I spent $1,000 to have a room to myself on a 30-hour Amtrak ride. It was the best experience I've had on an overnight train in the US.
Joey Hadden
- I spent 30 hours on an Amtrak train traveling from Miami to New York City in October 2021.
- For $1,000, I stayed in a bedroom, which is about the size of a king-sized bed with a full bathroom.
I prefer to travel by train when I can — even if it means taking an overnight ride.
In addition to being more sustainable than driving or flying, traveling by train has given me unparalleled views of the world, with landscapes changing every second. And being stuck on a train for long periods forces me to sit back and do nothing, which I don't often prioritize in my daily life.
It all started in October 2021, when I took two 30-hour Amtrak rides between Miami and NYC. I spent my ride to Miami in a roomette accommodation and booked a bedroom for the way home.
Then, in 2022 and 2023, I took two train trips in Europe, where I spent a total of 65 hours on four overnight trains traveling between Berlin, Vienna, Paris, and Venice on Austrian Federal Railway's OBB Nightjet trains with sleeper cabins and the luxurious Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
My luxury overnight ride was obviously the most comfortable, as it cost $8,000 more than any other sleeper train I've taken. But of all the other rides, the best accommodation by far was Amtrak's bedroom back in 2021.
I booked a $1,000 Amtrak bedroom accommodation for my 30-hour trip from Miami to NYC in 2021.
I booked a tiny, private roomette for $500 on my trip from New York City to Miami and reserved a $1,000 bedroom accommodation, the next step up after a roomette, on my way back.
According to Amtrak's website, bedrooms are at least 45.5 square feet, which, for reference, is a little bigger than a standard king-size bed, and they can sleep up to two adults.
While the ride home was bumpy and long, the roomy bedroom made me feel at ease, and three years later, I'm still thinking about it.
As someone who deals with travel anxiety, I found 30 hours on a train to be overwhelming, especially since, at the time, I had only taken one other overnight train. The constant motion of the train didn't help, either. In fact, I ended up feeling a little queasy.
But staying in a bedroom made me feel more comfortable than staying in a roomette, a cheaper accommodation that's about half the size. I thought the bedroom offered ample space to stretch out and move about, which made all the difference to me.
I think I could comfortably do a 30-hour train journey again, as long as I book a bedroom. And to make it more affordable, I'd book with a friend to split the cost and have some company next time.
My journey began at the Amtrak station in Miami.
I arrived at Miami Amtrak Station at 11 a.m., 50 minutes before my train was scheduled to depart. The building's interior reminded me of a Greyhound bus station, and I sat in the only waiting area I could find in the station until it was time to board.
Once on the train, I found my bedroom, which had a sofa that folded out into a bed, a bed that pulled down from the ceiling, and a chair that folded up out of the way.
For double the price of a roomette, the accommodation I booked for my previous train trip, the bedroom accommodation also offered double the space.
Right away, I knew this trip would be more pleasant than my ride to Miami since I had more room to stretch out.
The bedroom had a table that pulled out from the wall between two of the three seats.
The table reminded me of storage hacks I'd expect to find in a tiny home. I used it to hold my laptop while working and appreciated that I could simply fold it out of the way when it was time to relax.
To the left of the chair in my room was a sink underneath a mirror with a handful of small towels next to it.
Beneath the sink, there was a trash can and a place to hold tissues.
To the right of the mirror was a cabinet where I could store my toiletries and other personal items.
This feature allowed me to unpack a little, the way I would in a hotel room. Placing my toiletries on the cabinet shelves made me feel more at home.
Next to the seating area was a small closet with three hangers for clothing you'd want to keep looking sharp.
I didn't use the closet, but I think it would have come in handy for storing jackets if I were traveling at a cooler time of the year.
There was also a private bathroom inside the bedroom that had a door, shower, and toilet.
On the bathroom door were hooks to hold towels and clothing items. On a shelf above the toilet were two towels for drying yourself off after a shower.
I appreciated that the toilet was separated from the rest of the room by a door, and I think this is a great amenity if you're traveling with others.
The bedroom is your cheapest option if you want a private bathroom with a shower.
Other bedroom features included temperature controls and a button to call an attendant.
Being able to control the temperature inside my room was a nice touch that made me feel more comfortable during the journey.
I could also adjust the volume of the overhead speaker, through which train stops were announced, which I found particularly helpful.
This came in handy when I wanted to get off the train for a minute and stretch my legs. Thanks to the overhead speaker volume control, I always knew when the next stop would be and how long we had at each station.
The bedroom also had handy controls for night, reading, and ceiling lights.
The best thing the bedroom offered was space. I had room to stand up, stretch, and dance. This made my ride much more enjoyable.
I tried to make the train feel like home, and at home, I dance pretty much all day.
