I spent 60 hours on overnight Amtrak trips. I wish I had known 9 things before taking long-haul journeys.

• I regret not knowing a few things ahead of my long-haul, overnight Amtrak rides in 2021.
• I took trips from NYC to Miami and back that were 30 hours each but time seemed to pass more slowly.
• I wish I knew internet service wouldn't be reliable, among other lessons I learned the hard way.

In October of 2021, I booked a round-trip ride between New York City and Miami on Amtrak's overnight sleeper train . In total, I spent 60 hours on the rails.

On the way to Miami, I spent 30 hours in a $500 roomette accommodation , which is a 20-square-foot enclosed private space with a fold-out table, two chairs that fold out into a bed, and an additional bed that pulls down from the ceiling.

On my way back to NYC, I spent 30 hours in the next level up, a bedroom accommodation that cost $1,000 for a private 45-square-foot room. It was double the cost of a roomette for twice as much space and also includes a private bathroom.

While I enjoyed the trip, there are some things I wish I had known about this type of travel before that would have made me more prepared for the ride.

I thought both train rides felt bumpy the whole time.

This is not an exaggeration. I found both trips as bumpy as a flight with turbulence where the seat-belt sign is on from start to finish. The motion sickness and terrible sleep were too much for me , and had I known this before my trip, I might have packed some medicine to prevent motion sickness .

Regardless of where I slept, I felt bumps throughout the night. But the top bunk was the shakiest to me.

In the roomette, I tried sleeping on both the top and bottom bunks.

I experienced bumps along the journey in both cots but found it easier to sleep on the bottom where I thought it felt a little less shaky. Next time, I'd skip the top bunk entirely.

While the bed, sheets, and blankets were comfier than I expected, I didn't think much of the provided pillows.

The beds on my Amtrak trains were firm and slightly cushy on top, just the way I like a bed. But when I was drifting off to sleep each night, I thought of my fluffy, dense pillows at home and wished the ones provided to me on the train were a bit softer.

Although the roomette sleeps two, it can feel cramped even for one person.

I am 5-f00t-3 and of average build, and I felt cramped in the roomette's 25 square feet of space. If I were taller or larger, I imagine I would feel even more cramped, especially if I had to share the room with another person. This makes the upgrade to a larger bedroom worth it, in my opinion.

My WiFi service was spotty throughout my trip, which made getting work done a little tricky.

I planned to spend several hours of each journey working on my laptop. Amtrak provides WiFi but I thought the train's internet connection wasn't consistent, so I had to adapt my workflow to do work that didn't require WiFi.

My cell-data service was also in and out throughout the journey.

The internet wasn't the only spotty service. I noticed that cell service on my phone seemed to come in and out, too. I wished I'd downloaded more movies and shows from streaming apps to keep myself occupied when my phone and internet weren't working.

I didn't realize that time would seem to pass more slowly on my 30-hour journeys.

I knew 30 hours would be a long ride one way, but time seemed to pass so slowly that 30 hours felt twice as long as it usually does in my regular daily life.

I was glad that I at least packed other things to keep me occupied with spotty WiFi and cell service, such as my Nintendo Switch and music.

The cup holders in Amtrak roomettes and bedrooms fit a standard 12-ounce water bottle. I didn't know mine wouldn't fit.

I brought a big water bottle to stay hydrated on my long journey, but it was too large to fit inside the cup holder, meant for a standard 12-ounce cup.

Had I known this, I would have packed a few smaller water bottles instead.

I think you have to view the ride itself as part of your vacation to really enjoy it.

I'm someone who deals with travel anxiety , and so I found the length of the trip initially overwhelming. It's tough for me to relax when I am between destinations, and for some reason, I struggled to view the train as a destination in itself.

But after taking two 30-hour rides, I've realized that if you can think of the train ride as part of the journey, I think you'll find it much more enjoyable.

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