Q.Are there cheap and decent motels near the stations?
A.Not an easy question to answer.  I checked out the Motel6.com website for locations and addresses in the places I wanted to visit.  You can also request a directory which lists all of their motels and give little maps so you can see how close or far from the city center they are.  Sometimes I just got off the train and walked around until I found something nearby - this is NOT the thing to do if you are going to arrive late at night.  Please research your accommodation carefully when your train arrives late at night.  You can visit any of the other motel websites for an idea of what's on offer, or e-mail the the various Visitors Convention Bureaux and ask for their help with finding suitable accommodation.

Q.  How far in advance should you buy Amtrak tickets (segments)?
A.  As far in advance as possible to avoid dissappointment.  I usually traveled out of season (it's cheaper and less crowded) and so it wasn't difficult to get last-minute tickets and/or make changes to my route.  I usually booked a couple of onward legs/segments ahead of time but then I left the rest of the trip open in case I wanted to spend more time in one place.  For example, Monterey, California is a long way from the station at Salinas, and you have to take a shuttle bus, which is reliable and on time, so you're not likely to miss your connecting train unless you're late.  Monterey and the surrounding places are gorgeous (Carmel and Pacific Grove are also worth seeing) and you may wish to spend another night there or a night in Carmel as well.  This would mean that you can call Amtrak and change the booking for a day or two later.  But, in peak season this may not be such a good idea, as space on the train may be at a premium.

Keep coming back for updates.  Feel free to e-mail me with any questions I may be able to help you with.

TIPS: My best piece of advice is to request a national timetable from Amtrak.com and keep it with you on your journey, especially if you want to be flexible and book the next leg of your trip at the last minute (this allows you to spend more time than anticipated in any one place).  This piece of advice is for the international traveler as his ticket/pass is flexible as opposed to any other tickets.  The timetable has all the routes and times which I found invaluable when planning my trips ahead of time, as you can see from the map more or less where the trains go and don't go.  I couldn't have done my trips without the handy timetable.

Another piece of advice is to try and not book extremely tight schedules as there may be train delays which will throw your entire vacation out of whack - a complete headache - always leave a little "waiting time" whenever possible.

It goes without saying that you should travel light - you don't need a trillion outfits - the more you take, the heavier it becomes each day!  Do read my Optional Extras and Hints and Tips on the home page.

Amtrak toll-free telephone number (keep this number handy at all times during your travels): 1-800-872-7245
Motel 6 toll-free telephone number: 1-800-466-8356