What comforts of home do you do you bring with you on your Amtrak stay?

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Kbyrdleroydogg

Train Attendant
Joined
May 27, 2017
Messages
94
Location
Chicago, IL
Whether a coach seat or staying in a bedroom or roomette, what comforts of home do you bring with you on your Amtrak stay that make it more comfortable? Do you have a certain blanket, pillow, and slippers you must bring? But do you bring certain sleepwear with little trains on them? Are there stuff you hang in your roomette or bedroom to make it seem like home? Do tell please.
 
A smallish cooler--for good beer (often local beers purchased at stops along the way--don't forget to pack a bottle opener!) and real milk for my tea. Also oolong and nighttime herbal tea bags, and a small hot pot to heat water for tea. Ample assortment of reading material. Clothes suitable for too-warm and too-cool temps in the train. For LD trips, I usually travel by roomette--for a long coach trip, the must-haves might be different.
 
I often bring backpacking-type food and minimal gear to "cold soak" the appropriate meals when necessary (if the kitchen is bad-ordered or it runs out of food).

It's an acquired taste, but very efficient. Some of these meals are actually rather tasty if you get over the fact that they're not heated. You can "make" them (rehydrating) sitting at a table in a lounge car, or in a sleeping compartment. My favorites involve freeze dried veggies, legumes, and well spiced broths or gravies. And some meals don't need the cold-soak method and more resemble those seen last year on the LSL.

Backpackers have to "go cold" when travelling the backcountry in areas where fires and stoves are prohibited due to fire hazards. We do better than just survive.

Sure beats AmStew. So along with some extra clothes when temps fluctuate on trains, that's what I bring to add a home touch for one or more meals enroute when necessary.
 
I always bring a little fan as sometimes it gets warm in the roomettes plus I like the white noise. I also bring a sarong or scarf for a lightweight cover for when I get the room too cold from the fan.
 
Because I am in international traveller my l ist is quite basic, but relevant I think. I always have a couple of inflatable pillows, a thin fluffy blanket, my power strip, water flavours and a water bottle, a couple of snack packs of tuna and bickies, snacks, fruit, can never get fruit on the train, a couple of sachet meals, generally curries or stroganoff, they can be warmed by simply putting on top of the coffee urn if it is turned on, just leave them there for 10 mins or so, my kindle, a tablet with a few hundred episodes and movies on it, headphones, bluetac..........I use this for ear plugs and to stop rattles etc, it will fit into my day pack, so its not an exhaustive pile of stuff for me to lug around. Always in a roomette. Have had grapefruit at brekky sometimes, but not always. A sarong is essential when travelling, never travel without one, most versatile thing ever. Oh and a thermos, they will fit it with boiling water if you ask, perfect for cup noodles and a cuppa when you need one.
 
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Kindle - easier to bring 4-5 books with me, and I like that I can read at night without turning the room light on

Melatonin and earplugs to help me sleep

My (slim, light) laptop - I only use it at my destination, though. I rarely open it on the train since I can use my phone to look up any information I need.

I pack as lightly as possible. I hate carrying a bunch of stuff.
 
I go through considerable effort to bring a blanket and a pillow. They fit in a duffle bag that goes on the handle of my roll-aboard. If I am spending almost $900 for one night (as on the Coast Starlight), I want the bed to be comfortable.
 
I take a folded up (goes in a small case) fleece blanket just in case the sleeper is cold (or something happens and I wind up in coach - years back coming home after Christmas, the engine and a couple sleepers "derailed" at St. Louis and while we barely knew that they had, they were bad-ordered and we all got moved to coach....). Something that will serve as a pillow in an emergency. Often this is a stuffed animal (I have a small "Squishmallow" brand sloth that works admirably for this). And yeah, I am one of those people who travel with a small stuffed animal....pure comfort of home, something to hold on to, something that reminds me of home.

Earplugs and a dark eyeshade, because even in a roomette I don't sleep that well
Enough books (I have not updated to an e-reader yet)
Slippers so I can take my shoes off in my room and still be comfortable.
A glasses case to stow my eyeglasses in at night so I don't worry about them breaking. (I wear them all the time while I am awake so usually needing a case is not a thing for me)
 
I always bring a small flashlight. It is helpful if you wake up during the night and don't want to turn on a light and wake up your roommate. I assume it would also be helpful in an emergency. I also use it to look under the roomette seats just before we vacate the roomette to be sure that we haven't left something behind.

Unfortunately it is sometimes discouraging to look under the roomette seats and see what the cleaning crew missed.
 
I bring one of those 50x60" fleece throws. It works as an extra blanket or to cuddle up in the daytime. I don't mind the Amtrak pillow, at all. I pretty much only travel in winter, so my nightwear is a long dark plaid flannel nightie that covers up EVERYTHING for those nighttime walks from the roomette to the toilet (if in coach, it is sweat pants and a t-shirt).

