10 AMTRAK TIPS AND TRICKS YOU NEED TO KNOW

[@EdwardTravels]

Follow these tips and enjoy your ride on an Amtrak Train 🚂

[@lordjonalanofwigtown2494]

First expect delays, the are common. Second, sleeping car attendants work extremely hard to give you good/great service. Besides setting up the room properly, helping with meals and luggage, they will keep you informed of time schedules. It is okay and proper to leave a tip for them. Same goes for your waiter in the dining car. As said in the video, this is 'slow' travel, take time to relax. Talk with strangers and you will learn a lot about many different things.

[@EdwardTravels]

Great tips! Have a good weekend

[@jeffdur1330]

You've had VASTLY different experiences than me lol.

[@617Savanna]

Always, always tip the sleeping car attendants. I generally give them $20-$30, depending on how far I'm traveling. They are more than helpful with everything from carrying luggage to making sure non-sleepers don't disturb you in your accommodations. They work very hard.

[@zackzz2105]

Mary Linne Stafford you can sleep on the chair right instead of a bed?

[@youtuuba]

"Sailor network".....I thought I heard wrong, but nope, this was it many times!

[@TheMM1215]

You can take your bag to your roomette as long as it fits in your room. Here's a tip: If you bring a small airline carry on bag, you can fit it on the step in the roomette. It fits perfectly there. Also you can fit it on the top bunk during the day if you open up the bag and then put the bunk up. I've done this multiple times on Superliner rooms which don't have luggage storage.
I would suggest not using Room Service. Part of the fun of riding trains is interacting with your fellow passengers and the dining car is one of the best places to meet new people. I've made some great friends while riding Amtrak.

[@EdwardTravels]

Yes. Great trips. I agree the dining room is a great place to meet travelers and it also lets you get up and walk around on the train. Keep traveling

[@kennethmccann6402]

I've travelling on Amtrak train even before Amtrak merged private Railroad Company for over 52 years. I hopped once or twice a year acrossing in any part of USA as I love it and no matter if the train is delays or on time because trains travel is a blast with a wonderful socially different people from all over the world and a beauty by looking a view passing to different areas too.

[@EdwardTravels]

It’s a great to travel. Growing up I was lucky as in our area we had Amtrak and the Rio Grande Zephyr which was the last private passenger train until 1983. Fun time for sure. Have a good week

[@ValerieReese]

I've never been on an Amtrak train. Maybe one day I'll do that

[@EdwardTravels]

It’s a nice way to travel. We have a lot of trains on the west coast 🚂

[@DovidM]

It’s good that you mentioned the advisability of bringing snacks. The dining car can run out of basic things like bottled water, and also be closed because one crew is replacing another in an hour or so.
I agree that WiFi can be unavailable or unusable at a times. It’s good to have a PDF to read on your device when the WiFi isn’t available.

[@EdwardTravels]

Sometimes they do run out of items so it’s always good to be prepared.

[@DD-bz6qc]

Thank you for the great tips!! I’d like to add that it’s nice to bring a small cooler aboard or a larger one that you can store in the luggage areas. We needed a large one when we took our four kids on a cross country trip(buying food aboard wasn’t in our budget) plus we needed the cooler for our vacation destination. You can buy ice at the station stops to refill your cooler. I better add this-our trip was a few years ago so check with train company first

[@EdwardTravels]

Bringing a cooler is a great idea. I remember seeing a ice machine outside at the Havre MT station. Excellent tip

[@DD-bz6qc]

Cooler-when if first arrived at the station with my tribe(FOUR children) AND my full sized cooler, I thought I was going to be a little embarrassed to eat all of our meals from our cooler and a small suitcase of for bread, bananas, etc. I was a young-ish mother and not well traveled at the time. How pleasantly surprised I was when the train attendant helped me aboard with it, THEN placed it in the perfect location on the corridor luggage rack to give me easy access. Once I was aboard and had a look around I realized I WASN’T the ONLY person to bring a cooler, although I think ours was the largest, lol. PS Later that evening I prepared a super-dooper sandwich and a small chef salad for the attendant. He got a kick out of it and was happy to have it :-)
You’ll meet a lot of great people during train travel. MUCH more relaxed atmosphere than air travel

[@halvorson97]

Make sure that your bags go to the same destination as you. Once my bags went to Seattle, while I want to Southern California.

