Train Travel Tips?

[bestcee]

Alright, Munchkin and I are headed across some of the country on the California Zephyr. It's way WAY cheaper than an airplane ticket, and something we haven't done yet! So - adventure ahead!

Of course, it's only cheaper because we are in regular seats for the 30-ish hour trip. So, anyone have any train travel tips? I was reading a few online that recommended hoodie/sweatshirt, and a blanket because the air conditioning can be too cold.

 

[littlekiwi]

I haven’t done a long distance train trip in years but I’ve done a few long distance bus trips so can vouch for taking a jacket or hoodie and blanket in case it’s colder than you expect. I also take some snacks and a drink with me for any domestic travel as I’m cheap!

 

[jaye]

Farthest I’ve travelled by train is 5 hours. Hoodie is a great idea, some snacks, books, things to keep you busy.

 

[michelepixels]

The farthest I've traveled in a train is from San Diego to Los Angeles (about 200mi) and it was around 1995 so I don't remember much. Only that it was so wonderful to be able to relax (as opposed to driving) so I felt it was so worth the cost, even though it was no time savings at all. I enjoyed being able to look at the scenery too.
Happy travels!

 

[janedee]

I would also add one of those compactable pillows, along with snacks, drinks, books, cards or portable board games.

 

[bestcee]

What snacks? @littlekiwi I'm struggling to think of shelf stable things that aren't just junk food. I thought if nuts and jerky. And then blank!

 

[bestcee]

@janedee oh! A pillow is a great idea! And some cards. Thanks!

 

[bestcee]

@michelepixels the last train trip we took was just a few hours too. It was Boston to Portland, Maine, and we had a toddler to entertain. It was fall and beautiful!

 

[bestcee]

@ad77 You said you ride trains a lot. Any tips for me?

Also, your post and our conversation was what inspired me to check the price of the train.

 

[HavaDrPepper]

What snacks? @littlekiwi I'm struggling to think of shelf stable things that aren't just junk food. I thought if nuts and jerky. And then blank!

Could you take a small insulated bag and fill it with carrots, celery, radishes etc? It should be good enough the for time you are traveling. Those are items that can be left out for a few hours as well... think picnics where they are out for a couple hours for people to munch on.

 

[littlekiwi]

What snacks? @littlekiwi I'm struggling to think of shelf stable things that aren't just junk food. I thought if nuts and jerky. And then blank!

Admittedly most of my trips are half day ones at that so I tend to have just some pretzels, maybe a piece of fruit or a muesli/granola bar, some sweets sometimes and a drink as I’ve often eaten a meal just before leaving home but it totally depends on what catches my eye at the grocery store the day before I travel. Also I’m sometimes limited on what I can take depending on if I’m going through security for any domestic flights. My two longest trips have been over night ones to save money and maximise time wherever I’ve gone so I was sleeping for probably 80% of the time (I will say that those 12 hour bus trips won’t be repeated in a hurry - I paid for the deluxe seats which were great but it didn’t stop me feeling every bump, pothole, rough turn during those 12 hours and I did it twice in about 4 days)

 

[Nemla]

I don't know American trains, but hopefully they have some kind of fold up table, so you can keep hot drinks safe ( I assume that for such a long trip , the train has some kind of service, either brought to you ,or that you can go and get.
A camera phone, a note book ,a map of the route ( for your son to cross of every time you get to an "interesting" station ) trains slow down, take a photo out the window, then note the next station so you remember. Also experiment with photos, while you are driving fast .... it's fun I promise...
A must is Comfortable shoes . I know it sounds stupid, but feet get hot and uncomfortable.
Cheese sandwiches last, oranges quench thirst, as well as give you sugar ,and chocolate bars...well they are just nice ..
everything else that makes sense has already been said....

 

[michelepixels]

What snacks? @littlekiwi I'm struggling to think of shelf stable things that aren't just junk food. I thought if nuts and jerky. And then blank!

There are snack bars that are healthy. Like Lara Bars, which are mostly just dates and nuts. We have a whole aisle of snack bars in the natural foods section of Wegmans. Same with chips. Right here on my desk now I have a bag of cauliflower tortilla chips; company name is Real Food From The Ground Up. And I love Vegan Rob's sorghum brussels sprouts; better than Cheetos! Also you can bring whatever healthy cereal you like and munch on it dry. Carrots, celery, Clementine oranges (one of my favorite foods!!!), apples, bananas, . . . even avocados, which come with their own bowl!

 

[ad77]

@ad77 You said you ride trains a lot. Any tips for me?

Also, your post and our conversation was what inspired me to check the price of the train.

oh, that´s cool. I don´t know anything about equipment etc. in trains in US... What I always take with me -
in addition to what has already been mentioned - big scarf (the most versatile piece of clothes), tissues and wet wipes and enough drinking water (in case of an unexpected delay - but I guess the train you will travel with will have some restaurant wagon). And always notebook + pen + markers (as I´m getting quite interesting ideas in trains).

 

[bestcee]

And always notebook + pen + markers

OH! This is so smart! I totally didn't think about that!

And water is good. It's a moving vehicle, so I don't know how much water will be available? And at what price. I'm adding that to my list!

 

[bestcee]

Could you take a small insulated bag and fill it with carrots, celery, radishes etc? It should be good enough the for time you are traveling. Those are items that can be left out for a few hours as well... think picnics where they are out for a couple hours for people to munch on.

That's a good idea!

You can take a surprising amount of 'stuff' on a train, especially since there's two of us, so everything is doubled!

 

[bestcee]

hopefully they have some kind of fold up table, so you can keep hot drinks safe ( I assume that for such a long trip , the train has some kind of service, either brought to you ,or that you can go and get.

There's a table like an airline has, but it looks a little bigger. There is a dining car and a cafe, but I want to avoid that as much as possible since it's super expensive, and apparently is all microwaved food. We'll check it out, but I'm not holding much hope!

a map of the route

A must is Comfortable shoes . I know it sounds stupid, but feet get hot and uncomfortable.

Brilliant! I didn't think of these at all!

Right here on my desk now I have a bag of cauliflower tortilla chips; company name is Real Food From The Ground Up.

My husband bought them. I tried one but I couldn't get past the smell. Regular tortilla chips might work though!

 

[gonewiththewind]

The last time I was on an Amtrak train was when I was 15 and went from South Carolina up to Montreal and back. I remember very little of the train ride, other than at some points it was SUPER crowded and there was a drunk guy in our car yelling and causing a fuss.

 

[sberkan]

We did a vacation mostly by train about 5 years ago - VIA Rail and Amtrak. The biggest things we took away was the food was horrible, expensive and the lines for it were long so skip that and bring your own. We did a 24 hour train ride one day and just had a small cooler with food in it. If you freeze some bottles of water and put them in the cooler you will have drink later and it will keep the food cold now. Also - the bathrooms are horrible. Make sure you go before you get on and try to avoid them as much as possible (I know you can't on a 30 hour ride but minimal is better!). There are always boys who think they can pee standing up on a moving train but they can't and it smells like it. I love taking a shawl or whatever you want to call it because it is small and can be used as a wrap or a blanket.

 

[bellbird]

wow that is a long, long time to spend on any mode of transport! my only extra advice to what everyone said is to try to get up and move around to stretch out your back and legs as often as possible, if you're like me, you might think it's annoying for the others on the train but it's just something you have to get over - i hope there's some good scenery too