See Every Corner of the U.S. With This Cross-country Train Journey That Only Costs $1,000 (Video)

In 2019, more people than ever before took to the railways around the United States. According to Amtrak, it saw a rider increase of three percent on its Washington DC, to Boston route, as well as a four percent increase in premium "Acela" high-speed service. However, there’s one place where they need more riders, and that is long-distance routes, which saw ridership climb just one percent throughout the year.

That slow growth of longer routes may simply come down to people not understanding just how many options are available to them. But, that’s where Wanderu’s new cross-country train map comes in.

In February, Wanderu, a transportation booking website, released a brand-new map that will help people travel on a massive train loop all over the United States. And here’s the best part: The entire journey can be done for less than $1,000 and takes just seven days to complete.

The route takes guests from New England down the eastern seaboard straight to the South, crosses over the Sun Belt, up the West Coast, crossing to the upper Midwest and Rust Belt, and right back to New England.

The one thing the team at Wanderu is warning potential passengers about is the fact that some legs of the route are a little lengthy.

“We admit, you’d probably have to be a special kind of extra to ride 46 straight hours on a train,” the team wrote in a blog post. “Not that we’re judging — if you’ve got that kind of longevity then kudos!”

However, those that want to do the route and take their time still can as they can get on and off wherever and whenever they’d like. And passengers may want to do just that considering the loop is made up of some of the most scenic Amtrak routes in the country.

The route around the United States includes taking a train from Boston, MA to Washington, DC. Next, guests will hop aboard a train from DC to New Orleans. From there it’s a train to Los Angeles, direct to Seattle, Seattle to Chicago, then on to Cleveland. From Ohio, guests will head to Albany, NY, and finally settle back in Boston.

Want to take the entire route or find your own partial journey? Check out the Wanderu map and get your tickets on Amtrak now.