I spent 16 hours on a round-trip Amtrak ride. Here are 7 mistakes I won't make again.

• I took a round-trip Amtrak journey from New York City to Rochester.
• I booked one coach ticket and one business-class ticket for $249, spending 16 hours on the trains.
• I made a few mistakes on my Amtrak journey, like booking a ticket with an extended stop.

I sat on the wrong side of the train.

Packing snacks would have been wise.

A long stop turned out to be much more annoying than more frequent stops. During the pause, the lights were off, the AC only came on sporadically, and the café car was closed. I was frustrated when I realized what was happening, but I had no one to blame but myself. Amtrak had clearly listed the estimated arrival time on my ticket when I purchased it.

I made the most of the time we were stopped, grabbing a lackluster dinner from a small café at the Albany station and walking around to stretch my legs. It wasn’t a huge problem in the grand scheme of things, but next time, I’ll pay closer attention to journey length when booking an Amtrak ticket.

It sounds silly, but I should have been more careful with my body as I got used to riding the train.

I’m a pretty clumsy person by nature. I trip often, and anyone who has thrown a ball my way knows I lack basic hand-eye coordination.

I didn’t think that would matter on a train, but when I repeatedly bonked my head on the luggage shelving above my seats, I realized my miscalculation. It was easy to lose my balance as I maneuvered around the moving train, leading me to knock my head more than once on the shelves above my seat when I got in and out of my chair.

It might not be a problem for every train rider, but I hope other clumsy people heed my warning. I wish I had moved a little more slowly and with more care on the train, as I likely could have avoided some bumps and bruises.