Ten Secrets to Sleeping in Coach!
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2024
- @winkles-moose2022
If you're considering taking an Amtrak train cross-country in coach, you've come to the right place for advice and ideas. While riding in a sleeper car is easy, coach cars can be a bit more challenging. Be sure to read this quick guide to learn about Inflatable Foot Rests. I also have a longer version that provides more detailed information, so be sure to check it out. Thank you for reading!
Our Journey:
Winkles and Moose's Amtrak Adventures was inspired by my Grandfather's time working on the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1918 due to a common railroad accident. He worked as a lineman in Crestline, Ohio, a main hub for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). My dad would often take Santa Fe's El Capitan to visit his mother in Huntington, Indiana via Chicago. During my father's last 6 months in hospice, we watched countless CZcams videos about Amtrak adventures, Pennsylvania Railroad history, and travel blogs. He always wanted to go on "one more trip", but it was not feasible, so we watched our favorite CZcams channels instead. With a little free time, I decided to take "one more trip" with Moose, my grandchildren's long-distance phone buddy. We embarked on a "Where's Moose?" experience, traveling over 6,000 miles, visiting 119 cities and 18 states, and sleeping in coach for six nights. Most videos feature first-class accommodations, but these are my ten tips for coach travel.
Our Mission:
We make videos about Amtrak Coach seats because we believe there is a need to address passenger comfort, accessibility, safety, and overall travel experience. Understanding the features, amenities, and potential improvements of Coach seats can enhance the journey for passengers and help Amtrak provide better service.
Accessibility in terms of income is another crucial aspect to consider when discussing Amtrak Coach seats.
Ensuring affordability and options for individuals across various income levels promotes inclusivity and enables more people to access rail travel as a viable transportation option.
#amtrak ,#amtraktrain, #traintravel , #trainrides , #amtraktrains , #amtrakcoach #glaciernationalpark #spacex #santabarbara , #sanluisobispo #amtrak ,#amtraktrain, #unionstation , #amtrakadventures
Helpful Links:
1) Amtrak Official Website: The main website for booking tickets, checking schedules, and accessing general information about Amtrak services. www.amtrak.com/
2) Route Maps: Amtrak's route maps showcase their network across the United States. www.amtrak.com...
3) Timetables: Access train schedules and timetables for various Amtrak routes. www.amtrak.com...
4) Destinations Guide: Information on popular destinations served by Amtrak trains. www.amtrak.com...
5) Amtrak Guest Rewards: Amtrak's loyalty program for earning points while traveling. www.amtrak.com...
6) Onboard Experience: Details about what to expect on board, amenities, and services provided during your journey. www.amtrak.com...
7) Baggage Information: Guidelines and policies regarding baggage allowance and requirements. www.amtrak.com...
8) Special Offers & Deals: Check for current discounts, promotions, and special offers on Amtrak travel. www.amtrak.com...
9) Accessibility Services: Information on accessibility and assistance for passengers with disabilities. www.amtrak.com...
10) Contact Information: For inquiries, reservations, and customer service. www.amtrak.com... HB
Hey team, I just released a new version, with less music and hopefully better sound. I’m slowly learning from all your input, 😊.
You have one of the best VLOGS for traveloing Atrak Coach.
Thank you, I’m working on it, haha!
Thanks for posting…. Got my first overnight in coach in a couple of months and you have answered all my questions! I’m 6’5’’ tall so I’m imagining it as being a bit more comfortable than trying to sleep in economy on an airline…
Glad it was helpful! If your 6'5" I'd look to get at the front of the car, albeit noisy, but much more room and/or hopefully you'll get two seats to yourself and you can sit diagonally. Don't be afraid to ask to move around, depending on the attitude of the crew.
I have never heard of an inflatable foot rest! This will really help when I decide to buy those $499 Rail Passes. Thanks!
I hadn’t either, they’re like $25 , we’ll worth it.
Maybe the best Hearing Impairment Simulator on CZcams
Check out my new version or updated version, corrected the sound issues😀😀
That was great thank you for that I have a 3 day trip coming up and this really helped me. Screw those complainers that were talking about the music, you did great.
Haha, thanks, if you can find it, I did update this video with better sound and some more CC notes.
Haha, thanks, just an FYI, I did update a new version with better sound . Slowly learning.
Very interesting. I enjoyed this.
Thanks
As a dude without any problem of sleeping and as always sleept seated i find it easy👍 but thanks for the video
Your lucky!
Please lose the music or turn it down.
