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First impressions:
The seat is comfortable (hopefully I get some sleep).
The bathroom is nice & clean, and almost triple the size of an air plane bathroom.
There’s a nice lounge area and snack bar with wifi (a little slow though).
So far, it’s a pretty positive review (I’ll say more after I get some sleep).

And, that’s my first impressions during my first ever hour on a train.
Let’s see how the next 20 hours go…

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Before going to sleep, I ate some takeout (from thai express) that I bought before getting on the train.
And, looking back now, this was a GREAT idea because the next day I had to buy food on the train, NOT a great idea (items and prices below).

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10 hours later…
(after a “weird” night’s sleep)

I was only able to sleep for a minimum of 2 hours at a time.
But, when I did get some rem sleep (from 12:30 am – 5:00 am), it was pretty decent (although a little bumpy and shaky). But, all in all, I was able to close my eyes for a few hours, so I’ll call it a win (even though I’m still pretty tired).

When I woke up, I was feeling a little stiff (from sleeping curled up in a ball on my seat), so I went to the lounge car to get breakfast, and do some stretches.
Unlike a plane, there is room on a train if you need to stand and stretch, so that’s a plus.
But, one downside is that, if you don’t bring your own blanket on a train, they don’t give them out or sell any, so my night was a little cold (which I also think is why I didn’t sleep too well).

While eating breakfast, I decided to catch up on some stuff (like emails, Instagram, and I started writing this post).

After breakfast I went back to my seat and took a 2 hour nap (trying to catch up for the missed rem sleep from the night before).
Woke up again around 11:30 and made my way back to the lounge car for lunch.

After lunch, I continued writing this post in the lounge before returning to my seat.
I still have 5 hours to go (but luckily for me I will arrive before supper, so no more buying overpriced food).

I ended up taking another nap when I went back to my seat.
And, when I woke up the train was almost at the station, so I just looked out the window at the colourful trees.
Fall is a great season to take the train because if you get bored, you can always just look out the window at the beautiful landscape.

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My final thought about my first 21 hour train journey is:
BE PREPARED!
Even if you think you might not need something, just take it!
It’s better to be over prepared than be miserable for a full day on a train.

Here’s a list of things I wish I had taken with me on the train:

• More snacks (train food is overpriced)
• A blanket & pillow
• A book (the internet isn’t fast enough to download anything)
• Already downloaded things (enough movies or podcasts to last a few hours)

Here’s a list of things I’m glad I brought on the train:

• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Eye mask (they don’t turn off the lights)
• Noise cancelling earbuds (it’s loud, especially when the horn goes off near every station)

Thanks for reading!
I hope this helps you know more about what to expect & bring for your next overnight train adventure!

-LiveForAdventure! 🙂