I took my first long-distance train ride in an Amtrak roomette. Here are 14 things everyone should know before booking a trip.

I took my first long-distance Amtrak train ride. Molly Allen I took a 16-hour, overnight train ride from Portland to Sacramento for the first time. I booked a roomette to be sure I had a private space to myself, and I’m super glad I did.

  The trip went well, but next time I know to bring something for motion sickness. I took a 16-hour train ride from Portland to Sacramento. I booked a roomette to make sure I had some privacy during my trip.

Molly AllenI recently took a train from Portland, Oregon, to Sacramento, California, on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight line. The train boarded in Portland at 2 p. m.

and was set to arrive in Sacramento at 6:20 a. m. the next day.

Since I was traveling overnight, I booked a roomette, the lowest level of bedroom options. I did a lot of research before my trip since it was my first time taking a long-distance train, and it went surprisingly well. But there are a few things that still surprised me along the way.

The booking and boarding process was a lot quicker and easier than I expected. Because I booked a roomette, I was able to wait in the lounge at the train station. Molly AllenBecause I had a room in the sleeping car, I had access to the lounge at Portland’s Union Station.

I hung out in the air-conditioned space with nice bathrooms and complimentary bottled water and coffee until it was time to board. Boarding the train was quick and easy as my dedicated sleeping-car attendant showed me to my room. Booking a roomette was probably the best decision I could’ve made.

Sitting in coach overnight wouldn’t have been as comfortable. Molly AllenWhen I booked my roomette one week before my departure date, the Amtrak website said the train was only 60% full. But throughout the journey, the conductor announced that the train was at 100% capacity.

With such a full train, common spaces such as the observation car and dining car were very busy. My roomette was only a 23-square-foot space, but I was thankful to have the privacy — it was hard to find it anywhere else.  With the extra space in my roomette, I could keep my bags with me the whole time.

My luggage was in my roomette for the entire 16-hour trip. Molly AllenWhen I packed for my Amtrak trip, I just assumed I wouldn’t be able to keep all of my bags with me.  I didn’t think I’d have room to store my carry-on in my roomette, so I was much more methodical about packing.

I put everything I’d need when I got to my destination in my larger carry-on bag. But I packed a smaller bag with my laptop, snacks, water, toiletries, and comfy clothes for the train. Since I was the only person in my roomette, I was actually able to keep all of my items with me in the space.

I could’ve checked my carry-on or left it in the downstairs storage area, but I preferred to keep it nearby. I was a little disappointed to learn that you can’t lock a roomette from the outside. Some of the other passengers brought their own locks to secure their doors.

Molly AllenHaving a private room on the train doesn’t necessarily mean your items will be secure. When leaving the roomette to go to the dining car or walk the train, I couldn’t lock the door. I ended up carrying my phone and wallet with me in a small purse unless I was just using the bathroom a few doors down.

It is possible to lock the room from the inside though, which I appreciated at night. I also noticed other roomettes with small personal padlocks placed on the outside that travelers brought themselves.  I didn’t get a private table for dinner in the dining car.

The view I had while I ate my dinner was beautiful. Molly AllenWhen I first walked down to the dining car, I assumed I’d be sitting alone, but that wasn’t the case. I sat and joined three other travelers who were just about to order.

It was a bit awkward to be thrown into that unexpected situation at first, but it turned out to be very pleasant. It was an interesting way to meet other travelers and get to know their professions, destinations, and unique experiences on the train.  It’s helpful to pack extra nonperishable snacks, just in case.

I’m glad I brought snacks because I didn’t love the train food. Molly AllenI expected there to be free snacks to grab in the lounge in Portland before departing, but there weren’t any. Since I booked a roomette, I knew meals from the dining car would be complementary.

But I didn’t love everything I ordered.  The salad I had for lunch was decent, but it didn’t have much protein. My dinner was tasty, but the texture was strange, so I could only eat two bites.

Others at my table said they loved their food, so maybe I just made poor ordering decisions. Regardless, I was very thankful I packed protein bars, nuts, crackers, and even a peanut-butter-and-jam sandwich. I didn’t end up eating all the snacks, but it was helpful knowing I had them in case I got hungry.

You can’t really control the temperature in a roomette. The dial used to control the temperature in the room doesn’t do much. Molly AllenAfter watching multiple YouTube videos and reading about the experiences of others, I learned about the dial in the roomette to control the temperature.

But it turns out it doesn’t work very well. I turned the dial all the way down to be sure my room stayed cool, and it didn’t seem to make much difference. In the late afternoon, it was incredibly hot in the room, so I opened the door and chatted with my neighbor across the aisle for a while.