Shutting the curtains gave me a moment of privacy to just be my goofy self. This helped me keep moving, too, which I found to be essential for surviving a 30-hour train ride.
It was also nice to have a big sofa where I could stretch out and put my feet up.
Having room to stretch out made me feel more relaxed throughout my journey. I appreciated that the couch was long enough to lie down on.
During the day, I spent a lot of time working on my laptop, which made the time pass by quickly.
Thanks to all the work I had to do, the first chunk of my trip home went by pretty quickly.
But when the workday was done, I had to find other ways to pass the time.
I decided to lie down on my belly and look outside the window for a bit.
Exhausted from my travels, I spent much of the evening reclining on the seats and gazing out the window.
During my trip home, I saw forests, towns, and factories outside my window. This made me think about how traveling by train gives you a railroad view of the country that can't be replicated in a car or on a flight.
When it was time for dinner, I headed to the dining car and got some braised beef short ribs and mashed potatoes.
My meals came with the ticket, and I could pick from five items. Since I enjoyed the braised beef short rib dish on my trip to Miami, I decided to get it again on my way home.
Before bed, I brushed my teeth and washed my face in front of the sink.
Since I have an electric toothbrush, it was nice to be able to charge it using the outlets in the bathroom.
At about 8 p.m., an attendant came to my room to transform the sofa into a bed.
My first thought when I entered the room again after receiving bedside service was that the bed looked bigger than the one I slept in on my way to Miami in a roomette.
Since I had trouble sleeping on the top bunk on the way to Miami, I opted for the bottom bunk on this journey.
The bed and sheets were comfortable, and I was happy to have more room to sleep.
Had I slept in the bed that comes down from the ceiling, I would have had control of the air conditioning and lights, as well as a place to put my phone nearby.
I was able to use the foldout table for my bedside belongings, though.
Since there were outlets next to the sink, I propped my phone up there so I could watch TV from bed.
There might have been outlets on the other side of the bed, too, but I wasn't able to find them.
By the time I sat in my bed at about 8:30 p.m., I realized my body was already aching for sleep.
I thought I'd stay up and watch TV for a while, but my body was telling me to just pass out.
So I decided to lie down and watch "The Office" until I drifted off to sleep.
The ride was bumpy through the night, but being on the lower bed felt grounding, and I didn't feel as if I was going to fall off the bed at any point. Although it wasn't a perfect night's sleep, I definitely slept better than I did in the roomette.
I woke up the next morning around 8 a.m. in North Carolina to the sun beaming.
I woke up to the sun peering through my window feeling somewhat rested.
I had planned on taking a shower, but after looking down at the floor, I wished I had brought sandals and decided to skip my shower.
I was excited to take a shower after having been on the train for nearly 24 hours, but the shower appeared too grimy to feel comfortable, and I wished I packed flip-flops.
Amtrak did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, but according to its website, it sanitizes rooms between visitors.
I usually wear flip-flops in public showers, though, since experts say that it's pretty easy to pick up germs from places where many people have walked around barefoot.
Since I forgot them, I decided that not showering would be better.
Instead, I washed my face in front of the sink and put on a lot of deodorant.
This made me feel a little fresher, though I couldn't wait to get home and take a shower.
While I was washing my face, I noticed how nice it was to have three mirrors next to one another.
Having the three connected mirrors made it easier to see the spots I missed after washing the soap off my face.
Breakfast and lunch were also included in my ticket on my final day of travel, and I thought they were pretty tasty.
For breakfast, I went to the dining car and got the continental option. For lunch, I decided to try a different entrée from the braised beef short ribs I had the night before.
I chose a chicken fettuccine dish with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes, and I thought it was decent.
Of all the meals I had, I found the continental breakfast to be the most filling and satisfying.
The breakfast came with a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and a blueberry muffin. For the oatmeal, I had the choice of maple and brown sugar or apple cinnamon.
I thought this meal was the most filling I had the whole trip, and if they served it all hours, I'd probably get it for every meal.
I loved having my bed down throughout the day because it allowed me to relax and rest a bit more.
To pass the time, I looked at my phone and played Nintendo while relaxing on the bed.
It was a Saturday, so staying in bed felt right.
When we were about three hours from New York, my attendant transformed the bed back into seats, and these final hours on the train felt like the longest of the whole trip.
I think because my bed was gone and I thought the journey's end should be near, the final hours of my train ride felt as though they dragged on.
Spending 30 hours on a train certainly isn't paradise, but booking a bedroom made it feel a little shorter to me. So I'll be stretching my funds to book it again the next time I want to bop around the country.
When we arrived in New York around 7 p.m., slightly later than scheduled, I realized I had never been more grateful to be home.
But I was also appreciative of the room and privacy I had getting there.
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