Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of conditions attached to this pass, so call Amtrak or go online to
www.amtrak.com/railpass for those up-to-date details.
Amtrak also offers a California Rail Pass that's good for 7
days of travel within the state of California over a 21-day period.
For current information about this pass, go to the Amtrak Web
site, hold the mouse over the “Deals” tab to access the drop-
down menu, and then click on “Rail Passes.” An Amtrak reserva-
tions agent will also have that information.
Look for Other Discounts
At either end of the spectrum, age can also save you money.
Children under 2 travel free; those between 2 and 15 pay half
fare when accompanied by an adult. Seniors 62 and over get a
15-percent discount on their rail fare, students get a 15-percent
discount, and active-duty military can save 10 percent. Mem-
bers of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP)
also receive a 10-percent discount. But note that these discounts
don't apply to sleeping-car accommodations, and there are other
limitations and restrictions. As noted already, fares vary accord-
ing to the season, so once you have tentative dates, check with
Amtrak to see when those price changes occur. It may be that
you can save some money just by changing the dates of your trip
by a week or so. Check Amtrak's Web site at www.amtrak.com
/hotdeals for special fares that pop up regularly. For last-minute
one-way trips, go to that same page and, on the left side, click on
“Weekly Specials.”
Who Should Plan Your Trip?
There's no reason why you can't do all the preliminary plan-
ning yourself. For me, that's part of the fun. Besides, the more
thought you personally put into your trip, the more successful
and rewarding the whole experience is likely to be. Get as far
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