Traveler’s Notes . . .

Through Nov. 22, a passenger who buys a ticket on Amtrak’s San Diegan (San Diego-San Luis Obispo), San Joaquin (Bakersfield-Bay Area) or Capitol (Sacramento-Bay Area) trains can take a companion for half-fare and a third person for free. This applies to both reserved and unreserved seats. Ask for the “Friendship Fare.”. . . A major retrospective of seminal American artist Jasper Johns opens Oct. 20 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and ends Jan. 21. Free with museum admission. . . . Switzerland got slightly less expensive this month, having cut its value-added tax for hotels to 3% from 6.5%. The VAT for restaurants and other services remains at 6%.