[@EdwardTravels]

did you get your bags?

[@KvLSilverUnicorn]

Thank you. I'm taking my first trip next week. Doing the West coast. I appreciate the info on the Wi-Fi/cellular signals and the electrical access. I was guessing I'd want my little blanket and pillow, go to know. Happy travels everyone!

[@EdwardTravels]

This comment just appeared a few months later. We’re you able to go on your trip.

[@KvLSilverUnicorn]

@@EdwardTravels Sadly, No. I'm immuno-compromised and the idea of climbing into and enclosed space with strangers didn't feel too smart. I was so excited about it too. Perhaps this fall or next Spring. Happy Travels.

[@markg.4246]

Nicely done! Two things I’d like to mention. Bring “Wet Ones” to clean your hands, arm rests, etc. Sleeping accommodations can be very expensive. Despite that, don’t be surprised to find some rooms all beat to hell. (Seats falling apart, curtains in need of repair, dirty windows, carpet worn through, hallway floor buckling, etc. This is primarily true for long distance trains. I encountered all these things on my last round trip from St. Paul to Whitefish, MT. As much as I enjoy travel by train, I’m not in a hurry to spend the money on a junk product.

[@EdwardTravels]

Great tips

[@TiaandAndy]

Great tips! We always travel with snacks too!

[@EdwardTravels]

Never forget the snacks. Ha ha. Have a good weekend

[@MM-mq9xj]

First train ride tomorrow by myself! Thanks for the tips! 👌

[@EdwardTravels]

Have a great trip

[@Places2GoTravel]

Looking forward to putting these tips into practice when we do our tour. Thanks for another great video!

[@EdwardTravels]

These tips will come in handy on a train trip. 🚂. Hope you’re having a good weekend. Keep traveling ✈️

[@roberts.1400]

My suggestion for cross country travel on Amtrak is don't - kinda sort of - If you do, avoid connections if you can or at least make your connection for the following day - you'll see why. I've been on multiple cross country trips from LA, SEA, and SF and each time the train was many hours behind schedule which means a missed connection. Contrary to what Ed says Amtrak does not offer much help -- You're on your own (You've been warned). While on the Southwest Chief we arrived about 6 hours late missing the connection east, Amtrak gave me a sandwich and told me I can sit in the Metro Lounge in CHI overnight (No hotel room was offered, in fact they said no rooms were available). The lounge was nice but not very appealing especially since the next train east wasn't for nearly 20 hours. I had to improvise and find my own hotel which took me 5 minutes on my Wyndham app (Thanks for lying Amtrak) I then booked a SWA flight home the next morning rather than wait for the train to NYP - I've have had enough of Amtrak at that point. So, after that miserable experience I now get off the train in Chicago to a nice comfortable hotel and take the subway directly to the airport the next day. I'm home in a few hours without the stress of another missed connection. I have to add that the customer service in Chicago was rude, stressful and completely useless. I realized after a few confrontations in the line in front of me that I was on my own and didn't even bother to deal with Amtrak. My experience was not out of the ordinary, cross country trains can be many hours late. Don't let this happen to you, if you insist on continuing on from Chicago book the train east for the next day and stay overnight. I have to add that all the trips onboard the train were absolutely enjoyable!! Some of the best scenery ever and some of the attendants and diner staff were absolutely outstanding, others not so much, but such is life. I'm currently planning on a 2021 trip, I just need to decide which one, the only route I haven't taken is the Sunset Limited from LA to NOLA...

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for sharing your travel experiences

[@tinah.7560]

These are great tips, and looks like a fun way to travel. 😀

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching. Hope you’re having a great weekend. 👍

[@InfiniteWanderlust]

Thanks for the tip Edward !!!

