Advice on Subletting Bed From Another Passenger? September Trip/ SWC

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Amy

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This may be a weird question but I'm desperate. I really hate sleeping in the reclining seats in coach, but I cannot afford the price of a room myself.

Is there a way to connect with other passengers on the same train and offer them some cash for an unused bed in their quarters? I don't need access to this space at all during the day. Just at night to lay out flat and sleep. Do people ever do this to share cost with other passengers? How do they connect with each other and plan before hand?

I am a woman in her early 30s. I guess my preference would be to rent from another woman but I'm open to any suggestions.

I am traveling on the southwest chief from LA to Chicago and would need a space to sleep Wed night Sept. 7th and Thursday night Sept 8th.

For the return trip it would be the nights of Monday, September 19th and Tuesday, September 20th. Southwest Chief, Chicago to LA.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I take this train trip often and it would be great to have a good sleeping arrangement that is cheap but comfortable each time.

Or maybe someone has found a way to turn the reclining coach seat into a comfortable situation? I doubt it is possible but open to suggestions! :)

-Amy
 
As far as I'm aware coach passengers are not allowed in the sleepers for any reason, as far as Amtrak is concerned they paid for the room and if traveling alone they are to be the sole occupant of the room.
 
However, that "open sleeper" reservation would have to be opt aimed prior to boarding the train. It can not be done aboard the train.

AFAIK, there is no way to do so - if you don't know someone who will be on that train beforehand.
 
Bed down in the SSL car.

Many people do, and they start settling in about 9 PM (local time) or so.

Some sleep on the 'couch' seats, some sleep on the floor.

Those passengers who do that are known affectionately as Lounge Lizards.

The conductor rousts the lounge lizards between 5 & 6 AM so other passengers can use the seats/floor.
 
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I do not think this is a good idea considering what is going on in the world today! Perhaps you have a friend or family member who can travel with you!

Unless you know the person (lots of us have shared rooms with AU Members on trains and in hotels), it is best to try and get your own Roomette at Low Bucket. Most of us use amsnag. net, developed by an AU member, to check Rail Fares (it will always be Low Bucket with a Booked Room) and Room Charges for 30 days at a time up to 11 months in advance.
 
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Bob Dylan said:
I do not think this is a good idea considering what is going on in the world today!
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Logically the maximum potential risk is relatively high while the general probability of harm is likely to be relatively low. However, most of the statistical safety margin of such a proposal is based on the lack of advance knowledge and limited pool of potential contacts on any given train. However, posting an inquiry with dates and names and genders and age ranges well in advance of the departure on a public forum casts an extremely wide net that vastly increases the total number of potential contacts. This gives even statistically rare motives and personality traits a much higher chance to initiate contact. In other words, the proposal probably wasn't that dangerous until it was posted in detail here on the forum.
 
Well, I wouldn't do this. But a young woman I know used Craigslist to find a ride cross country. She did some online research about the guy and took some other precautions, and had a good trip. So perhaps you could meet some people that way in LA or Chicago. It might work for some trips, anyway. What I have done is meet people in various ways and plan trips together after I know them a little. Some people work out better than others but noone has been terrible. Recommend you network (including in person) with people who ride trains. Also join here so people can PM you.
 
If you can get a window seat in coach, take an eyemask and earplugs with a light blanket and comfy pillow (doesn't have to be huge). That arrangement is tolerable to me. But I have never been able to really get comfortable with an aisle seat unless you want to ask your seatmate if you can lean up against them at night. Probably a bad thing to ask unless you are traveling with someone you know.

Agree with others about not seeking to share a sleeping accommodation with a stranger ("open sleeper" ticket or not.) Good luck!
 
Devil said:
Bob Dylan said:
I do not think this is a good idea considering what is going on in the world today!
Click to expand...
Logically the maximum potential risk is relatively high while the general probability of harm is likely to be relatively low. However, most of the statistical safety margin of such a proposal is based on the lack of advance knowledge and limited pool of potential contacts on any given train. However, posting an inquiry with dates and names and genders and age ranges well in advance of the departure on a public forum casts an extremely wide net that vastly increases the total number of potential contacts. This gives even statistically rare motives and personality traits a much higher chance to initiate contact. In other words, the proposal probably wasn't that dangerous until it was posted in detail here on the forum.
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I agree, risky business at best! You mention that you take this train trip often. How have your previous trips worked out for you?

Another option I thought of is to save some money by flying one way and travel by train in a roomete the other. Maybe you could afford to do that. I was curious about the price differences on the date you mentioned, September 7th:

Southwest Chief, $138.00 coach, plus $351 for a roomette, and a long trip.

American Airlines, $194.00 and a 4+ hr. trip.

Just saying.
 
I have never seen the luggage rack in coach being empty. (Usually its overflowing.) I've never even saw the rack in the sleepers empty - and there's only not more than 32 passengers in the car!
 
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Seaboard92 said:
It was empty the whole trip from CHI to WAS
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And you're talking about the rack at the bottom of the stairs, not a baggage area of a coach-bag car, right? I've heard of people sleeping in the baggage area of a coach-bag car.
 
AmtrakBlue said:
Seaboard92 said:
I know when I traveled on the Capitol Limited In coach. No one was using the luggage rack downstairs so I just slept there.
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And no one boarded down the line and threw their bags on top of you? :eek:
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Many years ago I had to evict a grown man from the overhead luggage rack of an Amfleet coach. Or maybe it was a Heritage dome coach. Don't remember for sure, but it really happened. This was before the installation of baffles in the racks. They were put there to prevent the shifting of luggage, but they also do discourage use of the luggage racks as beds.

Tom
 
AmtrakBlue said:
Seaboard92 said:
I believe it was a coach baggage actually.
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Ah, that makes more sense. I couldn't imagine being scrunched up in the rack being more comfortable a coach seat.
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Seaboard92 said:
I believe it was a coach baggage actually.
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I've slept on the dirty carpet in a Coach-Bag on the CS when my arthritis was acting up and I could find no painless way to sit in my coach seat (usually I've no problem sleeping in coach).

No bags were thrown into that baggage hold, but when I woke up after a good 6 hours sleep -- there were four other passengers asleep in the (large) space.

Not recommended but worked OK that once
 
At the risk of sounding inexperienced, which I am considering the concept proposed by the OP, I just think this is a bad idea all around, even if it could somehow be sanctioned by Amtrak.
 
It really isn't that foreign of a concept in Europe bone can by a T4 or T6 couchette room and end up sleeping with three to five strangers in a room. So it isn't unheard of. I wouldn't do it personally. I believe russia does that as well.
 
MikefromCrete said:
Sharing of rooms by strangers is quite common in Europe, but I doubt if it would fly in the U.S.
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Considering the bizarre bathroom bill movement I'd imagine there would be a strong push to ban mixed sleeping arrangements on religious grounds. America's illogical preoccupation with anything even remotely related to sex or gender is rather confusing to me but seems to make perfect sense to the average Texan.
 
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