I spent $1,000 to have a room to myself on a 30-hour Amtrak trip, and it's easily the best overnight train accommodation I've ever booked. (2023)

If possible, I prefer to travel by train, even if it means traveling overnight.

As a travel reporter for Insider, where I make four trips a year, the train is my favorite mode of transport.

Besides the factmore sustainable than driving or flying, traveling by train has given meincomparable visions of the world, with landscapes that change every second. And being stuck on a train for a long time forces me to sit and do nothing, something I usually don't prioritize in my daily life.

It all started in October 2021, when I took two 30-hour Amtrak trips between Miami and New York. I spent my trip to Miami in a shared room and reserved a room for the way back.

A year later I planned an extensive onetrain travel in Europe, where I spent a total of 24 hours in two night trains from Berlin to Vienna and from Vienna to Venice, Italy, on the OBB of the Austrian Federal Railways.night jettrains alongcabins.

I've taken four overnight train journeys across the US and Europe, and by far the best accommodation was the Amtrak room on my 30-hour journey from Miami to New York in 2021.

While I booked a $500 small private roomFor my trip from New York City to Miami, I booked a $1,000 one-bedroom lodging on the way back, the next step after a room.

That reports the Amtrak website, Rooms are a minimum of 45.5 square feet, which, for reference, is slightly larger than a standard king size bed,Insider has reported, and can accommodate up to two adults.

Although the ride home was long and bumpy, the spacious room made me feel comfortable, and two years later I still think about it.

If someone withtravel anxiety, I found 30 hours on a train overwhelming, especially since I had only taken one other night train at the time. The constant movement of the train did not help either. In fact, I felt a little dizzy.

But staying in a dorm made me feel more comfortable.to stay in a room, cheaper accommodation half the size. I thought the bedroom provided enough space to stretch out and move around, which made all the difference for me.

I think you can safely take another 30 hour train journey, as long as you book a room. And to make it more affordable, I would book with a friend to share the cost and have company next time.

My journey started at the Amtrak station in Miami.

I arrived at the Miami Amtrak station at 11am. m., 50 minutes before the scheduled departure of my train. The interior of the building reminded me of a Greyhound bus station and I sat in the only waiting area I could find in the station until it was time to board.

Once on the train, I found my bedroom, which had a couch that turned into a bed, a bed that dropped down from the ceiling, and a chair that folded to the side.

For twice the price of a roomette,the accommodation I booked for my previous train journey,the bedroom accommodation also offered double the space,according to the Amtrak website.

I knew right away that this trip would be more fun than my trip to Miami because I had more room to stretch out.

The bedroom had a table protruding from the wall between two of the three chairs.

The table reminded me of the storage hacks I would expect to find in a small home. I used it to hold my laptop while I worked and was thankful that I could just fold it up when it was time to relax.

To the left of the chair in my room was a sink under a mirror with a handful of small towels next to it.

Under the sink was a wastebasket and a place to store tissues.

To the right of the mirror was a cupboard where I could store my toiletries and other personal items.

This feature allowed me to unpack a bit, just like in a hotel room. Placing my toiletries on the cabinet shelves made me feel more at home.

Next to the sitting area there was a small closet with three hangers for clothes you might want to keep in good condition.

I didn't use the closet, but I think it would have been useful for storing coats if I was traveling at a cooler time of year.

There was also a private bathroom in the bedroom with a door, shower and toilet.

There were hooks on the bathroom door to hold towels and clothes. On a shelf above the toilet were two towels to dry off after a shower.

I appreciated that the bathroom was separated from the rest of the room by a door and I think it's a great convenience when traveling with other people.

The bedroom is your cheapest option if you want a private bathroom,according to the Amtrak website.

Other bedroom features include temperature controls and a button to call an attendant.

It was a nice touch that I felt more comfortable during the trip because I could control the temperature in my room.

I was also able to adjust the volume of the top speaker, which announced train stops, which I found particularly useful.

This came in handy when I wanted to get off the train and stretch my legs. Thanks to the volume control on the speakers, I always knew when the next stop would be and how much time we had at each station.

The bedroom also has convenient controls for the night, reading and ceiling lights.

The best thing the bedroom offered was the space. I had room to stand, stretch, and dance. This made my trip so much more enjoyable.

I tried to make the train feel like home, and at home I dance almost all day.

I live alone and listen to music constantly, so closing the curtains gave me a moment of privacy to be my crazy self. This also helped me keep moving, which I found essential for surviving a 30-hour train journey.

