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May 2008
Are gas costs driving you to rethink train travel?
Is there a tipping point that could put you on the rails for your next trip?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The British love their trains so much they created a hobby out of “trainspotting”. Europeans and the Japanese have high-speed rails to dart their riders from one city to the next. While train travel is ingrained in their 21st century cultures, it remains for many Americans a throwback to the1800s.
I’ll admit it. When someone mentions American train travel, the first image that pops in my mind is that of a big iron horse chugging 19th century masses westward to their manifest destiny. I might think of people riding the rails during the Great Depression; or hazy images of my parents as children en route from Atlanta to Augusta with my glove-clad grandmothers. Amtrak rarely even enters the picture.
I imagine most Americans not living in the crowded northeast corridor view passenger train service through a similar sepia-tone or black-and-white screen. It’s nowhere near Technicolor, let alone high def. That may begin to change as the price of oil continues to skyrocket, as Bob Dart reports in this article.
Even though I don’t naturally think of trains when I travel, I have ridden on Amtrak a few times in my life — mostly from Atlanta to DC and always when I had the luxury of time.
I enjoyed each trip comfortably in coach and sleeper cars, but the ride was always a diversion. I only saw capacity-filled train cars when I traveled from DC to Manhattan, and when my husband took the Crescent home when the airlines were still grounded following 9/11.
For so long air travel was easy, cheap and fairly uncomplicated. Car trips were also natural when gasoline was inexpensive. Train service in the northeast can take you to several cities in a relatively short time, but the wide open spaces of our vast nation seem to make it difficult to build the many routes necessary to make train travel quick and accessible for many Americans. We’re not like the compact European countries; we’re more like Australia.
That said, the price of fuel isn’t going anywhere but up. So, check out Amtrak’s routes, and then tell us…
Are rising gas prices and skyrocketing airline fees causing you to rethink rail travel? If so, tell us where you would go. How high do gas and air costs need to rise in order to tilt you toward the train? If you could add a new route, where would it go? Have you ever considered a vacation on the rails like the travel packages Amtrak has created?
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Stop and stay a while in Columbus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Less than a three-hour drive southwest of Atlanta is a beautiful, but somewhat less-traveled, part of our great state - the Chattahoochee Valley. This past weekend, we took advantage of the first rain-free Saturday in weeks to explore Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon” and Lake Walter F. George.
It was a pleasant day trip. We hiked, rented a boat on the lake and ate some excellent barbecue in the tiny town of Lumpkin. But after stopping off in nearby Columbus, I really wish we could have stayed in the area a bit longer. The city of Columbus has created a beautiful 15-mile river walk along the Chattahoochee, and it could take a while to explore all of the area’s new and revitalized attractions.
In addition to the park along the river bank, Columbus is home to the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. A division of Columbus State University, the space center educates visitors on space, physics and astronomy using flight simulators, a state-of-the-art planetarium and observatory and an interactive mission control and space station.
If your tastes are more down-to-earth, check out Columbus’ many museums, including the Columbus Museum, Columbus Black History Museum and the National Civil War Naval Museum. Architecture buffs can also enjoy the beauty of the town’s historic district as well as the 1871 Springer Opera House, still in use today.
We spent our day a short drive away from town. Lumpkin, Ga. is home to the historical village of Westville, where you can see how townspeople lived, worked and played in the 1850s. Lumpkin is also where you will find Providence Canyon State Park, a.k.a. Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon”. The canyon walls are made of kaolin and other Georgia clays, and the creek at the bottom is really the water table exposed by years of erosion due to poor farming practices. In essence, the canyon is one big gully-wash, but it is a beautiful and impressive gully-wash to behold. We fueled up for the easy hike with a stop at 4-Way Barbecue on the Porch at the crossroads in Lumpkin - great pork, excellent sauce and yummy boiled peanuts.
What are your favorite places to see in the Chattahoochee River Valley area of Georgia? Do you like to visit Columbus? What do you think of the city’s efforts to revitalize the riverfront? Where do you stay when you visit and how much time should you allow to fully explore Columbus and the attractions in the small towns nearby?
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Does golf make your vacation?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My husband recently realized that the beautiful beach locale we have chosen for our family vacation is at least a two-hour ferry ride from the nearest 18-hole golf course. Apparently, there’s a fine line between finding a secluded, natural getaway and being exiled from all things great and good in this world - and it’s directly related to William’s ability to hit the links.