Check out my new version of “Ten Secrets”, I did that, much easier to listen to.
@@winkles-moose2022 I really liked the music, but maybe just a tiny bit less volume. good choice though, and thank you, great video!
@@robertgulfshores4463 Thanks for the response, knowing my first go at it was a little rough, I released an updated version.
Thanks as a first time train traveler in coach this was very helpful
Great, I’m glad it helped. I hope you had a good trip.
Good information dude. Thanks.
Thanks, hope you have a good trip.
Thanks for this. I am travelling in coach on the SW Cheif starting in San Jose with a Bus to Stockton then the San Joaqin to Bakersfield and a Bus to Los Angeles tomorrow. On the return the SW Chief then Coast Starlight Roomette to San Jose if its running.
For my Coach Trip I bought a Blanket(Blue Hills) Nap Fun Collapsable Neck Pillow , Eyeshades , Airline Socks , comfortable clothes, Reusable Coffee Mug, Waterbottle , Nosie Cancelling Headphones, Yoga Pants , Washcloth , Soap Bar and Toiletries. I also bought a surge protector with multiple outlets to charge my laptop and phone. All ready to go.
The new seats look cofmortable. As the train is 50 percent full I hope that no one will sit next to me on the lower level. I love the legroom, legrest that comes up and the deep recline.
Sounds great! And it looks like you’re prepared. The front seats on the first level have the most legroom for sleeping, although they sometimes block them for handicap seating. The roomette should be no problem, remember you get free meals.also you get free access to the Metropolitan Lounge, a nice plus!
Almost hate to share this secret, for fear too many will start doing this, but booking lower coach gives you a more quiet environment 🤔
I'll have to give that a try, how are the view down there?
You're definitely not going to hear the doors all night!
Lower coach seats are usually reserved for passengers with some kind of disability. If you don't have one, then book an upper coach seat and don't take a seat from someone who has a mobility problem. The views are worse down there, anyway.
Good point, I guess you could check with the conductor. Usually when people board they walk right by the lower level.
On my trip in September, I brought a set of wireless noise-cancelling headphones and it made all the difference. Taking a melatonin gummy before turning in helped too. I also recommend, if you're traveling alone, taking an aisle seat, so you don't have to bother a neighbor if you need to exit your seat at night.
How was the leg room?
@@winkles-moose2022 Very good, much better than any domestic airline seat. You could recline the seat back about 45 degrees and there was a footrest that unfolded from below the front of the seat.
@@winkles-moose2022 Very good, much better than any domestic airline seat. You could recline the seat back about 45 degrees and there was a footrest that unfolded from below the front of the seat.
yeah, great vid save music...Blanket/good hoodie, pillow, ear plugs and small bottle of Crown. I did zephyr with a roommette a couple of yrs ago...fantastic. Did CHI to NOLA in coach...hopefully choo choo is half full and you can stretch out. Safe travels!!
How was your experience in coach going to NOLA? Did they have a observation car attached?
@@winkles-moose2022 Man I grew up riding that train, so all I know is coach on that line! Yes they had the observation car. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks.
There’s something wrong with the audio. The voice is hard to understand.
I heard that from other listeners, so I released an updated version. Gave it the second try, I’ve heard😯it’s better. Search for the “New Version…”. Sorry, I didn’t want to take down the old version yet, due to ongoing conversations.
Thanks.
I brought a "doggy bed" that I used to lay across the two seats. Unfortunately, on the last trip, the attendant made me remove it because we had too many more passengers coming on board and she wanted the other seat free should she have to place one of the new passengers next to me. For trips where the ridership is low, such should not be a problem. If you can't do that. but you can still lay across two seats, bring some kind of spacer to put UNDER your seat to make it level with the seat's foot rest. If you can curl up on the two seats it makes it much more comfortable if the seat is level with the foot rest. ALSO I found I could more restfully just sleep on the floor since it's level. One can use a small blow up cushion, if needed. But using even the bare floor was MUCH better than trying to sleep on one or two of those seats. ALWAYS bring a pillow!
Great input, I found it really depended on the attitude of the crew, if you were close to a major city they got a little more uptight. I moved back once, just to find a couple seats. If only they'd give us about 10 more inches of legroom.
I'm going to be taking my very first train 🚉 ride to California and this helps me a lot tysm for sharing 😊❤
Enjoy!
Great info! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for these tips. It was a little hard to hear over your music.
