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Amanda Shammas
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- I packed lots of essentials for my five-hour Amtrak ride, but I didn't think of everything I needed.
- My Kindle, tripod, and headphones came in handy for keeping me entertained on my journey.
- However, I wish I had brought more comfort items such as a travel pillow, blanket, or even slippers.
When I hauled a heavy suitcase into the overhead on my Amtrak train car, I thought I had everything I'd need for my trip.
Three jackets, two pairs of boots, and a scarf to match every sweater — I was ready for anything. However, I quickly realized I wasn't nearly as prepared for the five-hour ride itself.
My trip from New Jersey to Boston on the Northeast Regional line gave me just enough time to settle in, stretch out, and enjoy a little downtime. Soon, I learned that what I had — and didn't — made all the difference in how much I enjoyed my trip.
Here are five items I'm glad I brought, and three I wish I'd packed.
My ticket didn't come with complimentary snacks, so I was glad to have brought my own.
Due to the length of my ride, I knew I'd be hungry at some point.
My basic ticket didn't come with complimentary snacks from Amtrak, but I didn't mind much since I had brought plenty of food from home.
I stopped at a bagel shop before boarding, packed a homemade latte, and had more than enough snacks to keep me satisfied throughout the ride.
There was a café car about halfway through the train that I could've bought a few bites at, but I was happy to save the money anyway.
My hot spot came in handy when the train's WiFi didn't work super well.
Though Amtrak offers complimentary WiFi on routes like this one, I didn't find it reliable for everything.
It worked fine for sending texts or scrolling through social media, but it wasn't as reliable when I wanted to stream TV on my laptop. To stream better, I switched to my phone's hot spot.
My headphones were great for listening to music and streaming TV.
Though the lull of the train can be soothing in itself, I was happy to have packed my headphones so I could listen to music during the ride.
These also came in handy when I wanted to catch up on TV shows without bothering anyone around me.
The only packing mistake I made was bringing wired headphones, rather than wireless ones, because I couldn't charge my device and listen at the same time.
I bring my Kindle almost everywhere.
Luckily, I didn't struggle to keep myself entertained since I had packed my Kindle. I'm a book lover, so five hours of uninterrupted reading time was right up my alley.
I prefer using an e-reader over a physical book when traveling because it's lightweight and doesn't take up much space in my bag.
Plus, for early morning or late-night rides with my Kindle, I don't have to rely on the train's reading light, which might disturb other passengers.
However, I found myself wishing I had packed motion-sickness medication.
I thought I packed pretty well for the trip, but toward the end of the ride, I started feeling nauseous. I've never had motion sickness on a train before, but I've also never been on one for this long.
So, when I started getting dizzy in the last hour, I was caught off guard. I couldn't look at my screen anymore, so I leaned back and closed my eyes.
It really made me wish I had brought some motion-sickness medication along for the ride.
Having a travel pillow or blanket would've made my trip more comfortable.
My seat ended up being comfier than I thought, with a decent recline and footrests.
Looking back, though, I really wish I had packed some comfortable travel items, such as a neck pillow or blanket. This ride was early in the morning, and my return trip was late at night, so they would've come in handy.
Next time, I'll definitely bring a few more things to make the ride cozier and allow me to close my eyes for a bit.
Similarly, slippers would've been helpful for walking throughout the train car.
Another comfort item I didn't think about until I was on the train was slippers.
I like taking my shoes off during long trips, especially on an airplane, but for some reason, I felt hesitant to do it on the train.
I wish I had brought a pair of light slippers to wear during the ride and for those trips back and forth to the bathroom. It would've been another way to add to the overall comfort of a long Amtrak ride.
