SILVER METEOR NY TO MIAMI

Each afternoon the Silver Meteor glides out of New York’s Penn Station on a 1,389-mile (2,235km) voyage to the sun. Depending on the season, the train’s panoramic windows may frame a sunset in Philadelphia, Baltimore or Washington DC, before passengers bed down in Viewliner rooms with en suite facilities. Overall the near 30-hour service passes through 33 cities in 11 states, allowing passengers to jump off at Savannah for southern soul food, or Orlando for Disney World. The luxury service began 80 years ago, with wartime intelligence operative Ian Fleming one of its early passengers. His East Coast route is fictionalised in Bond novel Live and Let Die. Amtrak offers one-way journeys for the full length of the Silver Meteor for £370, including a luxurious viewliner bedroom and free meals (001 800 872 7245; amtrak. com).