When I hauled a dense suitcase into the overhead on my Amtrak train car, I idea I had everything I'd need for my trip.
Three jackets, two pairs of boots, and a scarf to equivalent all sweater — I was prepared for anything. However, I quickly realized I wasn't nearly as prepared for the five-hour journey itself.
My trip from New Jersey to Boston on the Northeast Regional line gave me fair adequate period to resolve in, extend out, and bask a small 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 desire I'd packed.
My ticket didn't contain complimentary snacks, so I was glad I'd brought my own.
Due to the dimension of my ride, I knew I'd be starving at several point.
My essential ticket didn't arrive alongside complimentary snacks from Amtrak, but I didn't intellect much since I had brought plentifulness of food from home.
I stopped at a bagel shop before boarding, packed a homemade latte, and had additional than adequate snacks to keep me satisfied throughout the ride.
There was a café car concerning midway through the train that I could've bought a few bites at, but I was blessed to preserve the prosperity anyway.
Headphones came in helpful for listening to music and streaming TV.
Though the lull of the train can be soothing in itself, I was blessed to have packed my headphones so I could hear to music during the ride.
These additionally came in helpful whenever I wanted to capture up on TV shows without bothering anyone about me.
The lone packing mistake I made was bringing wired headphones alternatively of wireless ones, since I couldn't accusation my equipment and hear at the identical time.
My hot place came in helpful whenever the train's WiFi didn't activity excellent well.
Though Amtrak offers complimentary WiFi on routes akin this one, I didn't discover it dependable for everything.
It worked fine for sending texts or scrolling through social media, but it wasn't as dependable whenever I wanted to stream TV on my laptop. To stream better, I switched to my phone's hot spot.
My Kindle comes alongside me nearly everyplace I go.
Luckily, I didn't battle to keep myself entertained since I had packed my Kindle. I'm a publish lover, so five hours of uninterrupted study period was correct up my alley.
I favor using an e-reader complete a bodily book whenever traveling since it's lightweight and doesn't obtain up much area in my bag.
Plus, for first dawn or late-night rides alongside my Kindle, I don't have to depend on the train's study light, which power disturb another passengers.
However, I established myself wishing I had packed motion-sickness medication.
I idea I packed beautiful fine for the trip, but toward the end of the ride, I started emotion nauseous. I've never had motion sickness on a train before, but I've additionally never been on one for this long.
So, whenever I started emotion dizzy in the final hour, I was caught off guard. I couldn't appearance at my phone display anymore, so I leaned rear and closed my eyes.
It really made me desire I had brought several motion-sickness medication alongside for the ride.
Having a journey pillow or covering would've made my trip additional comfortable.
My place ended up being comfier than I thought, alongside a decent recline and footrests.
Looking back, though, I really desire I had packed several comfortable journey items, specified as a neck pillow or blanket. This journey was first in the morning, and my come back trip was delayed at night, so they would've arrive in handy.
Next time, I'll certainly bring a few additional things to create the journey cozier and authorize me to near my eyes for a bit.
Similarly, slippers would've been helpful for strolling throughout the train car.
Another comfort item I didn't think concerning until I was on the train was slippers.
I akin taking my shoes off during lengthy trips, particularly on airplanes, but for several reason, I felt hesitant to do so on the train.
I desire I had brought a brace of ray slippers to deteriorate during the journey and for those trips rear and onward to the bathroom. It would've been another way to add to the general comfort of a long Amtrak ride.
This narrative was initially published on December 3, 2025, and most lately updated on September 23, 2026.
Read next
Amanda Shammas is a erstwhile editorial chap for the Lifestyle freelance team. She covered manner and amusement and wrote concerning journey for Business Insider and its partners, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo. She graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey alongside a flat in Psychology.
![AEO checker tools that measure answer motor visibility [2026]](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/aeo-checker-1-20260903-3858273.webp)
