The Rail Way or the Wrong Way?

If your business is like the many others cutting back on travel, you may be at a loss as to how to keep in touch with important clients. While conferencing services offer a great solution at a fraction of the price, it's not always appropriate for creating a dynamic customer relationship.

As the economy shifts further into recession, I can't help but to think of all the articles we've done on saving money with business travel yet we haven't explored breathing new life into an old mode of transportation: rail travel.

Some detest the idea simply because trains don't require all the awesome technology created in recent decades, but is that really necessary to get us from point A to point B? If it's cheap, safe and reliable, isn't that all we really need?

Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of traveling by train:

Pros

• Cheap! Trains are almost always cheaper than planes. The cheapest ticket on Amtrak from Orlando to Atlanta, traveling next month was $186. A ticket on Delta for the same dates was $276 plus tax.
• Relaxing. Traveling by train really lets you relax; you're not in the air so there are no pressure changes and you don't have to maneuver down a busy highway.
• Easy. Booking a train reservation is just as easy (if not easier) than making flight reservations. They can be booked online, over the phone or at the station. Train stations are also much easier to get through than airports as they don't have nearly as much security. You won't have to arrive 1-2 hours early to make your train.

Cons

• Time. The time it takes to get where you're going on a train is often a deal breaker. As I mentioned above, an Amtrak ticket from Orlando to Atlanta was significantly less than the price of a plane ticket, but it would take me 22 hours to get there, as opposed to an hour and a half flight. Wasting an entire day on a train is not an option for me, so shelling out the extra $90 is a must. Trains are also notoriously late. In many cases a one or two hour delay is not uncommon. According to one recent report, Amtrak's long-distance and medium-distance routes were on time 30% and 67% respectively.
• Bumpy. Train rides can be bumpy at times. If you're anything like my fiancée, you get sick when faced with repetitive motion (you can imagine how long it's been since I've been on a roller coaster). There will be quite a bit of rocking and bobbing, so be prepared.
• Crowded. Sometimes trains are very crowded. Luckily, you will have most likely reserved a seat, so you shouldn't have to stand if the train sells out, but you could be shoved in between loud, smelly or dirty people, which makes the journey very unpleasant. But remember, the same could happen on a plane.

Determining whether train travel is right for you will really all depend on where you're going. If it's a short trip between two major cities, riding the rails is a great way to go. My future mother-in-law travels by train from south Florida to see us in Orlando all the time and she absolutely loves it. She doesn't have to worry about fuel costs or keeping her eye on aggressive drivers. It's a care-free trip and she wouldn't do it any other way. However, there is clearly a difference between rail and air travel; most notably the time it takes to get where you're going. But keep in mind that traveling by air requires time too. You must show up the airport early, get through security, taxi, etc. Before making any reservations, search for both air and train tickets to see what the best deal is and to determine what kind of convenience you may have to sacrifice.
Talk about it