(MONEY Magazine) – Let's start with a confession: I don't like to fly. And it's not just because the last airline ticket I purchased was dated Sept. 11. I don't like the pricey airport taxis, lines, delays or cancellations. I don't like the cramped seats, repeated viewings of Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles or soggy turkey wraps (not even with Dijonnaise). I don't like waiting for my luggage only to find out it's in a different time zone. And, oh yeah, I don't like the way planes sometimes fall from the sky. But like many people who share my feelings, I'm forced to fly all the time because the best alternative is Amtrak--which isn't nearly as fast as flying and often costs more as well.

In fact, I never gave long-distance train travel serious thought until, immediately after Sept. 11, the most appealing way of getting from California to New York was a four-day train ride. Suffice it to say that I gained a deep appreciation for train travel, even though its limitations also became abundantly clear. Two subsequent trips--between New York City and Boston and New York City and Montreal--only confirmed my impression that the rails can be a great way to travel. The key requirement: a willingness to focus on trains' many advantages vis-a-vis planes and not the disadvantages. Believe it or not, this isn't hard. Here's what you need to know to make you stop worrying about flying and learn to love the train.

Think you're being railroaded on price? Room and board included! For most people, overnight train travel will be inconceivable without a sleeper car, and that's what can make this an expensive mode of transportation. In fact, you can travel quite cheaply if you're willing to sit in a conventional seat for days at a time. One-way cross-country tickets often cost as little as $150, with little or no advance notice. I found a recent sale fare from Chicago to Emeryville, Calif., just outside San Francisco, for $28.50.

But add in a sleeping room and a one-way cross-country trip can run $1,000 or more. That's hard to stomach until you consider that you get several nights' accommodation, plus board, in the deal.

Book early to keep the costs under control because rooms get dramatically more expensive as fewer are available. On the Lakeshore Limited between Chicago and New York City, standard rooms were recently going for between $194 and $334, depending on supply. There's no set schedule of price increases analogous to the airlines' 14-day advance-ticketing policies. So err on the early side. Fortunately, it costs only $30 to change your schedule (vs. $100 with the airlines).

Unlike with the airlines, AAA and AARP membership gets you a 10% discount on tickets (but not on room rates). And there are some nice perks: free soda, juice and coffee in each sleeping car.

Great views! No middle seats! The joys of Dramamine! In addition to the charm of not knowing what city's newspaper will be under your door each morning--I got the Omaha World-Herald and the Buffalo News on my cross-country trip--the accommodations have one thing on any hotel room you've ever rented, at any price: the views. Mountains, rivers, tiny hamlets, sunsets and sunrises sweep by in an ever-changing and often awe-inspiring panorama. (For a list of particularly picturesque excursions, see the box below.)

On the other hand, the most pathetic motel room has an edge on train accommodations in one way: Train bedrooms are tiny. Even the "family" cabins are a fraction of the size of your typical Holiday Inn room. Some wedge in their own bathrooms and showers. Otherwise, you use the public facilities in each car.

Beds are typically the two (comfortable) lounge seats you sit on during the day folded together. Upper bunks (which feature body-belts to keep you from rolling off) pull down from the ceiling. Once the porters set up the beds, there's little floor space left. The closet? Five inches wide on one train I took. Most luggage needs to be stowed elsewhere.

Though almost all are small, rooms vary significantly depending on age. On the modern Lakeshore Limited from Chicago to New York City, my standard room had a private (if small and hard-to-use) toilet, hideaway sink, extra luggage space and a small color TV. If you want to get a better idea of the amenities offered on any particular train, check the Amtrak website (www.amtrak.com).

Even if you're riding in a modern sleeping car, keep in mind that some rails in this country haven't changed much since they were hammered into place in the 1860s. "Nebraska is notorious," one porter warned. So if you suffer from motion sickness, bring Dramamine.

So peaceful, it's easy to lose track of time--which may be a good idea. Since weather isn't much of an issue for trains, it surprised me that they can be nearly as prone to delays as planes. According to Amtrak, 81% of trips 400 miles or less and 56% of longer trips arrived on time in 2000. The airline industry, by contrast, reported 72.6% on-time performance in 2000. That means some short train trips, especially in the D.C.-to-Boston corridor, can actually rival air travel in terms of speed and reliability, especially when you figure in weather and traffic delays. But for longer trips, the best you can do is hope for the best, expect the worst and enjoy the ride.

Menus more eclectic than "beef or pasta?" What bad can be said about airline food that hasn't already been said? By contrast, when there's a dining car aboard--on longer trips, that is--food is one of Amtrak's major strengths. Meals (which come with the price of a room) are served as in a restaurant, with reservations, waiters and surprisingly diverse menus. Most feature regional dishes reflecting the itinerary. The California Zephyr, for example, offered up Rocky Mountain Stuffed Trout ($13.50 if you don't have a room) and California Long Horn Porterhouse ($21.75). You can also ask your porter to bring your meals to your room.

Security concerns minimal. What's a little petty theft? In light of the country's heightened alert status, Amtrak now requires photo identification when picking up tickets and is looking into more rigorous security measures. Those issues aside, my biggest security concern aboard the train was that you can't lock your sleeping compartment from the outside. You can lock up when you sleep, but say you want to go check out the Sightseer Lounge or grab dinner? Unless you lug around your valuables, you're taking your chances. Porters are generally around but aren't responsible for security. When I asked one how safe it was to leave my belongings in my room, he suggested I hide my valuables under my seat. Not terribly comforting.

Sure, keep your cell phone on (just don't expect to use it). Surprisingly, it's a lot easier to make a phone call from 35,000 feet than from an Amtrak sleeping car. The more modern trains offer Railfone service ($1.99 a minute for domestic calls), but many older trains don't have a single phone aboard. And while you're free to use your cell phone or pager, service is spotty at best between major cities. Even roaming analog service is hard to come by. Of course, if being unreachable and simply relaxing is your goal, it doesn't get much better than this.