Solo Amtrak travel

[Minnesota!]

Hello people!

I have far more PTO than anyone else in my house does and I am ready to travel again. I used to take the train 2x a week to/from my college town. I loved it and always felt safe.

I am considering taking myself on a cross-country trek, via Amtrak. Just LITERALLY riding the rails. No plans in any one city, only planning to switch trains and continue on to the next "end of the line" destination.

I have done a ton of reading and research on it, thus far, but now I am looking for "real life" experiences. Have you done something similar? Have you done it solo? I would probably get a roomette for the longer sections and then a seat for the shorter (under 12 hours).

I wouldn't be on a set timetable, so them always running behind wouldn't bug me. But...safety? Of my personal stuff/space, and of the train itself. Has a ton changed on board since the late 90s?

Thoughts, experiences, warnings?

Thanks for anything you can contibute

 

[Kitty 34]

I took the train, like you, back and forth to Chicago when going to school there years ago. I loved it. There's some neat Youtube videos on riding the rails. I would do it and feel safe.

 

[slo]

I have nothing to contribute, except to say, that I’d love to do this too. It sounds so relaxing and from what I understand, you’d see some great scenery. I’m interested to see what others say that have done this.

 

[Minnesota!]

I have nothing to contribute, except to say, that I’d love to do this too. It sounds so relaxing and from what I understand, you’d see some great scenery. I’m interested to see what others say that have done this.

This is what sparked it. I am at a point in my life where I just need someone else to "do the driving" while I just take in beautiful scenery. I am at a crossroads as far as my job, my education, and now my kids have decided to grow up, too....so, just want to take a break from everything for a bit and decompress and get some solid time to think. And not do dishes

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I have taken the train to Orlando many times, mostly in a roomette. They're great during the day, roomy seat, privacy, etc. I find the beds very narrow for sleeping. I am plus-sized, but even so these beds are *skinny.* That's my only caveat. I love taking the train...wish I could talk my sister into it.

 

[Minnesota!]

I have taken the train to Orlando many times, mostly in a roomette. They're great during the day, roomy seat, privacy, etc. I find the beds very narrow for sleeping. I am plus-sized, but even so these beds are *skinny.* That's my only caveat. I love taking the train...wish I could talk my sister into it.

FUN!! Thank you for the first hand info. I assume you feel safe on it, as a solo traveler (and woman..), to have done is more than once?

 

[laeeyore]

Hi:
I have done many long distance AMTRAK trips, though none since Covid so i cant speak to any changes from that. I have gone from LA(home) to Chicago and back 3 times and LA to Seattle and back once for my husbands birthday. It is a really great experience and provided you have the right kind of personality you'll love it. You really have to be able to just unplug and unwind and be good with chilling for a while. There is nothing to do except read, watch movies, sleep and eat. This was fine for me but my husband got antsy quickly and it wasnt so much fun for him. I would recommend a roomette for the whole trip. They are more expensive but your meals are included along with a nicer bathroom, shower and privacy. Coach can get interesting and there are a lot of characters on the train. Not nessecarily a bad thing but it can be hard to relax and unwind in those cars.
Safety wise i never felt uncomfortable. I have travelled alone, with my mother, solo with my 2 year old and with my husband. I have never felt unsafe. I would recommend you watch your valubles though. The doors to the roomettes do not lock so just dont leave anything very expensive or precious lying out in full view and you'll be ok.
Bring lots of books, videos entertainment etc but know that outside of the Northeast there is usually no WiFi and very little cell signal depending on the location. However i will say that just looking out the window is the best entertainment. You'll see so many things you would never see by car. I would spend a lot of time just looking out the window with my book on my lap.
I hope you do get to do your trip and have a great time. Train travel is something i think everyone should try at least once. You truly get an idea of how huge and diverse our country is!

 

[Minnesota!]

Hi:
I have done many long distance AMTRAK trips, though none since Covid so i cant speak to any changes from that. I have gone from LA(home) to Chicago and back 3 times and LA to Seattle and back once for my husbands birthday. It is a really great experience and provided you have the right kind of personality you'll love it. You really have to be able to just unplug and unwind and be good with chilling for a while. There is nothing to do except read, watch movies, sleep and eat. This was fine for me but my husband got antsy quickly and it wasnt so much fun for him. I would recommend a roomette for the whole trip. They are more expensive but your meals are included along with a nicer bathroom, shower and privacy. Coach can get interesting and there are a lot of characters on the train. Not nessecarily a bad thing but it can be hard to relax and unwind in those cars.
Safety wise i never felt uncomfortable. I have travelled alone, with my mother, solo with my 2 year old and with my husband. I have never felt unsafe. I would recommend you watch your valubles though. The doors to the roomettes do not lock so just dont leave anything very expensive or precious lying out in full view and you'll be ok.
Bring lots of books, videos entertainment etc but know that outside of the Northeast there is usually no WiFi and very little cell signal depending on the location. However i will say that just looking out the window is the best entertainment. You'll see so many things you would never see by car. I would spend a lot of time just looking out the window with my book on my lap.
I hope you do get to do your trip and have a great time. Train travel is something i think everyone should try at least once. You truly get an idea of how huge and diverse our country is!

