In Europe, train travel is the obvious option for jaunts from Paris to Marseille or even on multi-country treks. It is the mode of choice for American backpackers and the business set alike. Yet in the U.S., we opt for time-minded air travel or the privacy of our cars. But the times they are changing. With gas hovering around $4 a gallon, the family driving vacation is no longer as economical is it once was. While escalating rates, security lines and delayed arrivals are making air travel no more attractive, each year more and more Americans are returning to the tracks, and it’s no wonder.

Crossing Borders
 Amtrak ridership is slated to pass last year’s record of 25.8 million, up to 27 million. The rail company has experienced a 28 percent increase in riders this year. A number of those riders are crossing the border to take advantage of a relationship forged between Amtrak and Canada’s passenger rail system, VIA.

These affordable options take travelers on scenic tours of the northern U.S. and drop right in Canada’s metropolitan city centers, with no need for a rental car or elaborate directions from a suburban airport.

Amtrak’s Maple Leaf route transports travelers from New York City to Toronto via upstate New York and Niagara Falls. Toronto, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, boasts the third largest theatre district after New York and London as well as a cutting-edge culinary scene that is enticing foodies everywhere.

The Adirondack travels from New York City to French Canada’s sweetheart, Montreal. The city is reminiscent of the Old World with century-old buildings, narrow cobblestoned streets, and chic little boutiques and cafes. Both routes offer the opportunity for experiencing the brilliance of fall colors and spring blooms before arriving in cities that celebrates passion daily.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Amtrak Cascades serves riders from Eugene and Portland, Ore., Seattle and the rest of the western seaboard to Vancouver, British Columbia. As host of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver offers total immersion in its vibrancy, set on the edge of spectacular nature. With a view of the Cascade Mountain Range out your window, you will wish the train trip was longer.

The Coast Starlight is one of Amtrak’s premiere trains running between Los Angeles and Seattle, featuring an onboard movie theater, arcade games for kids and afternoon wine tastings for sleeping car passengers. From Seattle, passengers can continue on to Vancouver aboard the Amtrak Cascades. The scenery along the Coast Starlight route is unsurpassed. The dramatic, snow-covered peaks of the Cascade Range and Mount Shasta, lush forests, fertile valleys and long stretches of Pacific Ocean shoreline provide a stunning backdrop for the journey.

All of these destinations can serve as a starting point to discover more of Canada with VIA Rail. Montreal has easy access to the rest of Quebec and eastward to Canada’s Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Toronto, on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, is the open door to the rest of Ontario. Vancouver is a gateway to western Canada, including British Columbia. Heading east into Alberta finds the beautiful national parks of Banff and Jasper. VIA Rail offers fantastic service from coast to coast, including its first-class service on VIA 1 between Toronto and Quebec City. Amtrak Vacations can organize entire rail journeys utilizing both Amtrak and VIA Rail.

On the Road
Trains may have replaced the stagecoach, but they have become no less relevant in the 100-plus years since the first engine chugged a load of cargo and passengers westward.

One of the best kept secrets in the travel business is that Canada is accessible by train—and that Amtrak, the official and only national passenger railroad in the U.S., works hand in hand with VIA Rail—the official and only national passenger railroad in Canada. The result is a seamless ride over the border on an Amtrak train into Canada.

Amtrak Vacations gets you out to see the real America and Canada, the parts of it not often dwelt upon long enough to reveal their true worth. The idea— copied loosely off the format for a cruise ship—is simple. Amtrak has customized multicity rail journeys varying in length from nine to 14 days and hitting such cities as Montreal; Portland, Maine; Los Angeles and the spaces in between. More than 40 vacations packages to major cities and popular destinations throughout the U.S. and Canada are offered.

Practically all-inclusive, the price of an Amtrak Vacation ticket includes reservations in a sleeper on board the train; meals on the train and at various destinations along the way; hotel rooms at stops en route; and tours and meals at each of these stops. Travelers may depart on any day of the week and can upgrade accommodations on the train or at the destinations or cut back to save some cash. The trips are completely customizable as well, allowing travelers to extend stays at certain destinations and skipping others should they so choose.

All Aboard
The difference between taking a train and taking a plane can be felt even before boarding. Baggage checkers are happy to store luggage when travelers explore sites along the way. They often serve as a concierge, offering helpful tips on finding good restaurants and navigating in a strange locale, presenting something I had forgotten existed en route to a destination—customer service.

“Your vacation begins once you step on the train,” said Thom Johnson, a passenger on board the Empire Builder (the train that travels from Chicago to Seattle).

The best part of taking the train is definitely the windows—perfect for clearing the mind without having to worry about taking a wrong turn. You realize even the oft-overlooked yellow plains are something worth pondering.

A train ride also serves as a reminder that it was the railroads that developed the West. Constructing the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s led to the development of towns at depot stations, shipping people and products and employing thousands of workers year in and out.

Happy Trails
Somehow, everyone seems happier while traveling by train. Already relaxed, couples mix and mingle in the lounge car, linger over a meal with almost-perfect strangers in the dining car and curl up with the latest James Patterson tome in the coach cars—even and especially in coach. The seating here is more than twice that of the nearest comparable airplane. Each row seats four across—two on each side—and chairs recline to nearly horizontal.

In the sleeper cars with all variety of rooms, think transformers. Roomettes seat two with chairs that fold into bunk beds. Bedrooms have a couch and a private toilet and shower with a foldout double bed fitted below a single bunk. Family rooms convert to sleep up to four, and wheelchair-accessible rooms promise to accommodate anyone and everyone.

Perhaps the greatest assets of the sleeping car are the attendants. There to assist with travel and transport, hoisting luggage on and off the train, providing beverage service and a wake-up call, the attendants are the heart of Amtrak’s service. They bring the personality of train travel to life.

Likely expecting something akin to reheated airport food in the dining car, passengers will leave impressed. Amtrak actually employs a chef and serves a modest assortment of entree options: steak, game hen, market fish and vegetarian lasagna—all finely prepared. Meals are the best time to make acquaintances, and everyone seems eager to hear and exchange elaborate yarns with each other. Questions such as “Where are you from?” and “Where are you going?” serve to open conversations, giving the rare opportunity to converse with someone from a different part of the continent.  On trains that do not have sleeper car service, Amtrak offers a lounge car or cafe car. Each of these cars offer sandwiches, snacks and beverages to passengers.

Riding the Rails
Amtrak Vacations rail packages combine the best of the United States and Canada: great cities, natural wonders and rolling countryside. This is arguably the best way to see North America. (Think of the distance you can travel without having to stop for gas.) While Americans still get around primarily by personal automobile, these major metropolises are easily navigable using public transportation or by walking, and all the national parks have systems of shuttles taking visitors to trailheads, lodges and lakes.

Among planes, trains and automobiles, the train is poised for a comeback. Amtrak Vacations are just a few of thousands of ways to get from point A to B following a track. With both Amtrak here in the U.S. and VIA Rail in Canada, expect to be impressed.

To book your Amtrak Vacations rail package, contact your AAA Travel agent or www.AAA.com/travel.

Lainey R. Seyler is assistant editor of Home & Away.