Kids Ride Free on DC to Florida Amtrak
With airline travel becoming less and less attractive as 2008 drags on, would-be summer vacationers are looking for ways to get from point A to point B without taking to the skies. This information has not been lost on Amtrak.
The train line just launched a summer promotion that will no doubt be attractive to families with Florida on their minds. For each full-fare paying adult, Amtrak will allow two children to ride free on its Lorton, Va to Sanford, Fla Auto Train, an overnight route specifically for passengers with vehicles. The train features sleeper cars and allows passengers to bring their cars, motorcycles, trailers and small boats along for the trip. My guess is that this could easily end up costing a family of four less than flying to and from Florida and renting a car or paying for transport upon arrival.
For a week-long trip July 9-16, I came up with a total fare of $1,134 to transport two adults, two children ages 2 to 15 and one regular-size vehicle from Lorton to Sanford in an overnight family bedroom sleeper car. That breaks down to about $284 per passenger for the 17-hour trip. Yes, it’ll take longer than flying, but you’ll have your car once you arrive - and taking the train overnight with the whole family can be a really cool experience for kids - and it’s much easier for them to move around in a sleeper car than it is on a plane.