be breaking new ground.

Who would advance seat reservations displease, exactly?

 

[user 13416]

There are all sorts of railroads in this world that offer advance seat reservations. Amtrak would not be breaking new ground.

Who would advance seat reservations displease, exactly?

The only situation I can think of is someone booking close to date of departure and traveling the entire length of the route (or close to it), but there is not a single coach seat that is completely unreserved for the entire length of the route; all seats have at least one reserved segment even if they go the rest of the trip empty. Either this traveler will have to change seats mid-trip, or another traveler will need to have their reserved seat switched.

This could obviously be mitigated by the res system making sure there are still individual seats (or pairs of seats) open end-to-end until the train starts approaching sellout status on any of its segments, but that adds complexity. And complexity leads to computers burping. And then all kinds of headaches happen.

 

[20th Century Rider]

The only situation I can think of is someone booking close to date of departure and traveling the entire length of the route (or close to it), but there is not a single coach seat that is completely unreserved for the entire length of the route; all seats have at least one reserved segment even if they go the rest of the trip empty. Either this traveler will have to change seats mid-trip, or another traveler will need to have their reserved seat switched.

This could obviously be mitigated by the res system making sure there are still individual seats (or pairs of seats) open end-to-end until the train starts approaching sellout status on any of its segments, but that adds complexity. And complexity leads to computers burping. And then all kinds of headaches happen.

Actually the do have seat reservations mandatory on some trains... such as the Vermonter and some regionals. I have several trips on NE Regional 176 between Charlottesville and NYP at a window seat of my choosing... several months in advance. Unfortunately Amtrak is inconsistent with seating throughout the system... and access to seat maps and usability is kind-a primitive as compared with airline systems.

 

[joelkfla]

As has been noted before ... most airline seating is static from origin to destination of the flight while Amtrak makes several intermediate stops causing seating availability to change during the trip from origin to destination.

Could this be worked around? Probably. Would the work around please everyone ... Probably not - thus one of the excuses why they don't do it.

All the more reason to allow advanced seat selection, mediated by the computer rather than the OBS or train crew. The computer is quite capable of knowing how long a passenger needs a seat and when a seat will be vacated.

 

[Eric in East County]

The last time I traveled solo was in the mid-1980’s when I would use the Pacific Surfliner to travel to and from Los Angeles on business. (For these short, day trips, I always traveled by coach.)

Although I will probably never travel solo by coach again, especially on an overnight trip, if circumstances forced me to, I would buy TWO coach tickets to be sure of having the seat next to mine. Although I might be wrong, I’m assuming that, if I paid for the seat next to mine, the conductor could not force me to let someone else sit there, even if the train was sold out and every available seat was needed. (Of course, with Amtrak, it is never safe to assume anything.)