A vacation by train is a great way for grandparents to travel with their grandchildren. Train travel can fulfill some of a traveling family's most important needs for an exciting, yet relaxing vacation.
To encourage more grandparents and their grandchildren to take advantage of train travel, Amtrak offers discount senior and child fares year-round, air/rail packages and special vacation bargains. For more information call Amtrak at (800) USA-RAIL or visit them on the web Amtrak .
Without the pressure of driving, grandparents can start their vacation right away, explains family travel authority Candyce Stapen, author of family travel guides. On a train, even before you arrive at your destination, she says, you can enjoy quality time. You don't have to worry about traffic or getting lost, so you have more energy to be with the kids, she explains, adding, "Children can move around on a train, visit the lounge car, even find other children to play with, so they're happy."
These advantages of train vacationing were recently reported by the U.S. Travel Data Center:
**Seeing or learning something new (42 percent of vacationers seek this).
**Avoiding road construction and traffic (31 percent).
**Not having to deal with bored children (24 percent).
**Enjoying time with and without children (22 percent).
**Not getting lost (23 percent).
**Meeting interesting people (10 percent).
**Not having to look for places to eat or to sleep (14 percent).
**Having someone else deal with traffic (7 percent).
