Air travel was a total mess this holiday season (looking at you, Southwest). Then this week, more than 10,000 flights were delayed—with another 1,300 cancelled—thanks to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system outage.
If all that has made you swear off flying for a while, you’re in luck: Amtrak is currently offering their USA Rail Pass for $200 off the regular price, for a limited time. Here’s what to know.
How to get $200 off Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass
Broadly speaking, Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass is kind of like a road trip, in that in involves using ground transportation to travel between different locations over a set period of time.
Of course, traveling by train requires a bit more planning, sticking to some type of schedule, and being limited to cities Amtrak services, but it also means not having to stop (and pay for) gas, and, perhaps most importantly, being able to sleep along the way.
The details
The USA Rail Pass entitles you to up to 10 travel segments over a 30-day period, between more than 500 destinations. Typically the pass costs $499, but during Amtrak’s current sale, they can be purchased for as low as $299—which would amount to roughly $30 per ride.
The fine print
Naturally, there are terms and conditions galore, but if you have a flexible schedule and are able to make it work, you can see a lot of the country for a great price. Here’s what to keep in mind:
A “travel segment” occurs any time you board and disembark a train (or other scheduled Amtrak services). So, if your trip involves making one connection, you will use two segments of your pass.
You have to use the pass within 120 days of the date you purchase it—so between now and mid-May. Then, once you travel on your first segment, your pass will expire in 30 days.
Clearly, you’ll be traveling in coach class.
How and when to buy it
You can purchase the USA Rail Pass on the Amtrak website between now and Friday, January 20.