SIENA, ITALY–Fifty-plus years ago, the gag definition of “mixed emotions” was watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your brand new car. I’ve got a new one: “Mixed emotions is traveling from Tirano to Siena on three different trains and comparing that experience to Amtrak.” Each of those Italian trains departed and…
I really enjoy planning my vacation travel. In fact, that’s true for all my travels, whether they’re for NARP business or for pleasure. I’ve got the Amtrak drill pretty much down cold by now—best choice of routes, when to make connections and when to play it safe and lay over. But train travel in…
When something goes wrong with my travel plans, it’s usually that guy in the mirror who screwed it up. I’d guess that’s true for most us who choose to make our own travel arrangements. Things sometimes go wrong if we venture into unfamiliar waters. For instance, people making their own reservations for long-distance train…
If you had asked me eight or ten years ago if I would ever take the Trans-Siberian Express, I probably would have said, “Probably not.” Still, that classic ride had been on my to-do list for years. Something happened five or six years ago that changed my thinking. I guess I realized one day —…