To entertain myself, I load my iPad with at least one or two library books (all free, using an app called "Libby" from my state library). Once I brought my work laptop and hours of raw digital video files, spent the whole east bound train ride across the country making notes about clips and writing the script for a six-minute video. I am now happily retired, and enjoy reading, taking photos, watching the scenery and socializing on the train, none of which requires me to carry very much stuff...

Oh and a thermos, they will fit it with boiling water if you ask, perfect for cup noodles and a cuppa when you need one.

Ohmigosh, they fill your thermos for you? And don't demand to hand you the water by the paper cup-full? I had given up on my own tea on the train, since they would not directly fill my thermal mug for me, always insisting on giving me the water in an Amtrak cup. Perhaps a thermos is a different matter, since you cannot drink out of it. I must try that and see, next winter... I would not mind putting my teabag in the thermos, and then having yet MORE tea to sip as I watch the snowy plains slide by on the east bound Empire Builder!
 
I bring one of those 50x60" fleece throws. It works as an extra blanket or to cuddle up in the daytime. I don't mind the Amtrak pillow, at all. I pretty much only travel in winter, so my nightwear is a long dark plaid flannel nightie that covers up EVERYTHING for those nighttime walks from the roomette to the toilet (if in coach, it is sweat pants and a t-shirt).

To entertain myself, I load my iPad with at least one or two library books (all free, using an app called "Libby" from my state library). Once I brought my work laptop and hours of raw digital video files, spent the whole east bound train ride across the country making notes about clips and writing the script for a six-minute video. I am now happily retired, and enjoy reading, taking photos, watching the scenery and socializing on the train, none of which requires me to carry very much stuff...



Ohmigosh, they fill your thermos for you? And don't demand to hand you the water by the paper cup-full? I had given up on my own tea on the train, since they would not directly fill my thermal mug for me, always insisting on giving me the water in an Amtrak cup. Perhaps a thermos is a different matter, since you cannot drink out of it. I must try that and see, next winter... I would not mind putting my teabag in the thermos, and then having yet MORE tea to sip as I watch the snowy plains slide by on the east bound Empire Builder!

YMMV about that hot water. I've never found anyone in the dining car willing to fill a thermos (rather than an Amcup).
 
I stay in bedrooms mostly. Small cooler filled with ice and drinks before boarding, ear plugs, shampoo, some tape and a cardboard pizza box top as recommended to cover vent if its freezing. When bed is made up I ask for all 4 pillows and extra blanket. I only carry my phone and a scanner so no power strip necessary.
 
Ohmigosh, they fill your thermos for you? And don't demand to hand you the water by the paper cup-full?
Never really had an issue, I use my best Aussie accent and fluff my grey hair and tell them I need it for my decaf, and they have always been amenable. I do realise this is unusual. I will see how I go with it when I do the Eagle next year.
I dont take home comforts really, just things to make my trip a little easier.
I never wear pyjamas, leggings and a t shirt all the way, comfy slip on shoes I just take off, I dont have issues with temperature generally, so huge blankets and soft pillows are not my thing, my throw is pretty small and I generally only have it for my long haul flights anyhow, so it comes, I use both mattresses on the train as I am solo, makes for a much nicer bed experience.
I do go to the Sightseer lounge a bit, half the day generally if it isnt too crowded with people lying all over the floor.
I also take some beading projects, I am one of 'those' people.
 
Is there any place on silver meteor and NEC to get hot water or hot coffee throughout the day? I can't quite remember from last time.

For long distance travel I think the key is to have comfortable lounge wear that look presentable to strangers.
 
You can get hot water and hot coffee from the cafe car during operating hours. At night, afraid you're out of luck. The Thermos suggestion might not be such a bad idea....

If I remember correctly, I should note that cafe car hours on most Amtrak trains are between 6am and 11pm. Keep in mind most cafe cars shut down, a little bit before the train hits the end of its route. I.e. on Empire Builder #8/28(east to Chicago) it was right after Glenview when both the cafe car AND the sightseer lounge/observation car closed, and when I rode #29 Capitol Limited west to Chicago the staff closed the cafe car around Chesterton, IN(between South Bend and Chicago, in NW Indiana).
 
I am fairly minimalist, but that's because I like to travel as light as possible.

I do like to get some decent healthy snacks, especially as insurance if there are any issues with the meal service. In Chicago, I really like the selection of food at the Amazon Go store in the Ogilvie Transportation Center (500 West Madison). It's all packaged to go, which makes it very convenient.
 
Yeah you’re right that a cell phone provides a flashlight. I still carry a small high powered one. Logically I don’t need to anymore, but I do. Having said that, and in a similar vein, this trip last week, BRH-OSD, was the first time I didn’t print my ticket, but relied on my phone’s digital imagery for my ticket documentation. All went fine. So, maybe on my n TX train experience I will forego the separate flashlight and rely on my iphone’s Flashlight app!! :))
 
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