Travel with Rick Steves · Saturday, July 25, 2026
Erik Weiner highlights the difference in passenger interaction between train and air travel, noting that the confined environment of a train encourages conversation. He contrasts this with the anonymity of air travel, where passengers typically do not interact.
“And you have these conversations with people that you just wouldn't have at 30,000 feet.”
“You know, the root word for travel comes from the same word, to travel, to tread. That's the way it has been through most of history. And Amtrackistan reminded me of that. In a good way, though. I was I was happy to be in Portland. In a way I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have had the same feeling if I had just disembarked the stale air of a 737 and hopped into the Uber to my hotel. I would not have had the same sensation.”