5 Reasons You Should Travel by Train

5 Reasons You Should Travel by Train

Ride the rails and reduce your carbon emissions.

By Josh Peterson

The train, as a method of travel, has a lot stacked against it. It takes substantially longer than a plane ride. Locomotives wobble like gelatin on a trampoline. Plus, some passenger train companies have gotten a needlessly bad rap. Trains, however, are better for the environment than planes or driving alone. Here are five reason to ride the rails.

The environment.

Riding a train is considerably better than riding a plane as far as the environment is concerned. It is also a form of mass transportation. A group of people traveling together significantly lowers their overall carbon footprint. If every person on the train was driving their own car, it would be bad news for the climate.

The scenery.

 I traveled by train from Omaha, Nebraska to Bakersfield, California. The trip took three days. In that time, we passed through the Rocky Mountains, Salt Lake City, Reno and Sacramento. The trains would stop at quiet Midwestern towns in the middle of the night and pick up families with mussed-haired, blanket-carrying children in tow. I saw wildlife-deer, wolves, and eagles -from the observation car. We went through caves that had been bored into the mountainside. We followed the Colorado River out of Grand Junction, Colorado. People waved at us as they fished.

The people.

 When you travel by train over a long distance, you get to know your fellow passengers. The trains have a dining tradition. If you go the dining car during meal time, you have to eat with strangers. I met a nice couple from Denver and the woman who grew the first square tomato.

Relaxation.

 When you are on a train, you can't go anywhere. You can't do anything. You can't check your emails. You can't get any bills. No one wants you to help them move or give them a ride. My phone barely worked. All I could do was drink coffee, read books and sleep. It was heaven.

Price.

 The train is substantially cheaper than a plane ticket. If you eat on the train every day, it may offset some of that savings, but if you pack some lunches—you have to do the dining car at least once—the train is a bargain.

If you would like to know more about Travel by Train leave a comment at the bottom.

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Six Tips for Dining Abroad

Six Tips for Dining Abroad

1.      How to overcome language barriers and cultural quirks when dining in a foreign country

     A couple of weeks ago I wrote about finding the best restaurants while traveling, which can be one of the most challenging yet satisfying travel conundrums. Once you've found your way into a great restaurant, it would seem like purchasing and eating food would be the most straightforward and simple human task imaginable. But between foreign-language menus and unfamiliar cultural quirks, the experience often proves just the opposite. That's because the more ingrained and routine a behavior (such as eating), the more susceptible it becomes to cultural and geographical nuances and idiosyncrasies.

Once you step inside a restaurant, it can be a world unto itself, with customs and routines that almost seem like trick questions designed to trip you up. In one Italian restaurant, patrons and staff are quiet and reserved; in another they are boisterous and outgoing. In one sushi restaurant near me, barely a word is spoken; at the sushi place across the street, the owner tells jokes and puts plastic sushi on kids' plates. (Guess which one has better food.) When you run into this kind of disparity on the road, it can feel like you're trapped in a funhouse of cultural mazes and bent mirrors -- which may or may not be fun, depending on how easily you find your way out.

Here are my tips for navigating through the twists and turns of local restaurant customs.

1. Take Stock of Your Surroundings
In some restaurants, just figuring out where to go and what to do to get your order placed can be the hardest part. If you need proof, let's review how a couple of well-known U.S. chains take orders, which won't even force us to account for language and cultural issues.

At a Subway, you get in line, then tell one person what kind of bread, meat and cheese you want; tell another person what kind of toppings you want; then tell still another person what kind of drink you want. They'll probably point to a rack located back where the line started, and send you over there to pick out your potato chips. Then you come back to the register to pay before you can finally eat. That's three or four stations just to get a sandwich!

At a Wawa, on the other hand, although it appears very similar to the Subway setup, you never really have to speak to anyone at all -- you input your order on a touch screen, and a slip of paper with your order number on it comes out, which you take over to the register to pay. Then you take your paid receipt back to the sandwich counter, and wait for your number to be yelled out and your sandwich put on top of the counter.

So we have two very different and rather complex ordering systems, and those are at high-volume chain restaurants, where you'd think it would be easy to get a sandwich. It is confusing enough if you speak the language -- imagine trying to make your way through these processes if you were from a foreign country and your English was a little shaky.

