I've spent 128 hours on overnight Amtrak trips. I wish I had known 10 things before stepping aboard.

There were so many things I couldn’t have predicted about sleeper train travel before taking my own night rides.I slept on an Amtrak overnight train for the first time in October 2021.

I booked a round-trip ride between New York City and Miami.

Each ride was 30 hours.On the way to Miami, I booked a $500 roomette accommodation.

The 20-square-foot enclosed private space had a foldout table, two chairs that folded out into a bed, and an additional bed that pulled down from the ceiling. On my way back to NYC, I spent 30 hours in the next level up, a $1,000 bedroom accommodation, which is a private 45-square-foot room.

It was double the cost of a roomette, for twice the space and a private bathroom. Then, in January 2025, I took a 15-hour Amtrak from Denver to Salt Lake City in a roomette for $400.Most recently, in February 2026, I took the longest train ride in the US — a 53-hour Amtrak from Chicago to Emeryville, California — and booked a $2,200 bedroom.While I enjoyed these trips, there are some things I wish I had known about this type of travel before that would have made me more prepared for the rides.