Never used a train before..tips?

[loveonspeedial]

I've used like a subway for very short distances but to see my SO I'm going to be using the Amtrack. Is it cold? roomy? a lot of people? chances of my phone not having service? do you have to have your luggage on you or does it go in the back or something like a plane? anything helps!

It'll be a 3 hour train ride.

[Silviar]

Amtrak isn't usually cold. Your phone will probably jump in and out of service depending on which area you're in - the tracks are often put in out of the way locations, but then come in for town junctions. Make sure you bring food! The food service car is ridiculously expensive and subpar, generally speaking. Weekends are often full-up, but weekdays aren't too bad.

I can't remember what they do with luggage since I only travel with a backpack. XD

[loveonspeedial]

I was thinking about just using a bagpack also, yeah the site said you can bring your own food but only eat it in certain areas and I plan on traveling on the weekdays. I have metro pcs which is a phone company for mainly FL and some very limited parts of the US and I know it works up and down the East Coast of FL but I'm not sure if it will on the train.

[loveonspeedial]

How do you know you're at your stop?

[Silviar]

They usually call the stops as you pull up.

[loveonspeedial]

o0o ok, I just don't want my never paying attention self to miss it.

[annamorgan]

My personal experience with train rides has been bad, it was exciting when I was a kid, and now it just annoys me. Just bring your ipod if you have one and you'll be good to go.

[squiddie]

Amtrak is really good about informing people of an upcoming stop. When you board and they check your ticket, they put a tag over your seat with your destination on it. That way, if you fall asleep or have headphones in or something, a porter will let you know when your stop is close. They'll always announce the next stop when leaving a station (eg: "We are now leaving Washington Union Station, the next stop will be Baltimore."), and usually again when you're about 5-10 minutes out from the station, so that people can get their belongings together.

I'm usually cold on the train, so bring a sweater or a jacket just in case. And definitely bring snacks, something to do to occupy you (a newspaper, book, work, something), and maybe a personal music player in case you want to drown out the general train noises.

As for phone service, the only time I ever really have problems is when the train is going through tunnels--though there is this one part of VA outside of Ashland where I always lose service for a while. Weird.

[LilyPanda]

I've been on Amtrak before. Over 2 days trips to Washington state and whatnot. It can be a bit cold on the train, so I always bring a blanket. Uhm, pretty much just bring something to do, like a book or something. And snacks! Snacks are definitely a good thing to have. Phone service goes out every once in a while, but it isn't too bad. And we always had our luggage on the same car as us, not in a different place or anything. The people who work on the train are usually really nice, so you should be set! If you need anything, then just ask them. At least the ride isn't too long!

[polkapiggy]

Train travel is the total norm here in the UK to get between towns and cities. I've taken the train alone since the age of 12 so I've been on my fair share of trains. Most of the journeys I have made have only been like an hour, but I have been long distance on Eurostar and Eurotunnel before. We've always kept our luggage with us, there are racks at one end of the carriage where people leave their suitcases. Don't rely on the food cart, it's always busy and the stuff is overpriced, so bring your own food and also bring plenty of entertainment (I always take my iPod). Make sure you have comfy clothes and shoes. It sounds weird, but when you're sitting down for that long, you want your feet to be warm and comfy, even though you aren't walking around. I recommend UGG boots.

I find that whenever I sit for an extended period of time (planes/coaches/trains) my ankles swell up (after an 18 hour flight to Malaysia they were so fat I couldn't wear shoes and had to walk around the airport barefoot while we waited for our next flight ._.) so i'd recommend walking around when you can depending on how long the journey is. If the train is for a long time but not overnight, I'd say bring some form of pillow so you can go to sleep if you want. If it is overnight, then most trains will have sleeping compartments or at the least hand out pillows and blankets.

[polkapiggy]

Train travel is the total norm here in the UK to get between towns and cities. I've taken the train alone since the age of 12 so I've been on my fair share of trains. Most of the journeys I have made have only been like an hour, but I have been long distance on Eurostar and Eurotunnel before. We've always kept our luggage with us, there are racks at one end of the carriage where people leave their suitcases. Don't rely on the food cart, it's always busy and the stuff is overpriced, so bring your own food and also bring plenty of entertainment (I always take my iPod). Make sure you have comfy clothes and shoes. It sounds weird, but when you're sitting down for that long, you want your feet to be warm and comfy, even though you aren't walking around. I recommend UGG boots.

I find that whenever I sit for an extended period of time (planes/coaches/trains) my ankles swell up (after an 18 hour flight to Malaysia they were so fat I couldn't wear shoes and had to walk around the airport barefoot while we waited for our next flight ._.) so i'd recommend walking around when you can depending on how long the journey is. If the train is for a long time but not overnight, I'd say bring some form of pillow so you can go to sleep if you want. If it is overnight, then most trains will have sleeping compartments or at the least hand out pillows and blankets.

[paulawriteslove]

Make sure bring your ipod but don't fall asleep or miss your stop! lol

[squiddie]

Make sure bring your ipod but don't fall asleep or miss your stop! lol

If the OP is on Amtrak, that won't happen. The porters on Amtrak trains are excellent about making sure that no one misses their stops, and will wake a sleeping passenger about 15-20 minutes before arrival so that the passenger has time to wake up, collect his or her belongings, and head to the doors of the carriage.

[loveonspeedial]

That's relieving, yeah my roommate was supposed to take me to see my SO and now she's backing out of that so I think the train is my option cause greyhouse is 30 dollars more expensive and takes a few more hours.

[Rach321]

That's relieving, yeah my roommate was supposed to take me to see my SO and now she's backing out of that so I think the train is my option cause greyhouse is 30 dollars more expensive and takes a few more hours.

That's good news! I would always pay a little more and spend a bit more traveling to take amtrak over greyhound. Glad it's the best option for you!

Going by train is my favorite option of travel. I find it to be the least stressful, most comfortable. I've taken Amtrak a few times (wish it had more steps and more convenient schedules in my part of the States). Found the seats comfortable, and the train has never been full, so I could really stretch out. I lived in Europe, and travelled by train all the time there. Let us know how the trip goes!