I had to book Amtrak instead of flying, and it made my holiday travel experience less of a hassle. A generous luggage policy and my worry about airport disruptions made train travel more appealing.

After procrastinating to buy my flight home for Thanksgiving one too many times (sorry, Mom), I've been left with no other option but to turn to the Pennsylvanian, a 9-hour and 20-minute Amtrak train ...