I've taken the Amtrak Auto Train, where you take your car with you, over a dozen times. It's great for overpackers who want to reduce driving time.

• The Auto Train is simply a nonstop Amtrak route betwixt Virginia and Florida. 
• Passengers must bring their ain vehicle, which is loaded onto nan train to make nan travel pinch them.
• I bask nan Auto Train — it's a awesome measurement to prevention astir 900 miles of driving connected engaged highways.

Although I don't peculiarly mind driving and bask a bully roadworthy trip, I for illustration to debar congested highways (such arsenic I-95) and emotion immoderate opportunity to recreation by train.

So it's not astonishing that I'm a large instrumentality of nan Auto Train, an Amtrak way dissimilar immoderate other. 

It travels betwixt 2 circumstantial locations, pinch nary stops successful betwixt and passengers return their cars aliases different vehicles on for nan ride. Passengers committee nan Auto Train astatine either Lorton, Virginia (just extracurricular of Washington, DC) aliases Sanford, Florida (near Orlando) and must return a conveyance pinch them (it tin beryllium a car, van, SUV, motorcycle, etc.).

At nan train station, each vehicles are loaded onto one of dozens of enclosed auto-carrier cars. It's awesome to watch nan unit negociate to support things flowing smoothly and get each nan vehicles loaded successful a comparatively short time. 

I've taken nan Auto Train galore times complete nan years — often accompanied by respective children — and I've really enjoyed it.

The Auto Train is awesome for families and dense packers who want to debar driving excessively overmuch connected their trip

I bask nan convenience of being capable to relax and return successful nan scenery while sometimes avoiding astir 900 miles of driving. My family members for illustration it, too. 

I besides for illustration that we tin get astatine our destination rested astatine nan commencement of nan time without having to woody pinch nan hassle of getting a rental car. This is particularly important if you're going connected picnic and want to deed nan crushed moving to make nan astir of your time. 

The Auto Train is besides bully if you've sewage a batch to transport. When you recreation by air, nan magnitude of luggage you tin return pinch you is constricted unless you want to salary pricey fees. By contrast, erstwhile you recreation by Auto Train, you tin bring arsenic overmuch worldly arsenic you tin compression into your vehicle. 

Last year, we moved nan contents of a mini flat by cautiously arranging astir items Tetris-style into nan backmost of a pickup motortruck and stuffing nan remainder into each disposable inch of a four-door sedan. 

I propose booking your seats early if you want to effort nan Auto Train

Booking an Auto Train travel is for illustration booking a flight, successful that rates alteration depending connected nan time and nan request astatine that peculiar time. Booking early is simply a wise move, arsenic I've recovered rates thin to spell up arsenic nan departure day gets closer.

It's besides important to statement that this way is very celebrated pinch immoderate "snowbirds" who unrecorded successful nan bluish regions of nan US aliases Canada and caput to Florida for nan wintertime to flight acold weather. You're apt to find amended deals and less crowds if you debar walking conscionable earlier aliases aft snowbird season, which is astir October done April.

Also, successful my experience, southbound trains successful November and December aliases northbound trains from February done early outpouring tin get rather crowded. 

I've ever traveled by coach, wherever you beryllium successful a spot successful either nan little aliases precocious level of a rider car, but you tin besides salary other for a roomette, chamber suite, aliases family chamber if you want a much backstage and comfortable abstraction each to yourself.

Overall, if you're readying to travel to aliases from Florida successful nan adjacent early and would for illustration to debar spending clip down nan wheel, I'd decidedly urge trying nan Auto Train.

This communicative was primitively published connected September 6, 2023, and astir precocious updated connected October 30, 2024.