He seemed to be having the same issue. At night, I woke up hot and sweating. It seemed like the air vents in the private room only made a slight difference rather than truly allowing you to adjust the temperature.

I probably would’ve brought lighter clothes for sleeping had I known that. Changes in travel time are inevitable. There were many delays, but we still ended up arriving at a decent time.

Molly AllenMy train ride was scheduled to take 16 hours, and it actually ended up being that long. A medical emergency on board, passing freight trains, and a mechanical issue with a wheel on the train all slowed us down. At one point, we even traveled backward in order to switch tracks.

It seemed like there were constant delays at the beginning of the route, so I assumed we’d arrive in Sacramento late. But we were able to pick up the pace. Before going to bed, my car attendant told me we were scheduled to arrive in Sacramento close to an hour early, so I set my alarm for 4 a.

m. When I woke up, we weren’t in Sacramento yet, and I had plenty of time left on the train. Overall, it made me realize that the timetables for rail travel are never consistent, and there may be delays or early arrivals.

It’s definitely part of the journey, and it’s better to go into the trip knowing you’ll just have to go with the flow. Some stops aren’t even long enough to stretch your legs. My train made short stops at connecting stations.

Molly AllenWhen I looked at the map for my train route, there were plenty of stops between Portland and Sacramento. I assumed there’d be countless occasions to enjoy the fresh air and stretch my legs. As it turned out, we only had two stops that were long enough to get off the train.

For the first, I got off for about five minutes. The second opportunity was late in the evening, and with my bed already made up, I decided to skip it. The pillows were actually very comfortable.

I brought my own pillow, but I didn’t end up needing it. Molly AllenI knew the bed in my roomette had linens, a blanket, and a pillow. But other travelers had noted how terrible the pillows were.

I packed my own small, soft throw pillow and blanket to be sure I was comfortable for the overnight journey. But I ended up having two large, soft pillows in my room. I certainly could’ve saved the space in my suitcase and left my pillow at home.

Sleeping on a train is much more difficult than sitting on a train. Even though the pillows were comfortable, sleeping was more difficult than I expected. Molly AllenThe first seven hours on the train were very comfortable, and I felt great.

I walked around the train, chatted with neighbors, ate dinner in the dining car, and watched the scenery out my window. With how smoothly the ride was going, I assumed I’d get a great night’s sleep. Instead, lying down on the train felt very different from sitting.

From my spot on the bottom bed in my room, it seemed like the train was moving much faster and bumpier. I took a nighttime capsule with CBD and melatonin to help me sleep, but it didn’t seem to help much. Next time, I need to look into some other sort of sleeping aid.

It’s better to pack something for motion sickness, just in case. I wasn’t prepared to feel as ill as I did when I got off of the train. Molly AllenI’ve never had issues with motion sickness on boats or planes, and I thought this journey would be the same.

On the train, I was completely fine, but it began to set in for me once I got off. For hours after I arrived in Sacramento, it felt like I was still moving on the train, and I ended up taking something for the motion sickness later that morning. I wish I packed something for nausea and motion sickness so I could’ve taken it on the train to prevent the aftereffects.

 I was surprisingly entertained throughout the entire journey. I didn’t mind the lack of Wi-Fi since I brought books and downloaded TV shows. Molly AllenWith no Wi-Fi and spotty cell reception, I assumed I’d be bored most of the time on the train.

Spending 16 hours in the same small room felt like a lot. But the trip went by incredibly fast, and I was entertained the whole time. I sat with other travelers at lunch, wandered the train, did some reading, chatted with my neighbor across the aisle, and spent over an hour in the dining car having a great conversation at dinner.

I downloaded several movies and TV shows to watch, but I didn’t even turn my laptop on until I was winding down and getting ready for bed. The views of the sunset and sunrise absolutely blew my mind. I was hoping for more views of the countryside, but the sun was gorgeous.

Molly AllenI anticipated an incredibly scenic journey, but unfortunately, the route I took wasn’t terribly picturesque, especially in comparison to other legs of the Coast Starlight route. I watched out my windows quite a bit as we zoomed along Interstate 5 past neighborhoods and the occasional farmland. The views were interesting, but I realized pretty early on that this wasn’t the train for you if you wanted to see the countryside.

As golden hour began and transformed into the sunset, I was pleasantly surprised by the stunning Oregon views as we passed Lookout Point Lake. In the morning, waking up in California, I went to the observation car and watched the sun rise over farmland as we were approaching Sacramento. I was so thankful that I ended up having the opportunity to soak in these incredible views on the journey.

Read the original article on Insider.