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It really depends on when you want to try to use it. Rail pass customers don't get a "guaranteed" seat till they arrive at the station and check in. Amtrak never gives you an assigned seat like the airlines do--- it's first come, first served--- but a guaranteed seat for the 1:00 train to Boston means there will definitely be a seat for you somewhere in the train. During peak travel times around holidays, they may have already sold all of the seats on the train by the time you get there. If you're trying to use the rail pass between Thanksgiving and New Years, it's pretty hard to get a seat so your pass is pretty unhelpful. Other times of the year, it's a great deal. Memorial Day, Labor Day and the 4th of July are also really heavy Amtrak travel dates.

The Richmond-Boston line which also goes through DC and NYC is always a very full train so if you want to travel through those cities, no matter what time of year, plan your schedule to try and get on the nighttime trains.

Read the fine print. The only "hitch" I can think of is that the seats are not reserved - it's space-available.

I think it's a great deal, but plan on staying at a hotel or staying with friends every few days so you can clean up, do laundry, get a decent meal, etc. Living on a train for all of those 30 days could be a real "experience".

It sounds like a good deal to me. If I had a 30 day period that I wanted to travel in that would be good to go anyplace that I wanted. I could plan a super cool trip and not have to drive, get food and drinks while traveling. Sounds like a deal to me.

what's a shuttle phase? Amtrak considers a shuttle phase any time you get on and then get off a motorcar (practice, bus, ferry or different allowable leg) inspite of length. celebration a million because we do not have an instantaneous route from Washington, DC to Oklahoma, city, ok, you may want to experience the Capitol restricted practice from Washington to Chicago (phase a million), then experience the Texas Eagle practice from Chicago to fortress nicely worth (phase 2) and ultimately experience the Heartland Flyer practice from fortress nicely worth to Oklahoma, city (phase 3). This adventure from Washington to Oklahoma city might want to apply 3 of your allowable segments. celebration 2 To shuttle from Spokane, WA to Portland OR, you may want to experience the Empire Builder practice on to Portland utilizing 1 phase or you may want to experience the Empire Builder practice to Seattle (phase a million) and then experience the Amtrak Cascades practice from Seattle to Portland (phase 2). both journeys take you to Portland yet use a diverse sort of your allowable segments. each phase booked counts in the route of the full allowable sort of segments authorised for the bypass.

sounds like a good deal but if you want a sleeper that will

cost extra, and there are some trains you dont need reservations for (mostly on the West coast)

It is a good deal if you want to do a lot of sightseeing and travel

the entire nation...