RISKS OF BOOKING RAIL TRAVEL YOURSELF
Although some people think that the internet is all that's needed for planning a trip, Condé Nast Traveler Magazine recently reported that many experienced travelers have learned the hard way that going back to a travel agent makes a lot of sense.
How can Train Travel Consulting at Accent on Travel help you? Here's an example: Let's look at an elderly couple with difficulty walking. A travel agent not familiar with Amtrak trains put them in the sleeping car on the California Zephyr that was two cars away from the diner. I would have booked them into the sleeper adjacent to the dining car, unless it was not available, in which case I would have put them on a waiting list for the closer car.
Another couple that thought that Emeryville and Oakland (stations three miles from each other) were the same place, and didn't realize that the California Zephyr no longer goes to Oakland. They were concerned that their friends might be waiting for them in the wrong station. We carefully explain this to our clients.
There was the disappointed passenger who wanted to make a connection from the Sunset Limited to the Coast Starlight and found that Amtrak had ticketed him on the tedious and very un-scenic bus/train connection through the San Joaquin Valley instead. We would not let this happen.
Traveling from Chicago to Glacier National Park on the Empire Builder? Would you want to be in the Portland sleeper and have to walk the entire length of the train, through all of the coach cars, every time you wanted to get to the dining car or the lounge car? This involves keeping your balance over rough track while avoiding getting banged into the bulkheads. I would put you into the Seattle sleeper which is next to the dining and lounge cars.
What if you wanted a Superliner Deluxe Two-Bedroom Suite for your family, then found yourself ticketed in rooms A and B, with a solid wall that doesn't open up between you? We ride the trains and know which rooms can be opened into a suite -- your rail ticket will be written correctly.
There is more to planning a railroad trip than a few simple key strokes. Let us help you plan your railway trip of a lifetime. We will get it right for you.
Please give us a call at 1 800 347 0645, or send an e-mail message to ted@traintravelconsulting.com. Even if we're on a trip, we'll be checking our messages frequently and contact you as soon as we can.