It was also nice to have a big sofa where I could stretch out and put my feet up.

The space to stretch out made me feel more relaxed during my trip. I appreciated that the sofa was long enough to lie on.

During the day I was working on my laptop a lot, so the time passed quickly.

Thanks to all the work I had to do, the first leg of my journey home passed pretty quickly.

But when the workday was over, I had to find other ways to pass the time.

I decided to lie down on my stomach and look out the window.

Exhausted from my travels, I spent much of the night lying in the chairs and looking out the window.

On my drive home I saw forests, villages and factories outside my window. This got me thinking about how traveling by train gives you a train view of the country that can't be replicated in a car or on an airplane.

When it was dinner time, I went to the dining car and bought braised short ribs and mashed potatoes.

My meals came with the ticket and I could choose from five items. I enjoyed the braised short rib dish with thatmy trip to Miami, I decided to buy it again on my way home.

Before going to bed, I brushed my teeth and washed my face in front of the sink.

As I have an electric toothbrush it was nice to be able to charge it using the bathroom outlets.

Around 8pm a caretaker came to my room to turn the couch into a bed.

My first thought when I re-entered the room after receiving the turndown service was that the bed seemed bigger thanwhere I slept in a room on my way to Miami.

Since I had trouble sleeping on the top bunk on my way to Miami, I opted for the bottom bunk on this trip.

The bed and sheets were comfortable and I was glad to have more sleeping space.

If I had slept in the bed that comes down from the ceiling, I would have had control over the air conditioning and lighting, as well as a place to put my phone nearby.

I could use the folding table for my things next to the bed.

Since there were outlets next to the sink, I put my phone there so I could watch TV from the bed.

There could also be plugs on the other side of the bed, but I couldn't find them.

By the time I was sitting up in my bed around 8:30pm. m., I realized that my body was already eager to sleep.

I thought about staying up and watching TV for a while, but my body was telling me to pass out.

So I decided to lie down and watch "The Office" until I fell asleep.

The ride was bumpy at night, but being in the lower bunk felt grounded and didn't feel like I was going to fall out of bed at any point. While it wasn't a perfect night's sleep, it certainly wasI slept better than I did in the roomette.

The next morning I woke up around 8 am. M. in North Carolina with the sun shining.

I woke up to the sun peeking through my window and felt somewhat rested.

I intended to take a shower, but after looking at the floor, I wished I had brought sandals and decided to skip the shower.

I was excited to take a shower after being on the train for almost 24 hours, but the shower seemed too dirty for comfort andI wish I had brought slippers.

Amtrak did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, butaccording to their website, disinfect rooms between visitors.

However, I usually wear flip flops in public showers.as the experts saythat it is quite easy to pick up germs from places where many people have walked barefoot.

Since I had forgotten about them, I decided it was better not to take a shower.

Instead, I washed my face in front of the sink and put on a lot of deodorant.

This made me feel a little fresher, although I couldn't wait to get home and shower.

While washing my face, I realized how nice it was to have three mirrors side by side.

Since all three mirrors were connected, it was easier to see the spots I missed after getting the soap off my face.

Breakfast and lunch were also included in my ticket on my last day of travel, and I quite liked them.

For breakfast I went to the dining car and took the continental option. For lunch I decided to try a different dish than the braised short ribs I had eaten the night before.

I chose a chicken fettuccine dish with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes, and it was decent.

Of all the meals I had, I found the continental breakfast to be the most complete and satisfying.

Breakfast included a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, oatmeal, Greek yogurt and a blueberry muffin. For the oatmeal, I had a choice of maple and brown sugar or apple and cinnamon.

I thought this meal was the most filling of the entire trip, and if it was served at any hour I'd probably have it for every meal.

I loved having my bed turned down all day as it allowed me to relax and rest a bit more.

To kill time, I looked at my phone and played Nintendo while relaxing in bed.

It was Saturday, so staying in bed felt good.

When we were about three hours from New York, my assistant turned the bed into chairs, and these last few hours on the train felt like the longest of the entire trip.

I think because my bed was gone and I thought the end of the journey was near, the last few hours of my train ride felt like they were dragging on.

Sitting on a train for 30 hours is certainly not paradise, but booking a room made me feel a bit shorter. So I'll stretch my money to book it again next time I want to take a ride across the country.

When we arrived in New York around 7pm. m., a little later than planned, I realized that I had never been so grateful to be home.

But I also appreciated the room and the privacy I had when I got there.