I’ve tripped across the United States by train and flown from coast to coast, so when we made plans to travel to New Orleans this past spring, I knew I wanted to go by train. I’ve had overnight train travel experiences in Norway and Kenya, and it seemed implausible that I had yet to enjoy slow train travel in my own country.
And so we booked our tickets for a trip aboard the Sunset Limited, an Amtrak train which runs from Los Angeles to New Orleans over the course of nearly 48 hours. Now a veteran of long-distance train travel on three continents, I feel confident in offering the following train travel tips:
For Train Travel in General
1. Pack snacks. Some trains have dining cars, but not all of them have edible food or the food is astronomically expensive. You may also be able to buy snacks, but chances are they aren’t all that healthy, and the selection might be poor. When you’re stuck on a train track 12 hours from anywhere, the last thing you want is to be hungry, so come prepared with a variety of stuff to nibble on. Bonus points for healthy snacks, especially because you’re not going to get a lot of exercise on board.