So when you find yourself stymied overseas, whether at a chain or a sit-down restaurant, my suggestion is to pause and take a good look around at how things work upon entering the restaurant. Watch the other patrons to see whether they find themselves a table, wait to be seated or head straight to the counter. If you stop to get your bearings just a bit, you are less likely to stumble your way to a nightmare meal.

2. Get By Without an English-Language Menu
Unless you are very nearly fluent in a foreign language, you are going to have trouble with a menu. While I can get by comfortably in one foreign language and fake it in at least one other, I still find myself stopped in my tracks when faced with a heap of unfamiliar nouns and adjectives. For example, "baked" vs. "grilled" vs. "fried" -- do you know the difference in your best foreign language? You might know the word for "corn," but do you know "asparagus"? And what about countless species of fish, for which names can vary by location, not only by type of fish?

In Eating Abroad: The Cultural Resonance of Food, I recounted the story of accidentally ordering "a pot of filth in its own sauce"; especially when traveling beyond the tourist trail, the risk of ordering something you really don't want is considerable and ever-present.

In this sort of situation, a phrase book can help; the Internet is even better. If you have a smartphone, you can access one of the many mobile translation sites and apps, including Google's easy-to-use Translate service. (Of course, in some cases, nothing will help: read about Deborah Fallows' attempt to get takeout, which may have had the waiter thinking she was asking for a hug.)

My suggestion: simply ask. I have found that most restaurants have a "specialty" of sorts, even if it is just pizza -- and they are happy to let you know. They want you to have a good meal, so they won't steer you wrong. Dig out your phrase book to be able to say "What is best?" or "What do you recommend?" There is no guarantee you won't be served their world-famous pot of filth -- but mine was pretty tasty all told, and certainly something to remember.

3. Get By Without Any Menu
Of course it's rare that a restaurant has no menu at all, but it can happen. For example, a daily menu scrawled on a cloudy slate in colored chalk in Euskara comes darn close. In these situations, you really are at the mercy of your restaurant hosts; hopefully they want you to have a great meal, and perhaps you should just surrender and let the waitstaff bring you what they will -- simply taking your chances can sometimes be the whole point of travel, after all.

4. Stick to What's Familiar
When in doubt, you may want to stay in familiar gastronomic waters. If you don't know the names of every fish in French, you might want to limit your options and go with what you do know -- learn the word for flounder, and stick with it.

5. Use Simple Language
At the same time that you are confounded by local menus and language, the folks who are trying to help you most likely feel the same way. Cut them and yourself a break by using simple, straightforward language. For example, I traveled to Central America on a surf trip with a guy who spoke very little Spanish, but insisted on calling every menu entry a "dish" -- so he would ask in English, "What was that dish Ed had yesterday?" Meanwhile, the waiters were scratching their heads, wondering why the guy wanted a dish -- did he want food on it too? Keep it simple and you have a better chance of being understood.

6. Relax
Particularly in popular tourist destinations, restaurant workers are very much accustomed to meeting folks from out of town. They also know almost immediately that you are not a local. I grew up near Atlantic City, NJ, and even as kids we could spot tourists and foreigners before they spoke a word. We didn't spend a whole lot of time or energy worrying about it; it was routine in the extreme.

So relax. You're not the first person to stumble into a restaurant and mangle the pronunciation of every entree, and you won't be the last. Of course you will run into impatient or just plain surly restaurant staff -- which just means that it's no different than at home. Let it ride and try to enjoy the funhouse; there is always an exit door eventually, even if it is the plane ride home.

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International Car Rental Tips

International Car Rental Tips

Requirements and tips for renting a car abroad

Need wheels for your next trip abroad? There's more to consider than driving on the "other" side of the road. From international driving permits to liability insurance, renting a car in a foreign country can be a bit more complicated than renting one at home. Here are some tips for getting a great deal, making sure you have the right documentation and driving safely while abroad.

Booking Your Car

Book in advance. Rental rates are almost always higher at the counter than they will be over the phone or online, even just 24 hours before pickup. If you have time, comparison shop. Visit the Web sites of several rental agencies and search for identical cars on your travel dates.

Whenever possible, make all car rental arrangements, from booking to payment, before you leave your home country. Doing it this way generally makes the process cheaper, easier, safer and less likely to include hidden clauses. Once you are overseas, shifting exchange rates, unfamiliar rental specs, language barriers and other cultural differences can cause unexpected problems.

