PPtraintravel Passion Passport Instagram Challenge with Amtrak Honorable Mentions Collage

So many wanderlust-inspiring and nostalgic entries this week for our Instagram Challenge #PPtraintravel with Amtrak!

Congratulations to this week’s honorable mentions who will each receive $50 vouchers! They are (left to right, starting top left): @gadanes, @sallies, @cheesekeiq, @seth_major, @ryanadiel, @benjaminade, @corinne.wyss, @mckopsky, and @a.phrodite._. Take a minute to head over to their individual feeds to read their write-ups.

The first winner of this week’s challenge is @casey__michelle who will receive a $200 voucher and whose winning photo and write-up are below!

http://instagram.com/p/sGTuCTEbL9/

“Trains have always been my favorite way to travel. They’ve always been a space for stepping back and giving my mind freedom that it can’t find anywhere else. When I’m on a train traveling to a new place watching the world pass by, all my worries and stresses fall away, and life just starts to make sense again. Maybe it’s because I’m separated from life by the tracks racing through the less familiar countryside…or maybe it’s just because in that time I’ve gone back to the way things used to be. To a simpler way, to a simpler time.”

The second winner of this week’s challenge is @kylehance who will receive a $200 voucher and whose winning photo and write-up are below!

http://instagram.com/p/sHKsueKkkd/

“I’ve had a fascination with trains my entire life. The power in the rumble as they roll by and the way they connect a myriad of places mesmerizes me. It wasn’t until this summer, however, that I was able to experience the best part of train travel: people. Traveling with my family, we found more time to relax and talk with each other. We learned new things about each other and connected over the beautiful vistas we saw as we traversed the great American West.

Perhaps the best part, though, was connecting with a total stranger over a shared interest in photography, making a friend out of him, and sharing the experience of traveling hundreds of miles together. We explored the train, took pictures at fresh air stops, and talked about our passions for coffee and community. I don’t think any other mode of travel could have offered me a life-altering experience like that.”

The third winner of this week’s challenge is @big_abs who will receive a $200 voucher and whose winning photo and write-up are below!

http://instagram.com/p/sGWGcHi851/

“There is something magical and whimsical about trains. They give one an impression of the past. In a world full of technology, new and fancy forms of transportation, there’s still the old-fashioned train. Before I took this photo, I waved at the conductor as the train sped by, and then I imagined myself hopping the train. It’s a secret wish of mine.”

About Amtrak

amtrak logo #pptraintravelAmtrak connects America in safer, greener and healthier ways. With 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day — at speeds up to 150 mph — to more than 500 destinations. Discover the nicer way to travel with Amtrak.