In this week’s podcast, we discuss the joys of seeing America via Amtrak with Lisa Bates ’88, author of “Beyond the Rails: USA Cross-Country Train Travel.” Bates bought her first rail pass while studying abroad in Europe. Since 2014, she has taken four cross-country trips across the United States, racking up more than 21,000 miles of rail travel, many of them with her family — including three teenagers — in the seats beside her. Bates shares some of the benefits of this mode of transportation and tips for making a train trip memorable.