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching. Have a good week

[@karlmiller7188]

Very good video!

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Along the lines of being flexible: ALWAYS TREAT THE AMTRAK TRAIN CREW WITH RESPECT. They are working their tails off to provide the very best service they can, especially in the sleeping cars. Make sure to tip them when your trip is over and you get off the train. Also, some train crew members are not always the nicest of people. Try not to take it personally. They work long long hours with very little sleep and are practically on-call 24/7. But if you thank them for their customer service and compliment them on their job performance, they will be most grateful for your support. And while you are traveling onboard, you can even make new friends from talking to and getting to know them, and your fellow passengers!

[@EdwardTravels]

Excellent tips Thanks for sharing

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

@@EdwardTravels You're very welcome, Edward! Thank you for making and sharing the great video!

[@lindapawson3445]

Don’t forget to tip your room attendant and staff in the dining car. They work really hard to make your trip the best experience they can.

[@EdwardTravels]

Hi. The train attendants work so hard to ensure everyone has a great idea. Great tip

[@TheDriftwoodlover]

Thanks for the tips. What’s the quality of the meals? Belkin makes a small surge protector with room for 3 plugs plus usb.

[@EdwardTravels]

The meals. Due to covid they’ve been serving premade meals and they’re just ok. If the train is using the dining car then the meals are great

[@JTQuicksJesusChristLoveHeaven]

Wonderful Video !! ✨✨ Liked 👍👍 Thank you 😎😎

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching and keep singing 🎤 🎼

[@TravelsWithPhillip]

Interesting tips, great trip
Have a nice week friend! liked!

[@EdwardTravels]

Thank you. If you ever find yourself in the USA in a train you can use these tips for the trip 🚂

[@helenw6594]

I'm planning a mega-trip next spring to the US from the UK & travellling Ohio - Florida - Texas - Arizona by train - thanks for the tips! Accustomed as I am to European trains, it's good to know what to expect.

[@EdwardTravels]

Have a great trip

[@macdunlap6257]

im working on a video series on my odyssey to ride sleeper class on all long distance trips. only 2 trains left

[@EdwardTravels]

Keep traveling

[@Woodcut60]

Looking forward to your video. I've ridden all long-distance Amtrak trains, and basically all the other ones too, except Auto Train. More than 30,000 miles. Edward, great tips.

[@unowhotravelchannel]

Great video and really useful tips, thanks for sharing 😀👍👍👍😎

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching. 🚂 Have a good weekend

[@TakisTravel]

Nice informative video. 👍👍👍👍👍
Have a great weekend.

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks Takis. Enjoy your weekend

[@dazzlingwave_]

These are great tips 👍👍

[@EdwardTravels]

Glad you found them helpful. Have a good weekend 🚂

[@frankrueter5218]

When on the SWC in late Sept '19 found out that WiFi service had been discontinued due to a lot of complaints about it being spotty and cut the service. It was spotty on earlier trips when between cities, especially in the far west. Have ridden yearly since 2013 thru 2019 and now covid...

[@stretchmonroe31]

Thanks a lot for the tips. I'm going to travel next year from San Diego to Michigan.

[@EdwardTravels]

That will be a great trip

[@stretchmonroe31]

I hope it is. I wanted the sleep class, or whatever it's call. But I can only afford the business class. So I really hope it comes good.

[@EdwardTravels]

The seats are good for sleeping. They’re recliners. Bring a pillow and a blanket. Nice to have Are ear plugs and an eye mask. Happy travels

[@stretchmonroe31]

@@EdwardTravels thank you So much!!!

[@ronalddupuy3016]

Thanks claudia

[@ericvondumb2838]

For some strange reason, I really enjoyed this.

