[RichieLion]

Originally Posted by skyguy79

Richie, if you're getting tired of the 18 hour drive to N.J., why do you continue doing it when it's not necessary? You don't need to do the drive or fly as you have a third choice... Amtrak's Auto Train!

If you had reservations and left TV this morning you would only have to take a relatively short drive to Sanford FL where they would board your vehicle onto one of their car carriers and you board either into a sleeping room or electively a coach seat. This afternoon you would have been on your way north and arrive tomorrow morning in Lorton VA, just south of the Washington Beltway.

From Lorton you would then drive to the destination of your relatives in NJ and be enjoying their company later that evening. You would have cut off about 800+ miles of driving and not have undergone the 18 hour drive.

If you decide to try going that route sometime in the future you should note that they have what's called a bucket system of determining rates. This means that the earler you get your reservations in, the better the rates can be. You can make reservations up to 11 months in advance.

We'll actually be doing the Auto Train thing for the fourth time in less than 3 weeks, making our way back to our primary home in Upstate NY.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...=1241245666320

Thanks Skyguy. I'll check it again the next time I need to go up north. It was a bit expensive the last time I checked, but with the price of fuel, I'll reevaluate it.