I just finished crunching the numbers for doing a giant road-trip across Canada by train.
Via-rail offers a “Canrailpass”, which allows you to go anywhere in Canada, with up to twelve days travel time in a thirty day period. That could easily get you all the way to the northern and easternmost borders, from my hometown, and back again. If your made sure every ‘day’ of travel was a full day on the train, and took fairly direct routes, I can’t see why it wouldn’t get out west too.
The cost during the off season, for a student, is $471 plus the $16 charge for the “ISIC” student discount pass. $487, in other words. Off-season is Oct 16 to May 31, which works out nicely because the exam period at the university I’m going to be at next years ends on the 24 of April, making a 30 day trip before the end off off-season perfectly plausible. Good thing, too, because peak period tickets are almost $300 more.
Gas costs to get out west would only be about $300, but on the other hand a) I don’t own a car, b) you can sleep and read on a train, c) you don’t need to worry about the car getting stolen or about not being able to find parking, d) you have to remember that a trip like that puts a lot of wear and tear on a vehicle, e) those gas projections don’t count side trips and f) the train comes with wireless internet and room to stretch out and lie down. I think all in all a train trip sounds much more fun then doing it by car, and possibly more affordable.
(There may even be an additional 10% youth discount avalible – I have to inquire into that further.)
