Can someone please advise what is the easiest and more importantly cheapest way to travel from Long Island to Washington DC. Needing a return trip. Will consider all options ie bus, train or plane.

Sometimes I see cheap e-saver fares between DC and Long Island Islip airport. However, generally speaking I think the best way is to take the Long Island railroad into New York's Penn Station and then take Amtrak from there to Washington DC's Union Station. Taking the bus from New York to DC is cheaper but takes over an hour longer so there is a tradeoff. I have done DC to Long Island on the train and it was fine.

Jenny - for ease, try a flight to Reagan National ... which is just a 5-minute ride from downtown DC. Do not go to BWI or Dulles. You may be able to find a cheap flight. The train is not that cheap, and it takes at least 3 hours. And you have to get into NYC. A bus ... well, I95 isn't all that much fun. You'd be looking at 5-6 hours. And you end up in NE DC, not all that much fun either. In your shoes, I'd check US Airways and Delta for the cheapest fares, and make my travel flexible to qualify. Or if you can get to Newark with ease, try Continental. Then at Reagan, hop on the Metro or take a taxi.

The cheapest way is via Peter Pan bus. It's $50 for a roundtrip ticket. You leave from Port Authority, and arrive in D.C. at a bus station within walking distance (it's about 1 miles, but don't walk it at night) of the Union Station metro stop.

There are lots of departures--I think the buses leave hourly. The busiest leaving NYC are on Friday and Sunday evenings.

Check out www.washingtonpost.com. They just did an article looking at the various methods of getting from Washington to NYC, and that included the Peter Pan bus. The article should have contact phone numbers.

Just as follow up: we did an internet search and got a DC-NYC RT for $99 late last year ... you might be able to get something similar. But as mentioned, you could do the bus ... and if you do, take a taxi from the bus station to your hotel. Do NOT walk to the Metro at Union Station ... unsafe area (I lived there). Have a nice trip to DC.

Definitely check out the Wash Post article in last Sunday's travel, exactly what you need to know. Bus is definitely cheapest and if the extra 2-3 hours travel time compared to train doesn't bother you for about $50-75 savings over train fare, take the bus. DC bus station is located in super crummy area as someone said, too bad, but cabs in DC are fairly cheap for short distance in town.

You definitely can walk from the bus station to Union Station. I've done it several times, and I've had female friends do it as well. However, I wouldn't walk it alone at night.

Oh, no, not another debate about walking from Greyhound to Union Station in DC. Gosh, I hope there are no DC robbers on this thread. For some reason, there are people who do NOT live in that area of NE DC (and I used to) who insist it's safe to walk, with your bag, for over one mile. When for $5 you could take a taxi to your hotel. And be safe. Taxis are cheap in DC!!! I think we can all agree on that much. Now if that price strikes you as a bad deal, then by all means walk it. And let me be the first to welcome you to DC. gt;>

Bus is cheapest, but not pleasant.

Train is not too bad and much more comfortable.

There may be some inexpensive flights, but whatever you save is more than eaten up by transportation to and from the airports and in terms of time, it pretty much comes out the same as trains unless there are delays, which there always are with planes.

Amtrak rail non-reserved, non-metroliner takes just under 4 hrs. downtown to downtown and costs $68. each way. Reserved Metroliners take 3 hrs. and cost $124. each way. The high-speed Acela takes 2 3/4 and costs $143.

Add whatever the time and cost the Long Island Rail Road from wherever you're starting.

Flights from Islip are small propeller planes and stop in Phila. (or they route you through Boston, which makes no sense) and cost about $280. Flights from LaGuardia, which I avoid at all costs because of the congestion and delays, are on jets and range from $200 - $400 roundtrip, depending on the time of day you're travelling, since this is a heavily travelled business corridor and "rush hour" flights are expensive.

The bus, as already noted, takes 5-6 hrs. and may smell of a raspberried explosion in a latrine. Sometimes they have TV.