While I’m sure he will enjoy our unspoiled beach holiday, I suspect that tee times will play a much more prominent role in future vacation decisions. That’s fine with me. I like golf, even though I tee off from the junior tees and my best shot is my slice. (But it’s a work of art… really.)
For true golfers, the travel industry offers William’s dream getaway - specialized golf vacations. Whether you just want to play as many holes as humanly possible or you’re looking for instruction to improve your game, the southeast offers a wealth of golf getaway opportunities.
Most resorts will offer golf packages at various times throughout the year, and many traditional southern vacation destinations are packed chockablock with beautiful golf courses. Think Hilton Head Island, for instance. Several southern states are also home to golf schools that put together vacation packages for those who want to come home a better player than when they left.
Or you could drive west for a golfing tour of Alabama via the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The Trail links eleven different sites from Mobile to Muscle Shoals and everywhere in between. It gives duffers and aficionados alike the chance to play 468 holes of golf over 26 courses. Along the way are resorts and hotels where you can bed down before you tee off the next day. Greens fees vary by location and time of year, but they tend to range between $43 and $64 for the original courses and $80 and $125 for the three additional courses.
Budget minded golfers can similarly golf their way through Georgia as they enjoy the eight courses within our state parks system at very reasonable rates.
For more information, check out these sites from the AJC, the Travel Channel and Travel South USA for additional golf trip ideas.
If it’s all about the golf for you, let us know what you think. When you’re building your holiday around one specific activity, it’s nice to base your decisions on the recommendations of those who have gone before you. So… have you taken a golf vacation or do you plan to take one? What are your favorite golf courses, resorts or schools? Was it better it just pick a place you like and try to work in golf around it, or did you have better luck using a travel agent to book your golf getaway? What kind of golf packages should you look out for … or avoid?
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Are you rethinking travel plans?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Travelers who book flights will now pay more to fly.
Blame rising fuel costs. Delta Air Lines, for instance, has increased its fuel surcharge $20 for most domestic round-trip flights, according to an AJC article
In recent months, most carriers have announced a wave of fuel surcharges.
“It’s important we price our product to keep pace with our costs,” Delta spokesman Kent Landers said earlier this week. Delta isn’t alone. Other airlines have increased surcharges as well.
With the summer travel season approaching, how are airline ticket prices affecting your plans? Are you booking early to avoid the possibility of even higher fees or are you rethinking the trip? Will you drive instead or stick close to home?
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Take a break without breaking the bank on a camp-out
How do you get away from it all on the cheap?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nothing makes you feel like you need a vacation more than knowing you can’t take one. With gas prices what they are and the costs of air travel soaring higher than some commercial jets, many of you have said traveling right now is out of the question. Still, everyone needs a break now and again.
So what’s a cash-strapped, oil-dependent Georgian to do? Unless OPEC members suddenly get misty for $15-a-barrel oil or we all learn to apparate like Harry Potter, travel costs aren’t going to wane any time soon. But we are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the country, where the great outdoors can be enjoyed many months out of the year. If you can wrap your head around camping as a vacation, then you’ve got a world of holiday options right here in your own backyard.
Other than summer camp and a couple of Girl Scout outings, I was never really a camper in my youth. I began to realize the value of the tent and sleeping bag when I was in college. It was among my college friends that I truly learned to camp - pick a site, build a fire, pitch a tent, etc. I also learned how NOT to camp. Best lesson learned: Never go camping in the north Georgia mountains in late November with only a windbreaker, a light sleeping bag and a bottle of Old Crow.
Today, my husband and I like to go camping a few times a year. We usually camp as “old school” as possible with three young kids in tow; meaning we opt for tents, but we stay in state or national parks with well-defined camp sites. (The wilderness is not quite ready for an overnight with the Still girls.)
If you’re not into sleeping on the ground, many state parks offer basic cabins for a small fee. Or you can bring a pop-up camper or RV to any number of public and private campsites. This adds to your costs a little bit, but will still be far less than flying and staying in a hotel.
Not sure you will take to camping or aren’t ready to invest in the equipment upfront? Some businesses like REI, campsites and camping organizations will rent tents, sleeping bags, camp stoves and even RVs.
So tell us…would you be a happy camper on a camping vacation? Where do you prefer to camp and why? Share your favorite camping stories or scare us with your nightmare adventures. Even if camping’s not your thing, we’d love to hear your alternatives for inexpensive vacation ideas around our region.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Southeast travel