Thanks for the comment, I need to reset the sound. Figuring all this out! 😂
Here's my tip for a trip on the Empire Line from Chicago to Seattle. Bring gallon-size zip-lock bags. They're really helpful to put clothing sets, or make kits for a meal, grooming items to take to restroom, or the slippers. I used the gallon bags to their most useful when I took a Zip-Lock shower and washed my hair. After so much time on the train during the height of summer, there's nothing like a shower. One thing on the train is that the water is hot. In the changing room there were two sinks. I took my shampoo, towels, change of clothes and two gallon-size baggies, and filled both with water and poured one over my head in the sink, scrubbed, zipped it closed, and put my dirty laundry in it, and then used the other to rinse off with more hot water, dried myself and the counter, rinsed the sink, put the towels in that, and was quite refreshed to handle the sleeping accommodation in the coach section.
Wow, impressive, great idea, I watched a You Tube channel where a guy packed all his clothes in various zip-lick bags. But your shower idea is great! How’d you sleep? Love to here.
I will bring a inflatable neck pillow, a knee pillow and my memory pillow to sleep that I use / take with me always anywhere I go, even to hotels. For the train trip, I will also bring a travel blanket.
A good pillow is key!
Thank you for the great trips. We are taking the Auto Train from Sandford to Lorton overnight in coach. My husband can sleep anywhere, me..I am insomniac. I have a great eye mask, and I just ordered a really cool travel pillow and blanket off the Amazonian! I have ear plugs too. Wish me luck! Oh, and my Ambien will help a lot.
Good luck! Don’t be afraid of moving around to get space. Hopefully your in a car that’s been re-freshened.
The good thing about the Auto Train is that you can bring all the pillows and food you want in your car and put them right back when you get out of the train. It's much easier than having to log them around if you have to use public transportation when you get to your destination. I always bring a cooler with food and drinks when I travel coach. I don't need to pay for the overpriced train food. Sometimes I just ask them just for hot water for my cup noodles
Great info, but your microphone quality is terrible. Very hard to hear.
Sorry about that, I agree! So I created a New Version, that I think is much better. But, due to the conversations, I left the old version posted.
czcams.com/video/4-uXXvn7mRM/video.htmlsi=weZCYVnQPetubJ3d
The only problem I encountered was if the coach your in was near the head end locomotive you could hear the whistle blow at every crossing. And some crossings are really close together especially at 4 in the morning. Texas Eagle to Dallas.
Haha, you’re so right. I had a coach like that, the whistle blowing seemed non-stop. Noise cancelling head phones helped, even $30 ones from Amazon, not Bose. I’m guessing since that accident in Missouri, they’ve been on the horn more?? Thanks
Look, unless you get a lift to the train station and then get picked up by someone, there is no way you can travel with all of that crap on the train. I have done plenty of overnights in coach, and the *only* things you need are some kind of neck pillow (preferably an inflatable one), some wet wipes and some kind of earphones to lower the outside noise (if needed). Use a light jacket as a blanket (if needed). The rest of your recommendations are just unnecessary bulk that will make it impossible to travel with if you are continuing your journey.
Good points, my problem I was traveling for three weeks and camping in Glacier for two nights.
@@winkles-moose2022Younger people can travel in a no frills way and be ok, but when you get older, you need more help. Pillows and light blankets are not really heavy. Good quality foam ones really are worth it. And you can get an Uber and get red car service within the major stations
I have traveled with all that stuff and a small cooler 😊
Good info 👍🏾
Glad it was helpful!
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Your suggestions are very helpful. And thank you for them! Now let me make one for you. Your voice is very soft. The background music practically drowns it out. Lose the background music or speak LOUDER!
Thanks, great suggestion, it was my first go at this and I d heard this from other CZcamsr’s. So I released a new version with those changes and updates.
I have to use a CPAP machine for sleeping. Any special areas to sit?
In coach, there are power outlets next to the window, which should work great. I always bring along a short extension cord just in case. But, you should have no problems. All of the rooms have electric outlets, but I've heard the same issue, bring a small extension cord.
If your train has Business Class, that's a good alternative.
Great point, a little more settled and with the Coast Starlight you can actually use the dining car. But unfortunately, not all trains have Business Class.
Bring a pint of Johnnie Walker Black. Had a nice trip from Sea to Chicago in a roomette.
I wish I had a piece of foam inside a heavy sock to put on the "window sill" to use as an armrest (especially in the roomette)
Great idea! That metal strip is uncomfortable and cold, due the air comes up from there.
