Dos and Don'ts of Amtrak Travel - Square State Colorado

Dos and Don’ts of Amtrak Travel

September 28, 2024September 28, 2024Amtrak, Uncategorized Michelle@SquareState

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At the end of 2023 I made the decision to try to do all interstate travel via Amtrak. I’ve flown since I was an infant and so I have a life long experience with air travel. But in recent years the experience has been less than optimal. In fact, oftentimes it’s really sucked. I found myself worrying that I would get on a plane and a fight would break out (it has happened before). Or, I would get pulled aside (it has happened before) to have my carryon checked and up-charged while boarding, Or, my flight will hit crazy turbulence as we make our descent into Denver-this always happens. Basically, I just got tired of flying. It hasn’t felt like fun for awhile and unless I’m going overseas, I’m committing to train travel. And based on my recent trips, it’s clear that I’m not the only person who has made this choice. But there are a few dos and don’ts of Amtrak travel you do need to be aware and I thought that I would share those based on my experience.

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Union Station Denver

I’m very fortunate to live in a city that has a well thought out and developed Union Station. It has even completed a recent refresh in 2024, focused on expanding the space and creating a better experience for travelers and locals a like who would like to enjoy a nice meal, people watching or a sip a cocktail while watching the world go by.

When you take the Amtrak to Denver or depart from Denver, you’ll do it from Union Station. When I returned from my trip I made sure to ask some questions that I was curious about based on my travels.

Can You Store Your Luggage with Amtrak-Yes, there is an office where you can pay to store your luggage. If you’re traveling via Amtrak within the next 24 hours you can show your ticket and pay $10 per item. If you are NOT traveling via Amtrak, you’re still able to store your luggage for $20 an item.

Long Layover and Where Can I Shower?-So, I had this happen on my trip heading to New York City. I ended up with a 7 hour layover in Chicago. I ended up booking a ResortPass experience at an awesome hotel. I was able to shower (huge), soak in the hot tub and relax on the rooftop patio before making my way back to the train station. You can do the same in Denver! There are several hotels typically available on the platform that are within walking distance of the station.

Overnight Layover-There’s a number of hotels in the area including The Crawford Hotel that is a part of Union Station.

Where to Eat? There are a large number of restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance of the station as well as within Union Station.

I’ve shared some details specific to the experience in Denver. I would like to share some more insight based on visiting a number of stations across the United States. The experience can vary, but I think there’s some commonalities.

Amtrak Dos

Traveling by train in the United States is an incredible experience. I do feel like the United States has a huge opportunity now and into the future to expand train travel and invest more resources into the experience. The trains were BOOKED and busy this summer and I was on 6 different trains during my most recent trip.

The Logistics

Do expect to share a seat-If you are traveling solo or have an odd numbered group, be prepared to have a bonus person sitting with you. The trains were sold out on basically each leg of my trip this summer. I made sure to stand by people that I thought I would be comfortable sitting with.

Do bring hand wipes-This was the one item that I forgot and regretted. I wear contacts. Touching the bathroom door, or removing my contacts in my seat just felt so unsanitary. And there were just moments when I wanted to wipe my hands off.

Do bring an eye mask-I can sleep anywhere. Seriously. But I was able to sleep much better on the train in the coach section wearing an eye mask. Bring ear plugs too! I did find the cars incredibly quite once quiet hours started.

Do prepare for NO INTERNET SERVICE-This one surprised me to be honest. I noticed a lot of people using mobile hot spots so that they could do what they needed to online. My cell service had no coverage in a huge part of Iowa (the entire state) so just keep this in mind as you’re planning your trip. I should have brought a mobile hotspot router with me.

What Else To Consider

There are some additional things to be aware of as you plan your first or next trip via Amtrak.

Stay Focused-Boarding and departing your train happens quickly! Be prepared to get on or off the train when it’s time to do so.

There is a (Typically) a Viewing Car to watch the world go by-This feature became incredibly important during one of the legs of my trip when I had a seat without windows. I’m not making this up. My seat mate and I were likely, this can’t be happening?! We both ended up staying in the Viewing Car for most of the trip until a large number of people departed and we were able to move our seats.

How to Pay for Stuff? I would strongly encourage you to bring at least $50 in cash with you. Why? Because sometimes technology goes down on the train. On one of the legs of my trip they could only take cash at the cafe car because the internet went down. Then tap, digital wallet or card works.

Wear Your Shoes-I don’t understand the urge to completely take off your shoes on the train and be barefoot. Bring a pair of cozy shoes and a shoe bag to put them in so that you don’t get germs on your stuff. I’m not a germaphobe. Just remember that people walk onto the train from outside, the bathroom cars are bathroom cars LOL! Stuff gets on the floor and then onto your shoes. There’s also the opportunity to hurt or cut your feet without footwear. There were announcements about wearing your shoes on every train that I was on. What is going on with people?

Amtrak Don’ts

There are a few Don’ts that we need to cover before you take your first Amtrak trip.

Don’t forget a copy of your ticket-And check your digital wallet, I discovered that my tickets synched to the wallet after purchase.

Don’t eat stinky things in the coach-Seriously, I love eating stink foods. BUT, don’t eat tuna salad and then put the tuna can by your foot and forget it’s there. True story, it happened.

Don’t be judgmental of the other passengers-I’ve met some of the coolest people on the train from all walks of life. People that I wouldn’t necessarily connect with in my regular daily life. I’ve observed Mennonites playing UNO like people play Dominos, I’ve spoken with elderly Black men exploring the world via train after the death of a loved one. Just be prepared to make unexpected connections.

Don’t Make the Attendants Jobs Hard-They are pretty friendly and tasked to keep us safe. Don’t be an a$$hole.

Don’t trash your area-Some people are messy. Don’t be that person. It’s gross and unnecessary.

Don’t wander off-There are a few breaks where people can get fresh air, some people smoke and others want to step foot in a state that they’ve never been in before. Those stops are timed and you don’t want to be the person who’s left behind because you wandered off.

Don’t assume that the train station is open at night-I’m very careful when traveling to a location that’s new to me. I almost NEVER arrive in the middle of the night. I like to see where I’m at. During a recent train trip to Charlotte, North Carolina the train arrived around 2:30 am. My hotel wouldn’t let me check until 4:00 pm. So, I decided to hang out at the Train Depot until sunrise so that I could see where I was at. Annoyingly, I discovered a beautiful new Starbucks across the street that I could have worked from starting around 5:00 am. I was lucky that I wasn’t kicked out of the station. I had a Plan B…but, it wasn’t ideal.

Train Travel is Popular in the US

It may surprise you to find that train travel is making a comeback in the US. I think that there are a lot of people like myself who are tired of the tension that seems to be connected to air travel currently in the United States. I want to enjoy the experience of travel when possible. Taking the train is allowing me to take back some of the joy of traveling. The feeling of joy of the journey.