Trains, Planes and Automobiles

For our cruise in December we found pretty cheap flights leaving from Pittsburgh going to New Orleans ($79 each way, directly from AirTran). However, out of the 5 of us, 2 are in Erie, 2 in Pittsburgh, and one in Fredericksburg, Va. Long story short, we need to find the cheapest way to get Staci from Virgina to Pittsburgh, that doesn't involve driving. Since gas prices are so high these days I thought I would share a few of the alternative travel options that I found.

Most flights are about $120 one-way from Richmond to Pittsburgh, it's an option, but pricey. If you're traveling, check out the deals, some prices may surprise you how low they are. Sites like Booking Buddy and UgoIgo bring all of the travel sites to one place for searching so you don't have to enter your information 10 times.

Greyhound bus from Richmond to Pittsburgh is $80 for refundable, $63 non-refundable, and $53 if you get it 7 days (or more) in advance. It takes about 9 hours.

Amtrack Train from Richmond to Pittsburgh is $67 one way ($60 with AAA discount) and takes allllllll day (about 12 hrs). But if you're headed to New York the train is great, for example, round trip from Richmond to NYC is only $46 round trip! Thats a lot cheaper than gas!

MegaBus used to travel from Pittsburgh, but I don't think they got enough business. It is the cheapest way to go. Baltimore to NYC is as low as $8 each way...it's seriously crazy. But they only are available in a limited amount of cities, so check it out, and if you one of them, consider yourself lucky!

And if you're feeling adventurous (dangerous) there is a rideshare section on Craigslist that can help off-set the costs of driving somewhere. It's like carpooling....with strangers...long distances....we're going to rule this option out.