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks

[@JustMe-dm8yz]

Excellent tips! Thank you! 👍

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching. Have a good weekend

[@navy57]

Excellent advice. Glad I opened this video. Don't know when my next opportunity ti travel by train will be, but I'll surely remember this ;-)

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching. Sounds like you need to book a train trip soon. 🚂

[@JennyDaniels]

Great video Edward my friend :) Like 10

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks Jenny. Have a good weekend

[@ronalddupuy3016]

Thanks Ginny from me.....

[@RustyGlovebox]

Those are some great tips Edward. We had considered using Amtrak on a short trip and this is some great info.

[@EdwardTravels]

It’s an easy way to travel 🧳. Have a good week

[@christinefreeman1817]

Ty.you have a great day..

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching

[@galigyal399]

Thank you for this video

[@EdwardTravels]

thanks for watching

[@katkat5484]

Thanks, I was wondering about the luggage. Is there normally plenty of room on the luggage rack?

[@EdwardTravels]

It depends on the day. Usually the luggage racks have space and other times it’s limited.

[@katkat5484]

Edward Travels. Rail & Cruise Thanks

[@99999myk]

I did four cross country trips. If you do, get a room. The cost of food is incredible and sleeping in the seats is too much for me. If you can sleep on a seat, fine. If you drink alcohol, bring it on board. Booze is 7$/drink. If you're on the east coast, heading to Chicago, take it from Philadelphia, not NYC. The station is better and the train is cleaner and the staff isn't as rude. Kiss good customer service goodbye on Amtrak. Some of the worst customer service I have ever had. One girl conveniently told me that 'she hates her job'. I could handle that but I couldn't handle the rude conductors. I've taken Amtrak 14 times and about a good third of those trips, the conductors were rude enough that in a private business, they would be fired or at least gotten in trouble.

[@EdwardTravels]

Great tips 👍

[@candicestevens2389]

It's a government owned company right? That's why they can get away with acting that way,maybe they were supposed to work at the DMV but they weren't quite rude or stupid enough to make it there!

[@stanpatterson5033]

How is the ventilation in compartments? I'm wondering about the smells of other peoples' food and what not seeping around. Just wondered if those roomettes and bedroom compartments have decent ventilation. Nothing worse than getting bad gas and no ventilation to whisk it away....

[@EdwardTravels]

Funny you mention that. We hit a skunk on the train about a month ago. The smell was bad but the system got rid of that smell pretty quickly. Have a good week

[@stanpatterson5033]

That's funny, partly because it happened to me too, many years ago. I wasn't in a sleeping compartment of any type, I was on a short trip (2hrs) after a business trip had just wound up, heading back to the office and then home. Just riding in a regular coach. About half-way between where I boarded and where I was going, we heard this "thumpa-bump-bumpity-bump" that began at the East end of the coach and passed below us all to the West end (behind us). It was a hammering on the underside of the coach. We knew that the train had run over something. Can't speak for anyone else, but I assumed it was something that had been blown or thrown on to the tracks, even though it was a pretty isolated area where it happened, no homes or schools near the tracks in this place... but anyways, not 60 seconds later, the answer wafted through the coach, and then everybody knew that it had been a skunk... Lots of groaning and mixed laughter once the "mystery" had been solved. Hard to imagine that even at 90 mph, a skunk has enough of that liquid to be squeezed out the length of a 5 or 6-car train as it's being hammered between the bottom of the cars and the roadbed below.

[@EdwardTravels]

Skunks should stay away from the train. Everyone did laugh when we realized what it was. We’d been skunked

[@humbertocorrea5687]

Usted recomienda viajar en que categoría ? Para un viaje largo. Y felicidades por sus buenos Tips ,Gracias.

[@EdwardTravels]

para un viaje largo. Te recomiendo una habitación, mientras te tumbas y duermes. Los asientos del entrenador también son buenos ya que el asiento reclinable. viajes felices

[@humbertocorrea5687]

@@EdwardTravels gracias por su buena recomendación y por atender mi pregunta. Le pido siga compartiendo sus buenos vídeos con nosotros que Dios lo bendiga.

