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twunkscientist t1_ir3f3b0 wrote

If you can book 2-3 weeks in advance, Amtrak is only like $35 one way to Trenton NJ, a bit more for NY, a but less for Philly

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budgethell t1_ir3fvge wrote

Book well ahead of time to save some money, but yeah it's basically Megabus or Amtrak.

....unless you want to rent a car....

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Legal_Investor t1_ir3gibr wrote

Amtrak if it’s on the line and you don’t need transportation when you get there. I also regularly rent cars for trips out of town

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Aubergine911 t1_ir3h6z7 wrote

What’s your favorite way to travel, no not these two very popular ways. Idk man you want to swim the Potomac to Mount Vernon?

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celj1234 t1_ir3hahn wrote

Amtrak NYC. Flight to Miami

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PlaidArgyle t1_ir3i35b wrote

I went to Richmond a few weeks ago for $20 roundtrip via Amtrak. I bought like 2 months in advance though.

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pomegranatecloud t1_ir3kucj wrote

Amtrak or fly. Amtrak is cheap if you book far enough in advance.

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No-Lunch4249 t1_ir3lu75 wrote

Amtrak, best deals are buying a few months in advance.

The Northeast Regional is amtraks best on-time performing route nationally, and DC is also a major hub for trains headed to the south and upper Midwest. Tons of great options to pick from

Edit to add: you say Amtrak is more expensive but it’s not really. The way they structure ticket prices is the fewer available seats, the higher the price, very similar to what airlines do.

I travelled to Philadelphia, 2 people, round trip, for $64 recently. Hard to find any means of traveling that far cheaper than $16/person/trip. But I bought the tickets like 2 months before the trip, that’s what you gotta do to get the good deals.

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donmccurdy t1_ir3mbay wrote

Replying to hms_poopsock (#33,151)

If you're not confident about doing the trip both ways, a good compromise would be a one-way Amtrak ticket, 4pm Friday from DC to Harper's Ferry ($14 ticket + $20 bike pass). Spend Friday night and Saturday in Harper's Ferry hotels or hiker/biker camping, then ride back to DC on Sunday. A 60mi ride but it's completely flat and slightly downhill.

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No-Lunch4249 t1_ir3mqbo wrote

Replying to veloharris (#33,154)

Nah I don’t think so. Just checked and the prices are basically the same as ever. They charge more as more tickets on the train get sold, so if you book last minute you pay a premium, same as you would for a bus or airline.

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aafdttp2137 t1_ir3oa2s wrote

The Jet is a luxury bus that goes to NYC. I’ve never taken it, but some of my friends have, and it’s apparently suuuuper nice

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eatwearnest t1_ir3p7ov wrote

Replying to No-Lunch4249 (#33,468)

Ditto. You have to book two weeks out. DC to Philly on Amtrak usually runs $19 to $50 on the Northeast Regional. I go to Philly pretty regularly. Y’all must be booking the Acela train lol

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weirdfish1995 t1_ir3rlun wrote

I went to Boston on an overnight Amtrak for $35 each way because I booked a month in advance, and I’m pretty sure that train goes through NYC and Philly

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sahlos t1_ir46cwy wrote

Honestly you can get lucky on flights to Vegas and Miami.

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gypsysniper9 t1_ir495ue wrote

Southwest on a sale for $60 a leg out of DCA

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postdarknessrunaway t1_ir4ac1z wrote

Try BestBus too. It's a semi-luxury bus with prices about $40 one-way but it was really comfortable when I used to take it semi-regularly. Haven't been since the pandemic.

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ThrowawayMHDP t1_ir4cfbn wrote

Amtrak is more expensive than bus but trains have the right of way and will not be stuck in traffic like buses. Also the ride is more comfortable with a lot of legroom, multiple restrooms and a cafe car.

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Tagga25 t1_ir4j4he wrote

Wanderu….gotobus…megabus….Amtrak

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Reasons2BCheerfulPt1 t1_ir4jac4 wrote

Amtrak, but buy tickets well in advance to grab the cheapest price.

