Car and Rail tips

Tristan Armstrong, CEO, Rocky Mountaineer. (Photo Credit: Rocky Mountaineer)

WHY IT RATES: Golf lovers have another reason to choose AVIS when booking a car rental.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.

Princess Cruises and Brightline, the intercity rail system that connects major destinations in Central and South Florida, just announced a new partnership, which has produced the groundbreaking Rail & Sail program that’s set to revolutionize travel experiences for passengers embarking from ports in the Sunshine State. 

More than a week after being inaugurated by the President of Mexico, Section 5 of the Maya Train connecting Cancun and Playa del Carmen officially debuted last week.

Amtrak has expanded its Northeast Regional service to offer more travel choices along the U.S. East Coast. This enhancement includes the introduction of four extra weekday roundtrips and two new weekend roundtrips between New York Penn Station (NYP) and Washington Union Station (WAS), along with a fresh weekday morning departure from Philadelphia’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station (PHL) to NYP. In addition, one new weekend departure now also connects PHL to Boston South Station (BOS). 

Amtrak announced a new flash sale to help travelers looking to book a rail trip save money on their adventure this spring.

Florida’s high-speed rail company, Brightline, is running a promotional sale for President’s Day weekend only, with an enticing deal for group travelers aiming to explore the Sunshine State.

Amtrak has begun using self-check in technology on a limited number of its Acela trains in the Northeast.The new process, which is accessed through the Amtrak app, allows passengers to validate their train tickets once onboard the train, The Points Guy reported.Using the app, a button displays that says “Check In” on trips where the new self check-in process is available for use.After selecting the “Check In” button on the Amtrak app, passengers will be required to scan a barcode located above their train seat in order to complete the new process.When the train’s conductor passes through a train car, they will be able to tell which passengers have already checked in and validated tickets on their own.The self check-in process became available on select Acela trains in the Northeast in December, per The Points Guy. Slowly it has expanded to additional Acela trains as well. An Amtrak spokesperson told The Points Guy that the new self check-in is being used on: "more — but not all — of our Acela trains.”

Road trips have always been an American pastime, but the nation set a new annual record for road trips in 2023, with Americans driving 3.263 trillion miles. 

A recent study found that the majority of travelers are hitting the road during the upcoming Thanksgiving and Winter Holiday travel period.

It may not seem like it amid the inflated costs of living these days, but the median price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. has actually gone down since this time last year. According to AAA’s analysis, last week’s national average price at the pump fell nine cents from the week prior to hit $3.44 a gallon. That makes it 37 cents cheaper than last month and 32 cents less than it was during same week a year ago.

United States President Joe Biden announced that Amtrak has been awarded nearly $10 billion in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funding for work along the Northeast Corridor (NEC).

Railbookers announced its Signature collection of itineraries, a series of carefully curated trips designed to enhance the traditional vacation with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Rail Europe, the leading provider of train and rail passes across Europe, is partnering with the European LGBTQIA+ Travel Alliance (ELTA) to encourage greater diversity and inclusivity in travel. 

It almost seems like an anachronism. Taking a trip by train is like something out of the past.

Mexican officials provided an update this week, saying the massive Maya Train construction project was still scheduled to debut to the public in December.

Brightline and Mears Transportation announced a partnership that will provide transportation between the Brightline Orlando Station with popular destinations such as Walt Disney World Resorts. 

Canadian rail company Rocky Mountaineer announced a new partnership with The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC).