When it comes to ways of travelling and getting around, we all have our preferences. Some won’t go near a plane and swear by coaches to get between countries cheaply, and many probably couldn’t think of anything worse than spending hours sitting on a train, let alone days. While planes have no doubt made travelling easier and less time-consuming, it also means you miss out on taking in all the views that you get if you travel by coach or train.
I personally love going anywhere via train, and even a few stops on the London Overground is a chance to plug my headphones in and look out of the window as my mind completely zones out. There are plenty of picturesque train journeys in the UK too, whether it’s navigating the rugged Welsh coastline or the remote Scottish Highlands. Taking the train can also be a luxurious travel experience, especially when you’ve got enough space to stretch your legs as you pass through the stunning Swiss mountains on the GoldenPass Express. There’s one train journey that I’ve always wanted to do, however, which even made it to second place on the list of the 10 most incredible train journeys.
The California Zephyr is a three-day train journey that travels over 2,000 miles across the United States. Starting in Chicago and finishing in San Francisco, I was lucky enough to experience this on a trip to the US with my mum a few years ago.
Being able to take in America’s incredible and diverse landscapes, from Nebraska’s Great Plains to Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and the deserts of Utah, is something many might choose to do on a road trip, but as neither of us can drive, the Amtrak was our best bet.
While the views were undeniably incredible, it was the people we met on the train who undoubtedly made our trip. The dining cart, complete with a three-course dinner menu featuring Amtrak’s signature flat iron steak, was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and neither was having a steak on a moving train.
Upon entering the cart, if travelling in a pair, you’re instructed to sit next to each other instead of opposite each other, and many of the strangers who sat in front of us ended up becoming friendly travelling companions.
I’d never shared a meal with a complete stranger before this trip, but hearing people’s stories about where they’d grown up, how many children they had, what their career was, and why they were on this journey was an experience that’s stuck with me and is what I think travelling should always be like.
There was an old-school romanticism to it, and I even appreciated the addition of roses to the dining room carts that planes simply can’t replicate. This isn’t a trip to be done on a whim, however, especially as tickets are pretty pricey, but it was certainly something to tick off our bucket list.
Although there’s no shortage of sights, I’d highly recommend bringing a pack of cards to pass the time too, especially if the train gets delayed, and many an hour was spent playing a game of Rummy.
While it was incredible, it wasn’t always comfortable. The observation carriage offers some a chance to move around the train and stretch your legs, especially as there’s a limited number of sleeper rooms.
We opted for a sleeper room, which comes with two big armchairs that turn into beds at night, and I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I’d been sitting on a chair for three days, especially as we ended up being delayed getting into San Francisco.
