new to the travel bug, outside of my three times a year travel to Alaska and back to Texas. After teaching six years in the Alaska bush and saving money for retirement like nobody's business, I have finally figured out what I plan to do next. All of the flying on little planes in rural Alaska has made me realize I am pretty good at roughing it. Coached cross-country this year and the middle school boys won district! Go wolves! I made the boys and girls yell at the end of every practice and it was loads of fun.
We traveled to two villages and the big town. I look pretty old and at one of the villages the host principal looked at me and asked if I brought an air mattress and I said "nope, it's only one night, don't need it". He couldn't believe it, but I did just fine with only a sleeping bag on a hard classroom floor.
I'm the same guy that is cheap enough to refuse to pay for a night in a motel in the summer in Anchorage. This summer I was on my way up here to my local village, and chose to rent a car instead of getting a night in a motel. I did the usual grocery shopping like a crazy man during the day and spent the night in a grocery store parking lot in the rent-a-car. Worked like a charm with the exception of a street sweeper that woke me up at about 2:00 a.m.
So, I am going to travel in the roughest way possible the Amtrak. Found a website, a couple that are frequent Amtrak riders. My first summer I will travel without the wife, because she is a stick in the mud, and I plan to find the lay of the land without her the first year. Will buy the USA Rail pass, which is good for 30 days. 10 segments. Regular price is $500, and the travel couple claim it goes on sale about once or twice a year. Best thing of all is Amtrak allows unlimited food to be brought onto the train. They had a funny story the other day about some industrious Boy Scouts getting a pizza ordered to the train station as they were traveling. The USA Rail pass is only for coach.
Anybody have any experience with the Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard?
The travel couple claim they recently bought roomettes for their entire year. They say they paid retail price for 2 roomettes and got 5 roomettes free.
I finally cashed in on my frequent Alaska points this year, and got the new credit card with 62,000 points. I immediately bought my trips for the year with the points and am still building points. I can use the remainder of my Alaska points to fly to a good starting point for a train trip, like Chicago.
If this works like I hope, the summer of 24 will help me get closer to my 50 states goal. I want to "save the best for last" by making North Dakota my last state to visit. I won't make it in 24, but maybe 25. I just need to make sure I stay out of North Dakota before then. Should be pretty easily accomplished.