Inexpensive Regional Travel Options
UPDATE: In the comments a discussion about rail in California and Europe develops.
This holiday season I documented some of my cost-savings methods related to travel which is a favorite topic of mine. Now that the holiday season is finally drawing to a close here is an article about one of my very inexpensive holiday journeys (day trips). At Queercents we have previously discussed the theme of managing without a car but the discussions focused on in-town travel. This post covers regional travel for those who make the commitment to live with out a car.
On Facebook of all places my fifty-something cousin contacted me about joining that branch of the family in Rockford, Illinois for Thanksgiving dinner. Rockford is only just over an hour away by a car, to far to walk of course, and at that point I had decided not to go out of town in order to conserve on the travel budget (rental plus fuel).
She swiftly offered her assistance by reimbursing me for the bus or even traveling the 1.25 hour trip up to Madison to pick me up and bring be back for the day. It is very sweet that family from my parent’s generation, who aren’t even my parents, still offer me (a 27 year old entrepreneur and last semester law student) cash at the holidays.
Of course! The bus! How could I have not even considered it? A day and eighteen dollars later I had my round trip ticket vouchers for Thanksgiving day from Madison to Rockford and back. In addition to a happy time with the family I’ve discovered a new world of affordable regional travel. It occurs to me that even folks who maintain their own vehicles might realize some savings by utilizing regional travel options. And there is another bonus: I’m reducing my environmental impact — which we’ve already shown to have benefits for the pocket book besides.
Here is a quick rundown of some of the options available for folks in Madison, WI. O’Hare Airport $26 one-way. Rockford Airport $17 one-way. Minneapolis/St. Paul $36 one-way. Milwaukee $17 one-way or a ten pack of for $125. If you are a student prices get even lower. The regional bus companies providing these options are different from the more well-known Greyhound Lines option. I traveled Greyhound once. I got where I was going. The accommodations were less than very comfortable really.
The Thanksgiving trip on Van Galder Bus Lines involves a well-appointed, well-kept, roomy, and uncrowned coach bus. I suspect, though I have no basis for the suspicion, that other regional transportation carriers provide comfortable experiences similar to Van Galder Lines.
Until recently I never really felt I had much to compete with my east coast friends who rave about the train services. Any Queercents readers out there take advantage of regional travel that involved bus or train lines instead of car this past holiday season?
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Here is a photo of my travel companions on our way to southern France.
Here are two more to check out:
http://www.skybus.com
http://www.megabus.com
These probably wouldn’t have helped with your particular travel plans, but for somebody they might be good options.
I’ve been on my own since I was 18 and in the 6 years since then, I haven’t even considered buying a car. I get to work, rehearsals, and social events using the bus, and occasionally getting a ride with a friend. Whenever I visit home, I take the regional bus line as it’s only a 5-hour ride. Though, I also have a cousin who works for the bus line and I can take advantage of discounts, but I would be using the service regardless. I’ve found public transportation and regional bus lines to be acceptable, if sometime inconvenient, ways to get where I’m going. The majority of the time when it’s not an issue makes up for the more difficult experiences.
Mary: Thanks for the comment and suggestion. I liked Skybus. They have an easy to navigate website which is much more user friendly that the regional bus line websites here in the upper mid-west. Skybus also covers a larger range — its practically national. Megabus looks pretty good too. Alas, the closest either option gets to Madison, WI is Milwaukee.
Justen: I’ve been on my own since 18 as well. I moved out ten days after by 18th birthday. I could get out of the house fast enough. I did however have a car for a while. It was one of those ‘bargains.’ I think I spent more on repairs in the 1.5 years of owning it that I spent on buying it. Ugg.
Adam: Every time that Jeanine and I head up towards the central coast of California, we always threaten to try Amtrak. We’ve yet to do it. In theory it sounds quaint, but then our car-driving, Los Angeles-living selves take over and we’re somehow okay with being stuck in Friday night rush hour.
LA just had the mass transit funding conference, “It’s Time to Move L.A.!” to proposed raising the sales tax a half cent to pay for the subway to the sea. Hmmm… while many people support it, Angelinos still love and prefer their cars.
As it happens, I spent my holidays in Europe, since I am “stuck” here studying abroad. I have quite successfully used regional transportation, getting from Nürnberg, German, to Budapest, to Prague, and then back. Regional airlines abound, and let’s not forget the German train system. More interestingly is the abundance of bus lines in former Eastern Block countries, where trains are in disrepair and don’t go to nearly enough places. Even when a train is available, the buses tend to be half as expensive as a train ticket, presumably for the vastly inferior overhead. I still prefer a train to a bus, however: more leg room, a chance to get up and walk around, and theoretically less of an environmental impact. But one has to be able to rely on the punctuality of your transportation provider, and my days of using the train may fade with my move back to the States.
I’m sold on regional transport, though! No car payments, no gas…
-Nick
Nina: Amtrak across California sounds dreamy. I bet the scenery is gorgeous!
Nick: On my last trip to Europe I took a TGV to southern France from Paris. We were carrying the cremated remains of a friend for a memorial service there. The ‘extra passenger’ caused us to travel first class. It was my first first-class european train experience. The sentiment of the moment, the scenery, and experience first-class European rails for the first time combined to make for an experience that was just short of magical.
All: On the PF side of the discussion I recall thinking the first-class price was not much more than the standard fare. Recommendation: When in Europe take advantage of the budget regional travel options but if you get a chance take one of your legs first-class as a way to cheaply spoil yourself.
I think I’ll add a photo of the train to the main article…
Rockford’s always been a real problem for me as far as mass transit, so I’m glad that Van Galder was able to cover the I-39 route for you! I lived in St. Louis for several years, and that didn’t work out nearly so smoothly.
Amtrak is great; I’ve taken it to Chicago before (time commitment same as driving, rail sale same price as gas, and I didn’t have to pay parking), but it doesn’t go to Rockford: I’d have to add the price of a bus ticket or car rental back in. I really wish Metra would expand out to Winnebago County (which has a fairly substantial population of a quarter million); even though it’s two hours from downtown and in a different area code, it’s in the early stages of becoming part of the Chicago exurbs.
I’ve been on Van Galder charters, but again, they doesn’t go to St. Louis. A contributing factor to my keeping a car while I lived in St. Louis was that the five hour drive to Rockford was 25 hours by Greyhound, and I had a seven-year old sister still in Rockford at the time.
The passenger airlines pulled out of Rockford a while back (within a few years after UPS putting a big facility there, I think), and I don’t know if anyone useful has gotten back in there.
Some people say that railway development is one of the reasons Chicago eclipsed St. Louis, which had a huge head start on the Windy City. I wish Rockfordians would take that lesson to heart.