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Reasons2BCheerfulPt1 t1_ir4ji18 wrote

Replying to veloharris (#33,154)

I do notice they raised the price to take your dog — for which they really don’t do anything than sell tickets for only a limited number of dogs, from $25-$35 or more. But I have not seen an increase in seat prices.

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Birdytaps t1_ir4pq60 wrote

Replying to donmccurdy (#33,450)

Asterisk for the unaware: the Penn line runs on weekends but the Brunswick line doesn’t, so this trip couldn’t be done in reverse unless planning to use Amtrak instead (can’t bike to HF on Friday and then plan to Marc back)

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Birdytaps t1_ir4q8og wrote

Southwest’s sale fares to ATL were like $160 round trip (last checked 2019) so I set aside $350, got tickets during the sale, flew down at 6am on a Saturday, got to the Georgia Aquarium as soon as it opened, had lunch, went to a brewery, and flew home the same day on a 5:30 or 6:30pm flight. Best day trip I’ve ever taken, to me it was 100pct worth saving for; the aquarium is world class

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AdvisorSuspicious915 t1_ir4sxa9 wrote

You can take the MARC train from DC to Baltimore for I think $8 each way

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dadonnel t1_ir4ukca wrote

Took a trip to Leesburg once by metroing out to Reston, then taking a gwu Virginia science and technology shuttle to Ashburn, then like a 10 minute Uber. Was a bit complex but got us out there pretty cheap.

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mourkat t1_ir4vm0l wrote

To NYC, Vamoose bus was always my go-to.

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foxy-coxy t1_ir4vrzj wrote

Amtrak is cheap if you book in advance. It's also faster and more comfortable than driving.

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scene_missing t1_ir4wptb wrote

Amtrak to Philly and NYC. Easy peasy.

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JustaLilGain t1_ir545kz wrote

Marc train to Frederick or Acela to nyc. The cheapest option is vanmoose bus.

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Pencil_bun t1_ir566ga wrote

Amtrak is a bit pricey, but it is so damn civilized. Better by far than dealing with the airport, and much more comfortable than the bus.

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SuperDuperSmackd78 t1_ir59iy7 wrote

Amtrack though it takes longer, the views and folks you meet on the train are awesome

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scheenermann t1_ir5auck wrote

Replying to Worldtravelerec (#33,182)

Keep your eyes open. Sometimes flights can be really cheap, especially outside peak travel seasons. I did an actual day trip by plane to Cleveland for like $60 round-trip earlier this year.

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No-Lunch4249 t1_ir5ok71 wrote

Replying to thekingoftherodeo (#36,683)

Idk if I totally agree. Yes the cheapest seats start to evaporate a month or so out, definitely agree there.

But looking at this Saturday, there are some 1-way NER tickets from DC Union to NY Penn for $82 still available. Super quick google flights search shows the only airlines that can even come close to matching that involve weird connects/layovers. Plus Amtrak is more comfortable and you can avoid the TSA anal probe.

For last second impromptu trips, I think the bus becomes the real competitor, not flights.

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foxy-coxy t1_ir6zrea wrote

Replying to CaptainObvious110 (#38,934)

Amtrak has a limited number of cheap tickets, $30 to NYC, $20 to Philly, each way. So It depends on how popular your travel date and time is. The earlier you can book the better but I can usually still find the cheap tickets one month out but any later than it gets dicey.

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sagarnola89 t1_ir79rnd wrote

I've done dozens of weekend trips by bus and train. Amtrak goes all over in both directions (Philly. Baltimore, NYC, Wilmington, Richmond, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, Harpers Ferry, etc). Flix Bus and Megabus are also good options and I've met some really interesting international travelers, especially on the Flix Bus. Annapolis is $5 every day on the Flix Bus. VA Breeze gets you to tons of Virginia towns (Lexington, Blacksburg, Roanoke, etc) and runs every day. Lots of options!

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OCDC21 t1_ircclnm wrote

ZipCar is always an option. You need a membership, but if you split the cost of the car with friends it may end up cheaper than Amtrak tickets, depending on how long your trip is

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