Can You REALLY Travel Across the Country on Amtrak For $213?

Updated on Jan 7, 2017 at 2:45 PM

Have you seen it yet? There's a blog post going viral about a man, Derek Low, who traveled across the country on Amtrak for $213. Well, I made my way across America by Amtrak too, and I have some realities to reveal about Low's experience. While I agree with some of his claims, I also disagree with a few. Keep reading to find out what is really going to happen if you take this trip.

You cannot snag a cross-country ticket for $213.

Right now, if you leave Emeryville (right outside of San Francisco) to head to New York City, the cost of an Amtrak ticket is $291. And that's just for a single coach seat, which I do not recommend. This is a four-day-long trip, so if you can get a Superliner Roomette for more money, it's so worth it. Can you imagine sleeping in a chair for three nights in a row? That's pretty rough. In a roomette, you get fold-out bunk beds that will make your stay so much more enjoyable. A peek into what a roomette looks like before the beds are put down is pictured here.

He said the food actually is pretty good, and we agree.

We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining car while traveling. Low praised his rack of ribs and bacon cheeseburger — I have to agree that the food was really good, especially for being cooked on a moving train!

I also agree that the Amtrak seating arrangements in the dining car are quite an adventure. There is community seating so that the train can accommodate every passenger. That means you often sit across the table from strangers. It's awesome to hear the stories behind why people are traveling and where they are coming from. Sometimes you sit next to very talkative people, and other times you are with silent booth buddies.

The views are great, but not for long.

Low talks about all the beautiful views he sees on his journey, but you will notice that he stops discussing them after passing Nevada. The West Coast views are beautiful, but in my experience, looking outside was pretty rough after stopping in Denver. From there to Chicago, we saw nothing but barren land.

You should bring lots of things to do, because service is very spotty.

When Low is traveling, he often mentions using his computer. Unfortunately, I didn't have any internet or phone service for the majority of the trip. I brought travel-size games, cards, magazines, and books. And I used just about everything I had at one point or another. If you think you have brought too many things to do, you haven't — being on a train for almost four days is a long time!

Overall, the experience is amazing and one you will never forget. Just make sure you do all your research so you are truly prepared for such a big journey!