I spent over 160 hours traveling to major US cities by train for $299. Here are 10 things that surprised me

• As a solo traveler, I decided to explore the US by train with an Amtrak Rail Pass.
• I was surprised by the fresh meals, friendly passengers, relaxing solitude, and feeling of safety.

I traveled around the continental US by train in under 30 days using an Amtrak Rail Pass I got for $299 (the price is now closer to $499).

Traveling by Amtrak trains was the perfect segue into the intrepid world of solo travel. The room options were impressive and even more comfortable than flying first class in the air.

Here are some things that surprised me about my trip:

I had to reserve my spot for meals

About an hour before meals began, a crew member came around to take our reservations for our seats in booths reminiscent of late 19th-century American diners.

It seemed old-fashioned to have to reserve a spot in a dining car, but there was no harm to feeling as if I was on a train in "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

I loved watching the scenery unfold through the window as I enjoyed my lunch with my nose tucked away in a book.

The food in coach was basic but the options in the dining car exceeded my expectations

For Amtrak, coach is the lowest tier of seating and these passengers have a booth-like café on either the lower level of the train or at the far end of a compartment, depending on train type.

It was stocked with microwavable burgers, hotdogs, and other sweets and snacks one would usually find at a baseball game concession stand.

Meanwhile, in first class, I learned onboard that the train staffed a chef to serve passengers in the rooms with freshly cooked meals.

After a refreshing salad, warm baked potato, and glutinous cheesecake, I can never go back to scarfing down Biscoff biscuits on planes.

The strangers on the train were friendly and chatty

I thought making friends with strangers on a train would have been difficult or awkward, but my fellow train passengers were almost always the ones to initiate conversation.

I found that my heavily-built DSLR camera served as a great conversation starter. People gravitated towards questions like, "What photos are you taking?" "Where are your travels taking you?" and "What kind of cameras do you like and why?"

Some fear that traveling alone may be lonely but I was able to meet interesting people with different stories.

I didn't feel the need to be online

Thanks to the lack of Wi-Fi on a number of Amtrak trains, I found that most passengers were content with daydreaming out their windows, reading a hefty book, or making friendly chatter with the folks seated around them.

A train is not what people generally think of when it comes to leisure travel anymore, but I found a lot of self-care value in traveling under the radar where no one could reach me.

I also found it easier to be present without distraction.

I felt incredibly safe traveling alone as a woman

With the conductor traveling up and down the corridor often to check tickets, I felt reassured knowing there was always a crew member on board.

As a first-time female solo traveler, I felt that my belongings were safe from pickpockets and I didn't experience any harassment or unwanted advances.

The views took my breath away

I got to see mesmerizing views of states that I had never stepped foot in, like New Mexico and Montana.

I felt as if I was on Mars traversing the red sand dunes outside of Albuquerque. I felt so peaceful zooming through the lush forests of West Glacier.

I wouldn't have been able to see these views had I been up in the clouds.

The roomettes were very compactly designed

I was impressed with the Amtrak roomette that had seats below and a foldable bed on top. Theoretically, each space would be able to hold two people.

On the top bunk of the roomette, there was a comforter and even a seatbelt to prevent one from falling off the bunk.

On the bottom bunk, there were pillows, complimentary water bottles, a charging outlet, and a trash can.

The train traveling community is very robust and welcoming

Before the trip, I had no idea that there was such a sizable community of avid train travelers.

While chatting with a mother from Phoenix and her son, I learned that he had memorized every type of train, could tell me what route to take if I wanted to travel from one city to another, and which cities had stations in a state.

There are even Facebook meme groups for people who love public transportation and swear by it.

Some of the passengers were extremely well prepared

Most of the passengers on the overnight trains brought neck pillows, snacks, newspapers, and eye masks.

They came prepared with whatever they would need to tide them over an overnight train ride in coach. Someone even had a bag of fruits and a peeling knife.

After my experience, I'm a huge fan of train travel now

This entire piece is basically a paean to train travel.

With ample legroom, a long digital detox, friendly people to chat with, I can't praise train travel enough. Plus I get to fulfill my dream of staring out of a train window wistfully thinking about my long-lost paramour.

If you haven't tried it yet, traveling by train should be your next adventure.