Americans are staying stateside at rates unseen since 2020, and the slow-travel instinct, once a European affectation, has crossed the Atlantic with linen and opinions. Seven Amtrak routes reward it. None of them are fast, and several are famously late. The country built them anyway, and the country is better for it.

My trip on the California Zephyr was my favorite overnight Amtrak ride yet. I'll take it again any chance I get.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. I packed lots of essentials for my five-hour Amtrak ride, but I didn't think of everything I needed. My Kindle, tripod, and headphones came in handy for keeping me entertained on my journey.

Business Insider's reporter rode in first class on the Amtrak NextGen Acela train.Joey Hadden/Business Insider I've spent 100 hours on Amtrak trains. No seat has been more comfortable, no complimentary meal more upscale, and no bathroom more pleasant than ...

We spent 53 hours traveling on the Amtrak California Zephyr. Our roomette was great during the day, but I became restless during the long train ride.

Greensboro and Raleigh are 90 minutes apart by Amtrak's Piedmont — a clean, simple trip most North Carolinians don't even know exists. But buried in Amtrak's booking system is a two-segment alternative that routes you north through Alexandria,

This route only runs in the summer, so act fast.