In 2019 David had logged in 15 hours of flight time but in 2020 he became a huge advocate for rail, he belongs to the Rail Passengers of America Association, and instead of flying he chose to vacation by train from his home in Kansas City, Missouri, through Arkansas to Dallas, Texas. His next train trips might be to Chicago, New Orleans, or New York and maybe a transatlantic cruise to London to see his ancestral homeland.
I am a huge advocate for rail as it is way more fuel efficient than cars or planes. I write my congressman and senators about once a month right now and make sure I show up to all local, state, and federal elections so if they do look me up they see I am an engaged voter. We can get to a more robust rail system but it won’t happen without advocating for the industry and pushing for similar funding assistance to what the airlines receive. Plus you will be amazed at all the places the train goes when you look into it and really just how affordable it is as a travel option.
I am from Kansas City and while it doesn’t sound exotic I took my first vacation (by train) last February and went to Dallas. What I really love about train travel is getting to meet new people. We travelled through Missouri and Arkansas at night and woke up in East Texas and wow when you travel by train you soon realize just how large the USA is as a country. You also see that country up close. It turns out flyover country has nice scenery from a cows eye view, lol. Also trains do not tend to follow the interstates or highways and so you often travel through forests and along rivers. You can lose yourself just looking out the window.
I made sure to budget time for vacation to include rail travel. I joined advocacy groups for expanding rail coverage and even got both of my sisters to agree to use rail for upcoming trips. I don’t cross the country as much and make the trip and experience part of my vacation. I travel to out of way towns, visit friends in my region and just slow life down. I have become a huge fan of rail and want others to see and make the switch.