I'm looking into taking a train from Tampa FL to Wichita Ks, how can I find info on how to do this?
I've always flown but I hate flying and now I have a 1 year old which will make the trip harder all around. There's absolutely no way he's going to stay seated in my lap or in a seat for a 5 hour flight...or even 1 hour for that matter. I'm thinking taking a train might be a good idea but how do I find out where trains run out of? What could I expect riding on a train with a toddler? I've never been on a train before and don't know how big the seats are, etc. Any help?
Other - United States - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
you can find all the info you need on amtrak.com. but trains are mind-numbingly slow.. its probably a 48hr trip at least.
2 :
Trains are great for kids... They can look and see stuff zooming by. I love trains! The Amtrak web site has lots of good info on it. I ran your itinerary just to see. check it out... Obviously the dates aren't correct but at least you get the idea.
3 :
Do you want the bad news or the really bad news first? There is no passenger rail service to Wichita, Kansas. The closest it comes is Newton, Kansas which is about 25 - 30 miles away. To travel from Tampa to Newton takes well over 2 days and your routing is Tampa to Washington D C to Chicago to Newton. You change trains twice along the way. This would be a miserable trip with a 1 year old along. The quickest flight is Northwest Airlines 881 / 5925 via Memphis at 4 hours 11 minutes. That would sure beat 2 1/2 days on a train.
4 :
I took my son on a 5 hour train ride when he was 16 months and he tried to get off at every stop. When we finally got to our stop, he refused to leave and a nice young woman carried my suitcase for me while I carried a screaming child off the train. I never did that again. I suggest you book a plane for an off day and time when there aren't a lot of people traveling and you stand a chance of getting a seat for him. Late at night when he is more likely to sleep. I flew to Hawaii from NYC with a ten month old baby, leaving at night. I nursed her and she fell asleep for most of the trip.
