Take the train to avoid border waits

The headline in today's Seattle P-I doesn't bode well for travelers to and from Canada:

Wait at Canadian border going from bad to brutal

It sounds like it's going to be bad news for a couple of years.

Being a big BC fan, I'm not going to let a little traffic congestion keep me at home.

As always, I love taking the train to Vancouver, BC. And whether you live in Seattle, Edmonds, Everett, Mount Vernon or Bellingham -- traveling on Amtrak is a good alternative.

The downside between now and the end of the year is that the Talgo train is still in the repair shop.

What does that mean?

It's the old Superliner equipment and certain services and amenities have been added or changed.

Current Services and Amenities

* The Superliner Coach features upper and lower level seating.
* The Sightseer Lounge offers casual seating for sightseeing and socializing along with light meals, snacks and beverages for purchase.

Services Temporarily Suspended

* Sit-down dining car meal service
* Business Class
* On-board movies

The best part about going Business Class is getting off at the station in Vancouver, BC first -- meaning you go through Customs and Immigration first.

That doesn't happen on the Superliner so the wait will be longer depending when you are allowed to get off the train.

Make reservations in advance by booking online or calling Amtrak. I blew it the last time I was traveling between Canada and the US.

I waited too long to book the train back to Seattle from Vancouver. When I called, it was sold out and I had to take the bus home.

Not a good thing.

Amtrak arrives at Bellingham. Sue Frause photo.

Crossing the border can be a nightmare

Something better be done at the US-Canadian border between Washington and British Columbia before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Even though the requirement of having a passport has been delayed by the U.S. House of Representatives until June 2009 at the earliest, they need to ramp up the process of getting people across the border in a timely fashion.

I had a pretty hellish experience traveling from Vancouver to Seattle recently.

Usually, I take Amtrak between Vancouver and Everett, Washington. But on this particular occasion, the train was sold out.

Note: Amtrak has two trains a day between Seattle and Vancouver. It leaves Seattle at 7:40 AM and Vancouver, BC at 6 PM.

My only options were to fly to Seattle for around $250 one way -- or take the bus.

Long story short: I got on the inappropriately named Quick Shuttle in Vancouver at 8 AM. I was in downtown Seattle at 2:45 PM.

That's almost seven hours!

My journey began at the main train/bus station in Vancouver; continued on to Canada Place for the cruise ship passengers; the downtown Holiday Inn; Vancouver International Airport; Campbell River Store (not to be confused with Campbell River on Vancouver Island) and the border crossing at Sumas where we spent nearly two hours.

There were a slough of buses lined up to go through US Customs and Border Protection. After all, it's cruise ship season, and many people were headed to SeaTac for their flights home.

When we finally were instructed to get off the bus, there were only two agents on duty. All our bags had to be removed along with our carry-on items.

Why are passengers on buses scrutinized more than those traveling by train or personal vehicles?

With bus friends Adrian and Lucca.

The only plus-side of this very long day was sitting next to a charming fellow by the name of Adrian Ostropolsky. He and his partner Lucca were on holiday in Canada and the US from their home in Barcelona.

We had a good laugh about our hellish trip.

I've read that tourism by Americans to Canada is down -- I'm not surprised.

But I don't think it's as much about the weak dollar as it is about the long border lines.

Our government needs to figure out a better way of keeping us "secure."

Right now, many "children of a common mother" are finding it easier to travel on their own side of the border.

I love Canada -- it's my second home.

Long lines and all.


Sumas border crossing. Sue Frause photo.

Find the lowest fare out there

Farecast.com is the first airfare prediction website.

They help with that bothersome question, "Buy now or wait?"

Farecast offers airfare predictions from more than 75 U.S. departure cities to top domestic destinations.

It's not Orbitz, Travelocity or Expedia. Here's what they do:

Tell travelers if fares are rising or dropping. Based on their predictions, they provide a recommendation to buy now or buy later.

Help travelers buy directly through the airlines' websites.

I have yet to try it, but next time I'm in the market for purchasing an airline ticket, I'll go to their website.

Gas prices on the rise

With a busy summer travel season predicted, a new travelhorizons™ survey co-authored by the Travel Industry Association and Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell examined the impact of escalating gasoline prices on the travel intentions of Americans.

The results reveal that Americans remain upbeat about their travel plans even as the price at the pump continues to rise. They also reveal the “tipping point” for the majority of Americans is likely to be $3.50 per gallon, at which price the slight majority of travelers state they would reevaluate their summer travel plans.

“The good news is that we expect more travel this summer,” TIA president and CEO Roger J. Dow said. “But if prices rise above $3.50 per gallon, it appears that many Americans may change their travel plans.”

Here are highlights of the survey:

* Leisure travelers are planning to take slightly more trips this summer than last (1.8 versus 1.6);
* 9 out of 10 (87%) leisure travelers expect gasoline prices to rise this summer;
* The price per gallon at which the majority of American leisure travelers state they would “change their vacation plans” is $3.50. Fully 6 out of 10 (61%) leisure travelers say they would change their vacation plans if the price at the pump reaches $3.75 per gallon;
* When asked how their plans would change, the most frequently mentioned responses were “take fewer trips this summer” (35%) and “cancel my trip” (31%). One out of four (26%) leisure travelers said “drive a shorter distance” or “postpone my trip until the price of gas comes down;”
* Fully 16% of leisure travelers said they would not alter their summer vacation plans regardless of the price of gasoline.

The national survey of 1,546 leisure travelers was conducted in March 2007, and the estimated margin of error is +/-2.2% at the 95% confidence level.

The Travel Industry Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $700 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.

Small car spotted in Hamburg, Germany. Sue Frause photo.