This is EXACTLY what I was hoping to hear! I NEED this kind of experience to clear my head of some stuff. I am very good at just sitting and watching and thinking. And, my hope is to do some writing and such along the way. I appreciate you taking the time to give me some advice!

 

[BlueStarryHat]

FUN!! Thank you for the first hand info. I assume you feel safe on it, as a solo traveler (and woman..), to have done is more than once?

Oh, yes! I also find that when you're traveling solo the attendants really pay attention to you and make sure you're okay.

 

[cabanafrau]

Sounds interesting.

I have zero desire to sleep on a train at night. DH and I are looking to travel on the Rocky Mountaineer to be able to kick back and enjoy the sights all day, then rest and shower in a hotel at night before reboarding to continue travel. It's definitely on our plan in a few years when we'll be able to resume serious travel again.

 

[Cadiewampus]

This is what sparked it. I am at a point in my life where I just need someone else to "do the driving" while I just take in beautiful scenery. I am at a crossroads as far as my job, my education, and now my kids have decided to grow up, too....so, just want to take a break from everything for a bit and decompress and get some solid time to think. And not do dishes

Sounds like fun. You need to do a vlog and keep us updated. Last time I was on a train was 52 years ago in 7th grade. You may have inspried me to look into this.

 

[Sacahara]

Not the exact thing but I once took Amtrak from MS to DC for the cherry blossom festival (back in 2015, I think?). I booked a sleeper and it was a lot of fun! For meal times, I was sat with random solo travelers and got to talk all about the trip and future and past ones. It really took me out of my comfort zone which is what I was trying to achieve with this trip.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I long distance train travel but have done most of it in Europe. Longest Amtrak trips were NYC to Orlando and we throughly enjoyed it. Yes, to roomettes! If you’d like, a pic of the space is available online via blogs. I can point you in the right direction if you wish.

Purchase a longer charger cable as at least for the East coast trains the only plug is located by the bathroom mirror. Also a multi charger adaptor so you can simultaneously charge multiple devices could be useful.

A s/s thermos can be useful to hold hot or cold beverages.

The brownies at the cafe are divine and sellout early in the trip.

 

[laeeyore]

This is EXACTLY what I was hoping to hear! I NEED this kind of experience to clear my head of some stuff. I am very good at just sitting and watching and thinking. And, my hope is to do some writing and such along the way. I appreciate you taking the time to give me some advice!

No problem! I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[LuvOrlando]

The episode of Sheldon going on an adventure comes to mind, made me smile - have fun!

 

[jimmymc]

I know a few people who did the train from Seattle to Chicago and loved it.

More info: In any sleeper class on Amtrak, including roomettes, three meals a day are included in the fare. The largest rooms have their own full bathroom, others have a half bath, and the roomettes have a sink. There are also showers and restrooms in the sleeper car. The cross-country trains will usually have an observation car that anyone is available to sit in and a snack bar that you can buy things from in-between meals. Alcohol is included at dinner and available for purchase at other times. The longest stop you'll get is 45 minutes to an hour, so you don't really have a chance to explore without leaving the train.

 

[bcla]

The longest I’ve gone was on the Coast Starlight solo from Seattle to Emeryville. I’ll just say it was uneventful, which is not a bad thing. I’ve also gone from my area to Los Angeles or ARTIC (Anaheim) either solo with the kiddo, but those were bus/train combinations. Also an overnight of Emeryville to Santa Barbara on the Coast Starlight followed by an overnight bus back, although technically it was a bus-train with a short train segment that I actually skipped (just Oakland to Emeryville). I didn’t really need to take the train since the bus stopped in Emeryville before heading to Oakland, but my reservation expected that I would take the bus to Oakland and then a short train ride back to Emeryville.

A lot of my travels were booked with points that I accumulated for a few years commuting on Amtrak. I’ve since run out of points. But I have a lot of experience riding Amtrak.

A good resource is the Amtrak Unlimited forum. They have a guest forum but also several that require registration. The guest forum is primarily for guests to ask travel questions if they’re hesitant to register.

https://www.amtraktrains.com/forums/guest-forum-for-amtrak-questions.124/


There is the USA Rail Pass that allows up to 10 “segments” in a 30 day period from the first travel, and valid up to 180 days from purchase. It’s possible to reserve on the fly, and I think they may also have paid upgrade options for sleepers. Strike that - only coach now. But it’s all on a space available booking where I understand there are limited seats for those booking with passes. That might not work that well for random travel. I think that may also be the last of Amtrak’s “hard” tickets that have to be presented on their ticket stock. On second thought, they changed that policy and it looks like they now have electronic ticketing that can use a printout, their app, etc.


https://www.amtrak.com/tickets/departure-rail-pass.html

It should be possible to mix and match rides on a pass with other rides booked separately.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

In June 2022 I did Seattle to LA Union Station solo on Amtrak. I had a roomette I wrote a detailed report with photos here https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...2022-updated-complete-final-thoughts.3888833/

 

[Dan Murphy]

Sure sounds good to me, MN. I'd like to do similar, if I was 30 years younger. Enjoy .

In June 2022 I did Seattle to LA Union Station solo on Amtrak. I had a roomette I wrote a detailed report with photos here https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...2022-updated-complete-final-thoughts.3888833/

Very interesting and informative, BPT2.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

The California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville is nice. You're usually asleep during the boring parts and awake for the scenic parts.