Local Amtrak Promo: Spend $50 - Earn a Free Trip

Here's a local promotion for Amtrak & Capitol Corridor riders will appreciate. Spend $50 in travel between January 7 and March 13, 2010 on the Pacific Surfliner, Capitol Corridor or San Joaquin lines, and earn 1,000 points - enough for a free one-way trip on qualifying routes Click here for more information and to register.

Kids Ride Free on Weekends With Capitol Corridor

Kids ride free on Amtrak's Capitol Corridor train on weekends now through November 1, 2009. Limit is one kid, age 2-15, for each full-fare adult ticket purchased.

If you've never experienced a ride on the Capitol Corridor I highly recommend it. A variety of seating options, including tables for families are available. Trains are clean and well-kept, include amenities such as onboard food and beverage service, and offer a scenic and stress-free alternative to the busy freeways.

Click here for more information on this offer and read some of the recommended sights to check out, all easily accessible from the Capitol Corridor.

End of the Week Laughs. TGIF

Here are a couple travel related videos we came across that bring out the funnier side in travel.

The first, and one we've shown before, is of commuters in Asia "gracefully" packing into overflowing trains. The other, part of a video series on travel etiquette, offers humorous solutions to common annoyances in air travel. Enjoy!

People Pushers and Diving Into the Antarctic (Friday Fun)

Have two amusing videos for you today. The first, people pushers, comes from Japan, illustrating the rush to catch the train. The second, a Lonely Planet TV video of a man truly enjoying his vacation to the Antarctic. Enjoy!

The only way of catching a train I ever discovered is to miss the train before.
-G.K. Chesterton

Double Amtrak Guest Rewards Points Offer

Ride the Rails of Amtrak this Fall and receive double points.

If you have traveled by air or car any great distance lately, you realize how the cost of fuel has taken a toll on the pocketbook. More than ever, consumers are paying more to fill up the car, and paying extra fees so the airlines can fill up their gas tanks as well.

Have you considered the rail alternative? Although Amtrak offers extensive East Coast routes, some of the most scenic routes in the country are here on the West Coast. Click here for a .pdf route map. Plus, they operate a high frequency commuter route between the Bay Area and the State Capitol. More importantly, you escape the fuel surcharge.

If you haven't taken a ride on the rail, now may be a great time. Currently Amtrak Guest Rewards is offering system wide double points for travel between September 15 and December 12, 2008. Members of Amtrak's frequent travel program can register for the promotion by clicking here.

So forget about airport check-in, security lines, delays, luggage fees, fuel surcharges - consider Amtrak for some of your future travels.

Megabus pulls into the Bay Area this week

MegaBus is expanding their coach service to the San Francisco Bay Area. Beginning Wednesday, Bay Area buses begin rolling non-stop from the Bay Area to Los Angeles city center with travel time less than 7 hours.

So where is the flight tie-in since this is a travel blog?

OK There is no direct connection! But, with the first 4 seats on each coach costing a mere $1 each (there are 56 seats total on each bus), a fairly quick ride south dropping you off near downtown L.A and 3 X daily service - including a "red eye" bus ride (leave 1130pm arrive L.A 6am), it's certainly worth considering over a flight to LAX.

What about Greyhound? (oh yea...Greyhound)

They're still around, and with a well established infrastructure of schedules and routes, it would seem Megabus is driving against some stiff competition. Megabus asserts however that their low price, tiered pricing structure (tickets never cost more than $36 each way) and non-stop service make them a superior product.

What I see absent from their press release is how coach service will meet a need for travelers. In the U.S at least, shady stories are ever present as it relates to Greyhound, not the least bit because of where the bus stations are located. A marketing campaign to drive people onto the buses because of a superior product such as service, onboard movies/entertainment or buy-on-board food is needed. The company should also remove itself from the present image of a dark, seedy Greyhound Bus Station by emphasizing where bus drop off points are located (ie: Cal-Train Station in the exciting SOMA, or near Dodger Stadium in L.A).

Still, Megabus is an option people have as an alternative to air travel, at least to Los Angeles for now. While I doubt business travelers are lining up to purchase, small groups of friends may find some fun riding the bus down to L.A for the weekend. Megabus

Source: Megabus Press Release