Departure: Outer Journey

It was a very strange feeling traveling to get on a train at 6pm, knowing I would be boarding a train at later that evening. I’ve only taken a train one other time, and we left early in the morning, so I was a little nervous about sleeping on a train through the night. I was lucky enough to carpool with my friends to the train station, and we all got each other excited for the trip. We talked about what we wanted to do on our free day and all the places and things we wanted to see. When Kendra, Marcy, and I arrived at the train station, I felt a little better seeing all of my other classmates there. I texted my mom that we had made it, and that’s when it hit me that we would be in New Orleans in less than 24 hours.

When we boarded the train, we got settled. We put our bags above us and got our blankets and pillows ready to sleep. My classmates and I discovered that the train seats provided us more room than we imagined. We discovered different foot rests and mechanisms that would help us sleep better. The only problem was, none of us were tired. We sat and talked for an hour or so, and then I moved to listening to music. Nothing could make me tired, so I was starting to feel like I would never sleep. If you are traveling on an Amtrak train, here are 10 tips for sleeping on a train.

Around 6 in the morning I was woken up by the train crew announcing a stop over the intercom. Kendra, Marcy, and I headed to the bathroom for the first time since getting on the train. My first experience in a train bathroom was not the most glamorous, but I was thankful to get out of my seat and stretch my legs. We headed back to our seats and instantly fell asleep. I ended up sleeping until 8 AM. I’m very thankful that I got some more sleep. Overall, I’ve enjoyed the train ride, but I miss my bed and dog back home.

Inside of the Train