- Joined
- Jul 16, 2010
- Messages
- 4,887
I know I probably can't afford it but I have always dreamed, for our 50th Anniversary next year, of taking a private car trip to El Paso or Albuquerque from Atlanta.
We could easily get down to ATL (in the car or on our own) where our son, D-I-L and 2 grandkids would get on) board then on to Birmingham where our other son and D-I-L would board) to NOL. We would then attach to the Sunset Limited to El Paso. We'd like to spend a week traveling (sans train) in NM where we got married and the kids grew up then return. Even a one-way (either way) with the other way being in Amtrak rooms would be acceptable.
We'd need 4 bedrooms (3 couples, 11 y/o and 3 y/o) with meals and everything included. It would be a trip of a lifetime but then again, 50 years of marriage is something a lot fewer people accomplish these days.
We've never done a real private car trip before and I have no idea what I am looking at for cost. I assume that the cost wold include use of the car, food, a person to cook (we don't need a gourmet chef) and clean up, the cost of linen and cleaning services afterwards, mileage and transfer charges by Amtrak, tipping the person(s) who are with us, pay for their time, profit for the owner and getting the car to/from Atlanta back to home station and paying for car (even without us) to return from El Paso.
Since ATL and Birmingham are both daytime to NOL, we could even all take Amtrak there then meet the private car on the Sunset Limited. This would eliminate meeting the car in ATL, an extra train and having to pay for the overnight cost of keeping the car powered in NOL.
I would assume El Paso would be a lot cheaper than Albuquerque because that trip has a lot more miles plus another train (ATL-NOL-CHI-ABQ on the Crescent, CONO, SWC or ATL-WAS-CHI-ABQ (Crescent, Capitol Limited or Cardinal, SWC).
Could anyone give me an idea of what this would cost?
We could easily get down to ATL (in the car or on our own) where our son, D-I-L and 2 grandkids would get on) board then on to Birmingham where our other son and D-I-L would board) to NOL. We would then attach to the Sunset Limited to El Paso. We'd like to spend a week traveling (sans train) in NM where we got married and the kids grew up then return. Even a one-way (either way) with the other way being in Amtrak rooms would be acceptable.
We'd need 4 bedrooms (3 couples, 11 y/o and 3 y/o) with meals and everything included. It would be a trip of a lifetime but then again, 50 years of marriage is something a lot fewer people accomplish these days.
We've never done a real private car trip before and I have no idea what I am looking at for cost. I assume that the cost wold include use of the car, food, a person to cook (we don't need a gourmet chef) and clean up, the cost of linen and cleaning services afterwards, mileage and transfer charges by Amtrak, tipping the person(s) who are with us, pay for their time, profit for the owner and getting the car to/from Atlanta back to home station and paying for car (even without us) to return from El Paso.
Since ATL and Birmingham are both daytime to NOL, we could even all take Amtrak there then meet the private car on the Sunset Limited. This would eliminate meeting the car in ATL, an extra train and having to pay for the overnight cost of keeping the car powered in NOL.
I would assume El Paso would be a lot cheaper than Albuquerque because that trip has a lot more miles plus another train (ATL-NOL-CHI-ABQ on the Crescent, CONO, SWC or ATL-WAS-CHI-ABQ (Crescent, Capitol Limited or Cardinal, SWC).
Could anyone give me an idea of what this would cost?