[@carrrexx7190]

Isn't unattended luggage a concern when you have a sleeper?

[@EdwardTravels]

I’ve never had a problem with leaving my suitcase in the luggage racks. But some people will check their bags and take a small carry on. I guess it’s better to be safe than loose your suitcase

[@carrrexx7190]

@@EdwardTravels thank you

[@roadforrunner]

Is there a site where one can find someone who wants to split a roomette?for a long distance trip.ex.NYP-MIA.

[@EdwardTravels]

Good Question. I don’t of an Amtrak specific site but there are general travel buddy sites out there such as www.workaway.info/en/community/travelbuddy

[@DD-bz6qc]

That’s a GREAT idea

[@LEA-yr7bb]

What time is breakfast lunch and dinner served?

[@EdwardTravels]

The crew will make announcements and on a lot of trains they will come around and make Linch and Dinner reservations

[@candicestevens2389]

Whenever you want it because you're hot,I'll even bring it to you myself!

[@ger13nunyah56]

Nice

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for watching. Have a Happy Holiday

[@mikemayfield5172]

Are tip expected for staff, and how much?

[@EdwardTravels]

They tip in the dining room 15% - 20% of the bill and if you have a sleeper people is usually tip $10 to $20 per night Have a good trip

[@macdunlap6257]

if your in a sleeper its customary to tip them $10/day at the end of the trip

[@dankolle590]

I am traveling from Chicago to Tuscon and I have a roomette. What kind of gratuities should I be expected to pay?

[@EdwardTravels]

Great question. Many people tip their room steward $10 a night and then the standard 15% tip in the dining car Have a great trip 🚂

[@dankolle590]

Thank you.

[@stuartlee6622]

How do I shower?
Do you need to bring a bathrobe with you?

[@EdwardTravels]

If you have a room, there is a shower room on the 1st level. It’s an experience showering as the train rolls along. Amtrak provides towels and soaps. Bring a bathrobe or some other clothes. If you’re in coach, there is no shower but people bring a a wet cloth to keep themselves clean

[@bvw1981]

ANOTHER TIP: ALWAYS ARRIVE AT THE TRAIN 2 TO 3 HOURS EARLY.

[@EdwardTravels]

If you enjoy people watching arriving early is a great tip

[@LIamaLlama554]

Why so early?

[@jaretalbaugh7034]

You forgot the cafe has food you can buy.

[@EdwardTravels]

Yes the cafe has a good selection of food and drink

[@chazzlucas6395]

why would there be bad wifi service ?

[@EdwardTravels]

Some of the trains cross vast areas with limited cell service and if there is no cell service, then you can’t connect to WiFi as the trains WiFi is based on the cell service working

[@chazzlucas6395]

@@EdwardTravels Yeah but I had great cell and wi-fi performance when I was on a cruise ship....
Is that a different system altogether ?
New to your channel .. thank-you for the reply Sir : )

[@EdwardTravels]

It’s my understanding that Amtrak uses the local cell network as the WiFi provider. So no cell towers = no wifi. The cruise ship uses a ship to satellite system. That’s his they can offer WiFi Amtrak should do the same

[@MrRamyon74]

What is your favorite train journey on Amtrak?

[@EdwardTravels]

I really have enjoyed doing the eastbound Empire Builder. It leaves Seattle in the evening and you have great views of the Puget Sound and Cascade Mountains. Then the next morning you’ll arrive in Whitefish and cross Glacier National Park. It’s a great trip. What is your favorite?

[@MrRamyon74]

Where from New Zealand and have only done the Pacific Surfliner service from Los Angeles down to San Diego. We're thinking of doing a train trip next time we're in the States. We arrive in Seattle on a cruise .

[@marilynsnider8183]

Bring a laundry bag to put your dirty cloths in.

[@EdwardTravels]

That’s a great tip. Thanks 🙏

[@jeffdur1330]

Too bad it's so expensive and a completely impractical way to travel.

[@EdwardTravels]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.