From Planning Your First Trip To Riding The Trains
Planning your first Amtrak adventure could lead to some questions; I had several when I started. After hundreds of train trips covering thousands of miles, I went from having inquiries to answers. Instead of hoarding that information, I wanted to share it with you.
In 2008, when I started, the only resources available to me were the Amtrak website and an online forum. The Amtrak’s site answered the big pitcher questions, and the panel answered the experience questions I had. When I posted a question on the forum, I found people were more excited to share their negativity than to answer questions. I hope you find this site to give you honest and informative answers to your questions.
If you can’t find your topic, please reach out, and I will try to help! With over 100,000 miles on the rails and over 600 trains, I have experienced most things.
Here the main topics I have up now. Feel free to search my blog posts, for they may have useful information among my travel stories. If you have any questions, please reach out.
Amtrak And COVID-19
Riding Amtrak Topics
Trip Planning
What you need to know when Amtrak trains with multiple route numbers
- If you plan a trip on the Texas Eagle, Lakeshore Limited, or Empire Builder and not for sure what train you should book? This article will help you sort things out.
How to save money on Amtrak tickets
- Want to save money with Amtrak? This page gives you the tools.
Amtrak gift cards
- Covering where to buy Amtrak gift cards and how to use them, and more.
Coach Class & Sleeper Accommodations
Coach Class
- The basics you need to know for coach class on regional and long-distance trains.
Superliner Roomettes
- This article covers Amtrak’s most common booked accommodation from size to what you need to know. The information is similar to the Viewliner Roomettes.
Amtrak Bedrooms
- Find out what you need to know about Amtrak’s largest accommodations, the bedroom.
General Amtrak Rooms (Sleeper) Questions
- An overview of Amtrak rooms, and the top 21 asked questions answered.
Onboard Experiences
Showers On Amtrak Trains
- This post goes over what you need to know about bathing on an Amtrak long-distance train.
Eating On Amtrak
Due to the pandemic, Amtrak is temporarily using flex dining on all long-distance trains but for the Auto train. Dining cars are closed to coach passengers. Amtrak trains and stations are cards only at this time; you need a credit or debit card.
Eating on Amtrak
Cafe Car
- Food on Long-Distance Trains
Traditional Dining Car (Trains West of the Mississippi and the Auto Train)
- Only the Auto Train has traditional dining; all other trains temporarily switch to flex dining.
Contemporary/Flex Dining (Trains East of the Mississippi)
Train Stations
Train Stations (General overview)
Unstaffed Stations
Platform Station
Staffed Station (coming soon)
Amtrak Auto Train
Other Helpful Tidbits
Why do the lights go off and on while on the train?
Amtrak route guides
- Not from my site, but these guides can add a lot to your trips if you like trivia and learning.
More articles are coming! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you learned a thing or two about riding Amtrak. If you have questions, please reach out and let me know!