What I Learned From Traveling Across the Country by Train

Disclaimer: We are still in a pandemic! Do not travel if you know, or think, you have been exposed to COVID. Always wear your mask and follow social distancing and other guidelines!

If you had told me a few months ago that I would be traveling across the entire country by train, I would have just laughed.

But wait, I actually did that.

Traveling by train for a half hour, like the MBTA, or even a few hours, such as crossing state lines, is one thing. But traveling across the entire country- I’m talking east coast to west coast, is another entirely.

If you are going to embark on a trip like this, you have to just go for it. Because the more you look into it and think about it, the more you are going to push it away. Which brings me to my first point…

Traveling across the country by train is not for everyone

And thats ok! Just like eating dairy and running, not everyone will be able to handle it, or even want to handle it.

But if you have dreamed about seeing the country in this way. If you have been itching to buy that ticket but let yourself keep giving excuses, THIS IS YOUR SIGN. It may not be for everyone, but it could be for you.

You have to be okay with being uncomfortable

This is the reason why traveling across the country by train isn’t for everyone. The main reason is sleeping. Unless you get a sleeper car, but whats the fun in that?

It’s a given that sleeping while traveling, whether car, plane, or train, is not ideal and it won’t be your best nights sleep by any means. You can make it manageable with the right tools (ear plugs, melatonin) but I’m sorry there just isn’t a comfortable sleeping position on a train. I’ve tried them all and it doesn’t exist.

Also, I totally understand now the hype of going to sleep and waking up with the sun. Everyone was up once the sun had risen, and everyone went to sleep once the sun had set. It was like we were all in sync…anyway…

There are also no places to shower, or even change your clothes. (well actually, on the California Zephyr train there was a slightly larger bathroom with a seat, guess that passes as a place to change). Not saying you shouldn’t change your clothes, you just have to do so in the tiny ass train bathroom. Oh, and you also have to brush your teeth there too. So say goodbye to all of your fancy amenities at home, and personal space.

Which brings me to another point that makes most people uncomfortable, being around a ton of strangers! If you are in the coach cars then you will be sitting with other people. Like all the time. So yeah, people are people and will cough and snore and do people things that some other people find annoying. You just gotta live with it.

Yeah people are annoying, but talk with them anyway!

Due to the fact that you will be around strangers, sometimes strangers like to talk. Of course always be safe and assess the situation, but talk to people! There are going to be people from all walks of life on your train, embrace that.

Am I the only one who loves the idea of meeting as many people as possible? Every single human being on the planet is so complex and they all have stories to tell. Including you! Let others share their wisdom with you, and vice versa.

For example, we met this older gentleman who now lives in Florida, but is originally from Rhode Island, and he told us how he used to ride cattle or something in the Mid West. Totally wicked.

Also, you are locked in this huge metal moving compartment with these people for a few days. That kind of brings people close by default.

This is self explanatory, but put your phone down

The reason you travel long distance by train is to experience the views of your country. Because no one likes sitting on a train. So yes, there is wifi and cellular service on the train (at some points there isn’t! Such as the national parks) but put your damn phone away!!

We are already on our phones long enough as it is (my screentime is upward of 7 hours a day, shh) so give yourself a break, mentally, emotionally, and physically, from your mobile device.

You are on this cross country train riding experience, for the experience, so experience it! I’m not going to lie, I used my phone a ton for taking pictures and videos, but I only opened that Instagram app maybe twice, and that’s huge for me.

So tuck your phone away, get as comfortable as you physically can, and literally just look out the window. It’s that easy, because if you look away you will miss something.

For the best views, plop your bum in the observation car with the biggest windows and the best views on the entire train.

The best plans, come from having no plans

When me and my best friend booked this trip, we had not one plan. The only plan was to get on the train when our ticket said too. And honestly? It was kind of exciting.

To just go and not have a plan felt so free! I’m all about calendars and schedules and itineraries, but sometimes they can be so restricting and veering off of them feels so wrong. So to avoid that feeling, don’t have a plan at all!

This might freak some of you out, but isn’t the point of traveling by train to be spontaneous? Sure, look up some fun stuff to do, but go where the wind takes ya.

Traveling across the country by train is surprisingly easy?

I think most people avoid a trip like this because they assume it is hard. Well damn, if we lived our life by only doing things that were ‘easy’ our lives would be pretty boring wouldn’t it.

But actually, booking this trip, and experiencing it in the moment, was easier than I thought. We had booked everything, including a few nights stay at our destination, in about an hour.

I’m in the works of mapping out everything we did to book the trip (the post is lengthy, but the process is actually pretty quick). You can book your whole train ride on Amtrak, where you will be eating, sleeping and just living, and then all you have to do is book anything you want to do off of the train.

Once that is done, all you have to do is get on the train!

All I’m saying is, if you desire to travel across the country by train, because you want to experience the adventure of it, GET ON THAT. Again, traveling by train is not for everyone, but if you are reading this, then it is for you.

Check out the full trip video on my Instagram!