Save vacation cash with a commuter train.  Visiting a big U.S. city?  You’ll save money and maybe time.  Take a commuter train on the final segment of a driving trip saves money on parking, highway tolls and gas.  Combat the stress of traffic snarls and construction zones with a soothing train ride.  Recall The Money Skinny™ mission is to save you time and money.   Let’s review a commuter train example while vacationing and the most cost-effective ways to use them.

Commuter Train Example

Score tickets to see Hamilton in Chicago this summer?  Consider a commuter train.  On a recent Chicago trip, train fare was $8 per person and included free parking.  Stress-free.  It felt like riding The Polar Express when the cap wearing attendant was speed punching tickets.  Overnight parking a single car in Chicago was $45 per day.  Ouch!  Especially when the car is left untouched in a parking garage.  Highway tolls and gas would have cost more than $50.  Avoiding construction zones?  Priceless.

Finding a Commuter Train

An internet search of big-city-name + commuter-train + approach-direction will list available options.   No luck?  Contact the city’s visitor or convention bureau.  Request all types of transportation info like trains, buses and subways.  Public transportation is a great way to get to know unfamiliar territory.

Time Trade-off

Getting from Point A to Point B on a train will probably involve stops to let passengers embark and disembark.  Elapsed time on a train may be greater than driving your own car.  Maybe.  You won’t know what car delays would occur.  More importantly, you’re not white knuckling behind a steering wheel.  Let others road rage while you read the latest New York Times best seller.

Same as Flying

Using a train on the final segment of a driving trip is similar to flying on an airplane.  The logistics are the same.  Leave the car at a commuter lot.  A train versus airplane difference is that a commuter train has no reservations or assigned seats.  Buy a train ticket and ride at your convenience.  Use The Money Skinny™ Trimming Vacation Travel Expenses tips to reduce other travel costs.

Miscellaneous Vacation Travel Expenses

The Money Skinny™ post Wedding Guest Expenses and Cost Cutting Tips has even more ways to reduce travel expenses.

Recommend to Visitors

One of my sons briefly lived in Chicago.  When buddy pack converged for Lollapalooza, they popped up from a train station.  After the fun was over, the buddies disappeared the same way.  When family visited, we used different trains from different directions. Converging at a central point.  Using a commuter train eliminates host transportation responsibilities.  It’s the visitor’s job to arrive and depart.

In summary, avoid the frustration of highway construction zones and hassling with a car.  Save vacation cash with a commuter train!