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Think Outside Your Travel Box (Trains)

April 8, 2018 By Alisa Always

Business Class Car on the Pacific Surfliner in San Diego

 

So, I had a conference in San Diego last month for work (a VA Disability law conference for my work with veterans). Of course, I had to add some Fun Business Travel to the trip!  I have been to San Diego several times, so decided not to extend my stay there, but to travel up to Los Angeles after the conference. One of my best friends lives in LA, and I hadn’t seen her in a while. I was planning to rent a car and fight the traffic. My wise friend, however, suggested I take the Amtrak train from San Diego to Los Angeles. GREAT IDEA, which never would have occurred to me! 

Now, being from “flyover country,” it is NEVER my first thought to take a train anywhere. I have traveled on a passenger train MAYBE 3 times in my life before this. But, I AM GAME FOR JUST ABOUT ANYTHING TRAVEL-RELATED, so I booked a seat on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner. Business Class (since it only cost an additional $17 on the day of travel).

Traveling by train was like air travel, only without so many restrictions. Boarding was simple–line up in order and carry your stuff to the train. Find a seat you like. HINT: I asked another person in the Business Class line, who regularly rides the Surfliner, for advice on where to sit. She made sure I sat on the side of the train that would see the ocean views. She also advised me which seats would face forward instead of backwards. I don’t generally get nauseous, but this was great advice.

Unlike passengers on most airlines, I had free WiFi.  Phone calls were allowed, as was texting. I didn’t have to lift my heavy bag into the overhead compartment–they had a special rack in the back of the train car for bigger suitcases. I could get up any time I wanted. Bathrooms and food were available at my whim. My Business Class ticket got me some free food, and we had an attendant who helped with bags, brought food and drink, etc. I could get used to this. And this train had awesome views!

 

After this comfortable, easy ride (which lasted almost 3 hours), I arrived in LA at Union Station. I had some time to wait for my friend to pick me up, so, because I traveled Business Class, I had access to the Amtrak lounge there. It was a little hard to find, but a great place to relax and eat some free snacks and drink some sparkling water.  It was a quiet oasis in Union Station.

My time in LA over the following four days is another fun post, but just let me say that my total transportation for this boondoggle was about $55!  Since I went to California on business and had to return from there, my flights were a business expense.  I am impressed. For a minimal amount of money, I had this maximum great experience. I am sure there are many complaints from some of you who travel Amtrak on a regular basis, but this was a rare, relaxing travel experience for me.

So, next time you need to get from one place to another, think outside your travel box. There may be an easier way to get from point A to point B, or it just may be more fun!

Alisa Always…Outside Her Travel Box

Filed Under: Affordable, California, Conference, Fun, Los Angeles, Ocean View, Planning, San Diego, Think, Train Travel Tagged With: Add On Travel, Business Class, Fun, Fun Business Travel, Fun Business Trip, Pacific Surfliner, Train Travel, Union Station

007: License to Drive

February 25, 2018 By Alisa Always

Beautiful Monaco!

 

I haven’t rented a car in Europe in a while, but years ago I rented a car there (while on a business trip, of course, I tagged on a couple of weeks for seeing Europe for the first time).  I took all the travel essentials, and took the extra step of obtaining an international driver’s license before going.

My traveling companion made fun of me for getting an international driver’s license. He had been to Europe many times and rented cars there, and never needed an international license. Still, I am a bit paranoid, it was my first visit to Europe, and I knew I was going to be driving a lot (we drove a little rental car to 8 countries in 10 days!).

Our trip was GLORIOUS. We spent most of our time in France and Germany. We drove down to Italy’s coast, to a little town called Savona.  We ate pizza and walked along the beach and stayed a night.  The next day, we drove on towards the French Riviera. To get there, we had to drive through Monaco. What a beautiful place, with windy roads.  We stopped at the beautiful casino/hotel (which has apparently been featured in several James Bond 007 movies) as we drove through, thinking it was such a nice place that we might stay THERE for the night.  After being quoted $400 for a standard room, I hopped back into the driver’s seat. We drove on.

…And I got stopped by a cop.  He came to my window and said something in French.  I had been working on my French, but was so scared in that moment that I didn’t understand a word of what he said.  I fumbled in my bag and pulled out my international driver’s license.  He looked at it, smiled and winked at me, and motioned us to drive on. Thankfully, my visions of sitting in jail in Monaco did not come to fruition (and, thinking about it in the years since, I wondered if a jail in Monaco might have been more luxurious than the place we ended up staying that night).

Do you have a story about having (or not having) an international driver’s license?

Here’s what AAA has to say about the IDL:  https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idp.html

Alisa Always…Licensed

Filed Under: Driving, Europe Tagged With: 007, AAA, Casino, Europe, International Driver's License, James Bond, License, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Traffic ticket

Meeting the Standard

February 11, 2018 By Alisa Always

When I traveled in Europe years ago on a business trip, I (of course) added some time to explore several countries by car.  It was time for some FUN BUSINESS TRAVEL!   And LOTS of driving.

At that time, the only rental car available had a standard transmission. No problem.  That little blue car took me and my companions to areas of Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, and Luxembourg.

These days, however, who knows how to drive a standard???? Luckily, I have that particular skill, though I came by it the hard way.

Do you have a “how I learned to drive a standard transmission” story? Here’s mine:

When I was about 15, my dad tried to teach me to drive his truck so I could help him feed hay to his cows in the winter. Of course, the truck had a standard transmission.  We drove around in the pasture and I was sort of getting the hang of it. However, when we stopped on a downhill slope, he got out of the truck to open a gate so we could pass through. His cows loved him (and the fact that when they saw him, he usually had food for them) and gathered round on the other side of the gate.

When I tried to slowly drive through the gate,  I accidentally shifted into 3rd gear. Not good.  The red truck moved way too quickly, and my father jumped almost in front of it, signaling me to stop.  Well, of course in the moment I couldn’t remember how to stop the darned thing!  I almost ran over him and all his cows, before finally braking just before the truck would have rolled into the creek!

He gave up trying to teach me to drive his truck after that.

I don’t think he minded that I almost ran over HIM, but almost running over his COWS was just too much! He was a REAL cowboy/farmer.

Later in life, I had to buy a new car and bought one with a STANDARD transmission because it was cheaper. I had no choice but to learn to drive with a stick shift, so I did.

In traffic. In a big city. Sweating.

I think it’s usually true that we don’t do or learn certain things unless we absolutely must!

Alisa Always…Learning!

Filed Under: Driving Tagged With: Belgium, Cows, Driving, Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Learned, Learning, Lesson, Luxembourg, Monaco, Skill, Stick Shift, Switzerland, The Netherlands

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