Ask about weekend specials, late penalties and gas charges. Many unadvertised discounts or car rental hidden costs will not be explained at the time of rental, and it may be too late once you find out.

Ask what time a car is expected for drop-off. Many rental agencies begin charging for each 24-hour-period from the time of rental, and will bill a full day for cars returned after another 24-hour period begins.

Be aware that many countries have a minimum and maximum age for renters. Drivers under the age of 25 or over the age of 70 may face surcharges or not be permitted to rent at all.

Whenever possible, if you see an ad for a rental car special rate, clip the ad or write down the promotional code. Many of the best rates do not show up on agents' computer screens without a little prompting.

Always ask about senior citizen, AAA, credit card and frequent flier program discounts or add-on offers.

When making reservations for car rental pickups at an airport, choose a smaller car than you would typically desire. Airport fleets are often stocked with larger cars, as they are primarily used by business travelers, and you will often receive a free upgrade from a subcompact booking. Be aware, however, that European cars tend to be smaller than their American counterparts; while this might be useful if you're planning on driving on narrow country roads, it's not so great for those who are extra-tall, carrying a lot of luggage, or traveling with a family or large group. In these cases, don't take a risk -- be sure to order the size you need just in case you don't get an upgrade.

In many countries, manual transmissions are the norm and you'll have to pay a price for an automatic. If you can drive a stick shift, it could save you money and hassles. Driving overseas can often be more strenuous than what you're used to at home; roads may be poorly paved, winding, or precariously placed on a mountainside or ocean cliff. For this reason, it's often a good idea to divide up the driving -- so if not everyone can drive a manual transmission, consider looking for an automatic. Also, if you're going to a country like England or Australia, be sure everyone's comfortable with driving on the left side of the road -- it can be challenging!

International Driving Permits
If you're traveling to an English-speaking country, chances are you'll be able to get by with an American driver's license. However, many other countries will ask that you also obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP), which is basically just a piece of paper that translates your information into 10 different languages and is recognized by over 150 countries. If you are planning to rent a car abroad, you may be asked to present one along with your regular state license. You must be at least 18 years old to get an IDP.

There are two agencies in the U.S. authorized to issue IDP's: the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the National Automobile Club. Be warned that many other Web sites sell fakes -- so don't be fooled.

Be sure to get your IDP before leaving home, as it must be issued in your home country. An IDP is not a license itself, merely a translation of the license issued in your country of residence. If you are stopped by law enforcement officials abroad, you must present both your IDP and your home country's license. The only driving record you have, therefore, is within your home country, so obey the local driving rules! Any infraction or citation issued abroad will be waiting for you when you return home.

Check with the consulate or embassy of the country you're visiting to find out their policies on international drivers.

Know Before You Go
Make sure you have a realistic idea of how much you'll pay to fuel your car in the country you're visiting. Generally, drivers in the U.S. pay less at the pump than drivers in most other nations. Leave plenty of room in your budget for gas expenses.

Familiarize yourself with the local rules of the road well before you actually get into the car. Study up on such details as which side of the road to drive on, who has the right of way in a traffic circle and whether you're permitted to turn right on a red light. The best sources for this type of information are the country's consulate or embassy, or an up-to-date guidebook.

Check with your auto insurance company to see whether a rental car abroad would be covered under your current policy. Unless you're a U.S. citizen renting in Canada or Mexico, you probably won't be covered under your existing policy, so you'll need to purchase insurance from your rental car company at the time of booking. Be sure that your coverage, whatever the source, meets the foreign country's minimum coverage requirements.

Don't forget your map! Particularly if you're planning on driving extensively, the security of having a detailed road map or atlas is more than worth the price you'll pay for it. If you own a GPS, you can usually download international maps (for a fee) on your GPS provider Web site. For example, a selection of maps are available at Garmin.com and TomTom.com.

Most car rental companies offer GPS rentals, so check the GPS rental rates for your rental car before you purchase an international map from your GPS provider. Rates to rent a GPS are charged per day or per week; for a two-day car rental, you will be better off renting a GPS and paying, say, $12 per day than paying upwards of $100 for an international map download for the GPS you already own

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