I took a 30-hour train from New York to Miami, and the motion sickness and terrible sleep were too much for me

Waiting at the train station felt a lot like waiting in an airport but with less security. My train ticket got me into the waiting room, where I sat until it was time to board.

The sleeper cars are right behind the dining car.

The corridor was so narrow that you could only walk down it single file.

A step up from sitting in coach, where you get a regular train seat, a roomette is a private space with a door and blinds to cover up the windows.

Inside, there are two seats across from each other, a table that folds out in between, and a bed above the seats that pulls down. The seats also pull out into a bed.

With the seat down and the sink folded up, you’d never know there was a bathroom in the room.

There was no privacy for those traveling in pairs.

A decade ago, I may have had a bigger problem with the toilet situation next to my bed in the Roomette. But, thankfully, I had packed some Poo Pourri, a spray that goes in the toilet just before you poop to eliminate odors.

There was a bathroom at the back of the sleeper car where I could use the toilet.

The table had two foldout leaves, too, for more space. 

In addition to the ceiling light, each seat had its own area light, reading light, and night light. I counted 11 light switches in my Roomette.

My Roomette had a temperature dial and air conditioning vents, and I kept it cool in my room, around 66 degrees Fahrenheit.

When I stood up to walk through the train cars, I felt like I was on an airplane during turbulence. It felt like this the whole journey, and I ended up feeling motion sickness for the majority of the trip. 

Even though eating in my room was an option, I didn’t want it to smell like food in my bunk all night. 

I had braised short ribs, mashed potatoes, and a hard roll. While I didn’t love the meal as it came, I made a little sandwich out of the ingredients, which tasted better to me. 

The room’s seats fold out into a bed on the bottom level, but I wanted to try sleeping up top. 

The bed was suspended in the air, and there were blankets wrapped in plastic that I found surprisingly soft and comfortable. 

As I nestled into a sleeping position, I listened to the choo choo of the train whistle and pretended I was on the Polar Express until I finally fell asleep. 

I woke up a few times in the night feeling disoriented, and I had to remind myself where I was. There were also times when I was worried I might fall out of bed.

Even though I didn’t sleep well, I’m glad I went with the top bunk because of the views I had in the morning. 

I passed a lot of the time working. 

While the train had internet, I found the connection to be unreliable. So I was glad I had downloaded movies, TV shows, and podcasts to my phone and iPad before my trip.

Since 2021, I’ve gotten more comfortable on overnight trains and have learned to appreciate them.

In my opinion, taking a long train journey is a lot like taking a road trip — if you consider the ride a part of the vacation, then maybe it would be worth it for you.