Really great tips! I like the footrest idea a lot as then you can curl up and not have feet falling over the edge. I am curious about how you handle your luggage and do you bring food as some others do...just keeping things safe but manageable.
Haha I was gone for three weeks on this trip and did some camping in Glacier, jumped off at Whitefish, MT. So, I had a medium sized ice chest mounted on a luggage cart, the collapsible type. Honestly, it was a lot. But, you can check luggage, if you’re not going to need it, which helped. You can stow two pieces downstairs in the luggage area and go down to it, no problems, very secure. Bringing foods ok, I even brought a little portable water heater. Footrest really helps, due to the leg rests just aren’t long enough and are at a weird angle. Enjoy!!
Oh, used a bungee cord to hold it all together.
@@winkles-moose2022 Wow! Sounds like a great trip! Thank you for the reply, Lynne
What is the best hack on picking a double seat and holding it for the whole journey,,,,Chicago to Seattle. I want to do coach, but would hate it if I have to have someone sitting next to me.
Love to hear everyone’s comment on this? I got lucky and traveled across the country with a single seat. It only got crowded coming into big cities, where the train became more of a commuter route. I’ve always said, if your over 5-6” you need two seats. You can also move around and find another seat, depending on the attitude of the conductor. He’s a good person to be your friend 😀.
I wish i could have heard him over the music and waffling mic.
Sorry, check out the New Version I posted, cleared up the sound issues. That was my first go at it.
@@winkles-moose2022 Thanks for pointing that out. I JUST got a new home theater setup and thought one of my new speakers had a rip or something. Really great info in the video, though!
I always bought 1 adult ticket and 1 child ticket Then my grandson couldn't come. The conductor told me he could take my seat, I said no. I paid he said Amtrak would reimburse me I said I'm still waiting 2 years for the last time he couldn't go (a sickly kid). The conductor said not my problem and I said this seat is paid for by me and I can use it. That was the end of that.
Hmm, I feel your pain. That’s always been a hot topic, if you have an extra ticket that you bought, shouldn’t it be yours??😮
Please dump music! I would like to hear you.
I did, on the new version.
Does Amtrak allow the travel footrests?
Yes, I used one one four different trains, with no problems. They don’t interfere with anyone. Their big issue is things blocking access and the aisles.
Still need to turn the music down.......thanks !
Thanks, I agree, but with CZcams you’re limited on what you can adjust, so I created a “New Version” with those adjustments.
Very nice. However, it was often difficult to hear your soft voice against the music in the background.
Thanks, this was one of my first posts, so a little bit of a learning curve. I've posted a "New Version" that has better sound and toned down the music. Good luck if you hit the rails.
Great tips. Drop the background music; it is not helpful.
Ok, thanks for the advice, new at this.
might have been a good video BUT the music is as loud as your voice and that makes it hard to hear what you're saying. between the 2 which do think is more important????
Thanks for the advice, I created a “New Version” where I made some adjustments, but the old version keeps getting picked up. I was tempted to delete the old one, but didn’t want to loose the conversation.😗
Yeah I couldn't hear it either. Could you let me know the name of the travel foot rest or a link to where I could find it?@@winkles-moose2022
Thanks for the text, I could understand almost nothing of the spoken word part of this video. That said, I think if you really plan to bring all of these things, you're gonna need a cargo train!
Thanks for the input, new at this , going to redo the voice over. I got a $4 pillow at Target and donated it at the end with the blanket. We’ll worth it.
you are showing the leg room with the seat in front of you not reclined
Good point, 🤫, that’ll make it worse. Luckily for the six nights I did coach , I think the person in front of me only reclined once.
Do as your told to do
Hi, can you expand on that?
I wonder if you can go under the seats on floor to sleep if I’m 5 8 . Put your feet under the seat in front and head under you own seats . This is my secret
Never thought of that, at 5-8” might be doable?? Never looked at actual clearance under the seats.
@@winkles-moose2022 it is 51 -52 feet from from one seat in front to seat in back . But when underneath it might be a little longer . I saw the pics of it and looks like it can accommodate 6 feet. The person in front will have his feet in leg rest so there is ample room to put your feet under his seat . Your head under own seats no one can see it when seat is reclined. I don’t mind if I can sleep side ways or bend my knees a little . I will use sleeping bag . This is the best way to sleep , just don’t tell anyone
Music is too loud to understand what you are saying 😢
@@onmyway7363 Agree, this was one of my first, if you look on CZcams I produced a “New Version” that cleaned that issue up. Enjoy