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-   -   What forms of transportation do you prefer to use when you travel? (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/what-forms-of-transportation-do-you-prefer-to-use-when-you-travel-1706436/)

Tariq001 Apr 1st, 2022 04:48 AM

What forms of transportation do you prefer to use when you travel?
 
I want to travel from Alabama to New Jersey what form of transportation is comfortable for me to travel for a long distance.

tomfuller Apr 1st, 2022 06:29 AM

Welcome to Fodors! How soon is this trip supposed to happen? Do you drive and do you have your own car? If you want to use public transportation, Your choices would be to fly from an Alabama airport or from Atlanta to Newark NJ. There is easy access to trains or rental cars from Newark. If you want a slower trip staying on the ground, you can take the Amtrak Crescent train from Birmingham to Washington DC and then a NE regional from DC to whichever stop you want in New Jersey. The trip by train including an hour in Washington would be about 24 hours.

Tariq001 Apr 1st, 2022 06:37 AM

Well, I have my own car but I think this is the better option to fly from an Alabama Airport to NJ. Thanks for the suggestion.

fmpden Apr 1st, 2022 07:44 AM

You have few options. The US does not have an extensive public transit grid. It is either fly or drive. Fifty years ago you would have had a decent bus option but that doesn't exist today either.

aliced Apr 1st, 2022 08:41 AM

EWR is Newark-Libery Airport and very convenient to northern Jersey as well as to NYC. It connects to interstate 78 (E-W) which connects to 287 (N-S). We love living 20 minute drive from it. Your connections from AL are for you to decide. It'd take a long two full days to drive, if not 3. I would not consider Amtrak.

jamie99 Apr 1st, 2022 01:02 PM

Since I don't like loong, boring driving trips but also want to control my destiny, I would fly to NJ then rent a car.

tomfuller Apr 2nd, 2022 08:07 AM

Comfort is a relative term when it comes to long distance travel anywhere in the US. The length of time that you are uncomfortable varies whether you are driving, flying in a B or E seat, taking a bus, or riding on Amtrak.
I do fly to places like Alaska and Hawaii and I will be flying next month from Sacramento to Chicago (via Las Vegas). To get from central Oregon to Sacramento I will be sleeping in coach on the Amtrak Coast Starlight.
Once I get to Chicago I'll be riding the El to get to downtown Chicago to the Amtrak station. That evening I'll be on the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh where I transfer to The Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg arriving in the early afternoon. From the Harrisburg Amtrak station (downtown) I take a Lyft to the place where I have my car rented. I have been riding on Amtrak for 20 years now. The most comfortable ride on Amtrak for a solo traveler is in a roomette. In a sleeping car on Amtrak you can even take a shower (try that on an airplane).
One of the many advantages to Amtrak is that you are getting closer to your destination while you sleep instead of pulling off and spending money for a hotel room.

PrairieHikerII Apr 2nd, 2022 09:15 AM

When riding a train you can get up and walk around and stretch and go to the restroom. You leave the driving to the engineer and it's 17 times safer to go by train than car. You can also eat in the dining car and maybe socialize with other travelers. But often trains arrive a couple hours late.

suze Apr 2nd, 2022 05:05 PM

I always prefer to fly, when possible.

thursdaysd Apr 2nd, 2022 08:00 PM

I have used Amtrak, mostly from North Carolina to DC and back, but also once across country and up the west coast. The trains through Virginia are invariably late because they have to give way to freight. On the other hand there is plenty of leg room and you don't have any hassle about boarding. The cross country trains, on which I had a roomette, were great. The scenery was amazing, the food was quite good (although I hear it has gone down hill, but maybe improving again), and I slept well. No stress driving and parking and checking in and out of hotels.

You don't say where in Alabama, but I suggest you use Rome2Rio with your actual location and see what options it offers. There is a bus option from Jackson to Trenton, but it requires changes and takes longer and costs more than the train.

KTtravel Apr 4th, 2022 11:55 PM

Much would depend upon how long a time I had for the trip and if there were sights I wanted to visit along the way. If you just need to get to New Jersey, I would recommend flying.


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