Hey guys,
I would like to plan a trip to USA for the following summer.. I am very interesting in the Interail idea and i am wondering if there is something like that in USA..?? do you think is possible to make a roadtrip like this in USA by train?? or it is better if I rent a car?? thanks a lot!!!

Try Amtrak to see if they go where you want to.

Europe is a lot more compact that the US so expect places to be much more spread out.

You might want to fly between 2 or three locations and then possibly train around each area.

I think you may find some travel reports of people who've done road trips thru large parts of the US.

It really depends on where you want to go. It certainly is possible to take train from coast to coast, and between major cities. Many visitors to the US want to see national parks or visit more out of the way places.

A combination of plane for long distances, train/bus for public transportation between some points, and rental car for more local trips may be the best bet.

Train in the US is nothing like in Europe. It goes to a limited number of major cities and that's it. Even a lot of places listed as being reachable by train are actually bus after the end of the train line. Also, train is expensive - often more so than flying - and service is often poor (hours, sometimes many hours late - since freight companies own the rails and freight trains take priority over passenger ones).

Train can work well on the NE corridor (DC up through Boston) but outside of that service is scarce and poor.

If you have a look at Amtrak.com you can find info - but don;t expect to reach a lot of places and be prepared for big $.

If you provide a list of places you want to go people can tell you if it's doable by train.

The Amtrak rail network may be only a skeleton service by European standards in terms of the places covered, but it covers the whole country and connects most places a visitor would naturally want to go: New York, Washington, Boston, Niagara Falls, New Orleans, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Flagstaff or Williams for the Grand Canyon, etc.

See the map on www.amtrak.com and book your tickets online at that site.

Crossing the States by rail via any of the half-a-dozen possible Amtrak routes is truly a world-class travel experience, and in a reclining seat can cost as little as $193. Although a sleeper, especially a large one with private shower & toilet, will cost a lot more!

Arguably the most scenic route is New York-Chicago on the daily Lake Shore Limited then Chicago-San Francisco on the daily California Zephyr. It'll take you through the Rockies west of Denver, through all those Colorado canyons, and through the Sierra nevada in California.

Wonderful! The Zephyr is a double-deck Superliner train with diner, 'sightseer' lounge-observation-cafe car, spacious reclining seat cars and sleepers. Bigger and better than anything we have in Europe! I took this train again this summer and we arrived in SF ten minutes ahaed of schedule!

Yes, you can buy an Amtrak pass, but reservations need to be made even with a pass, and point to point is easier to plan and book online. Also see www.seat61.com/UnitedStates.htm