An Amtrak Addict’s Top Advice for More Comfortable Train Travel

My name is Gwen and I’m an Amtrak train addict. If there was some sort of support group dedicated to people who want to be stuck in a tin can on land for 20 hours rather than 30,000 feet up for 4, I’d be a founding member.

I’ve traveled over 100 hours on this uniquely government- and grant-funded mode of transport, primarily the California Zephyr, which runs between California and Chicago, and the Lake Shore Limited, which runs between Chicago and Boston. I’ve traveled alone, with a friend, with a bike along for the ride and without any of those things. Now after all those hours riding the rails and plenty of lessons learned the hard way, here are a few essential tips and tricks for long train trips.

You can and should bring more

If you’re like me and unwilling to break the bank to get a slightly bigger and slightly more private room on a 20 hour Amtrak train, you’ll be riding coach.

According to the Amtrak website, each passenger is allowed one personal item and two carry-on items with the purchase of their ticket. For $20 each, you can also bring two additional carry-ons making for a max total cost of $40 and five pieces of luggage.

On one particularly ambitious trip between Denver and Chicago, a dear friend and I brought our standard suitcases as well as a bike (which we checked to the baggage car) and a cardboard box full of paintings. Just try and get that on a flight! So bring that cooler full of snacks or that misshapen bowl your friend left in your apartment when she moved away. Just make sure you can lift all your luggage over your head or bring a stronger friend to help you out.

And if you’re traveling with a child under two, you can bring on a stroller or other item of your choice without adding to the overall baggage total.

Comfort is the name of the game

Although the cost is low for an Amtrak ticket, the downside is the impact on your back health. The seats recline a good distance and there’s a foot rest, but without proper preparation the zest for life and pep in your step you had in San Francisco will harden and morph over the long chairbound hours, and you’ll disembark in Denver or Boston with a massive knot in your back instead.

Comfort is key on long Amtrak train trips. Wear your sweatpants and sweatshirt. Bring an extra pillow and a blanket if you can. I’d also recommend bringing face wipes of some kind to freshen up on the mornings of your journey. There’s nothing better than a coffee (although I’d also recommend buying your own bottled coffee before boarding) and a freshly de-grimed face while sitting next to the rapidly passing landscape.

Bring a book (or four)

For many legs of these train journeys across the country (particularly when the California Zephyr runs through the Rocky Mountains followed by Ruby Canyon, the Sierras, and Donner Pass on its way to the San Francisco Bay) the scenery is beautiful. Endless fields of tall grasses and trees run off into the horizon. Take up residence in the California Zephyr’s observation car and see the morning sun glint off towering mountains interrupted with bubbling streams. It’s so quintessentially American that it makes you want a hot dog real bad.

However, a lot of the journey ends up being more industrial than sweeping, between Denver and Chicago, for example. For these hours, make sure you bring a way to keep yourself entertained: The uninterrupted hours of the slight rocking motion of the train are the perfect setting to crack open a long book (Dune cover-to-cover on that industrial leg between Denver and Chiago is a personal accomplishment of mine).

Although there is wifi on board it tends to get spotty and it’s worthwhile to download your favorite show ahead of time. Or, put on some noise canceling headphones and catch up on a podcast or two, crack open your journal, or listen to an exhaustive playlist you made just for this trip. And enjoy!

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