Any Tips for a Young Woman Riding Alone?

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TheLadyMage

Joined
Dec 11, 2012
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Hello,

I am a college aged young woman and I will be riding amtrak up to DC to visit my boyfriend and his family. It is only a four hour train ride, but it is my first train ride in a long time and I am really nervous. I have only been on one train, and that was nearly ten years ago! This will be my first 'real' train ride, and my first one by myself. Are there any tips for a first time traveler? I know that amtrak is fairly safe as far as travel options go. That was one of the reasons why I chose amtrak instead of the greyhound bus.

I will be riding on the northeast regional. I do not know the train number, as I haven't made my final reservations (still waiting for work to okay the request for time off). I know that my route does not offer checked baggage service, but that it offers wifi, a quiet car, and a snack car. Are the items on the snack car worth purchasing? Does anyone know where I may be able to find a sample menu?
 
I could not find the Regional menu, but here is the Acela menu, which is very similar.

http://www.amtrak.co...Menu-2012,0.pdf

While I am a slightly older male, I have traveled with a number of women in your age range, and none of them had any negative experiences safety wise. (perhaps upset at delays, but such is relatively rare on a regional. )

What is your station of origin?
 
Welcome to AU!

You have absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Grab a book or two, pack a snack/drink bag if you don't think you'll like the cafe offerings, and prepare to sit back, relax, and watch the scenery in comfort. We have sent our college-age children on the Silver Meteor before and they both had very enjoyable trips.

Happy Holidays, and welcome back to the world of the passenger train!

-RW

Edit: typo
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There's nothing to worry about. I've taken plenty of trips on Amtrak, some overnight, and I've never felt unsafe. Enjoy your trip!
 
The normal rules for public transit apply. If you want to talk to someone you will be able to start up conversations much easier on the train than on the bus (and the people are much more likely to be coherent) but you can put on headphones and no one will bother you.
 
My girlfriend came to visit me via the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited (which was a 3 day trip in coach for her lol) but she didn't mind it at all, aside from the length part.
 
On the route from Williamsburg to DC you shouldn't have a problem getting two seats to yourself. Unless you are traveling on a very busy day these trains normally don't fill up until north of DC.
 
There are only a few tips that I can pass on for a better trip. An internet phone and some reading materials will help the trip will go quickly. Amtrak trains are well lit, the seats are wide and comfortable, the coaches have restrooms and the cafe car serves food and drink. If you don't want to partake of the food services offered, you are free to take your own snacks, sandwich and beverage along. A cooler bag with ice sometimes helps. Depending on the time of departure you can even take a box lunch, diner or breakfast with you. Beverages taken aboard must be "soft drinks". There is a good chance that you will have two seats to yourself so if you want to doze off, thats Ok too. .
 
You'll be absolutely fine, especially since you're on board for only a few hours. Just remember the basic number 1 rule of travel-SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.
 
Just be nice to the little old bald-headed grandpa in glasses smiling at you from across the aisle. (That would be me.)
 
The only thing I would add is that sometimes a smaller purse/fanny pack that you can put your money/ID in that never leaves your body may make you feel a little more secure. When I travel by myself, I do this, as I don't want to accidentally forget myself and leave my purse/wallet in a seat, the diner, the restroom, etc.

I agree with the others though, you'll be travelling through beautiful country that will make it great to "gaze" as you go. I also find that 4 hrs is just about right for a nice nap with enough time to get settled upon leaving, and roused before arriving.

Enjoy your visit!!
 
If you're concerned about safety, if anything happens, there's a uniformed Amtrak employee in each car, and they're generally very good. And if the Amtrak employee is the problem, go find the conductor. I have never needed to do either.

DC Union Station is kind of a huge station so make sure you know where you're meeting your boyfriend after you get off the train.

Williamsburg is a small station. It's staffed, so you should feel safe there too.
 
This should be an easy and fun trip. You've received good ideas above, I would add a few.

I always take clorox sanitizing wipes on trips, these come in a small green packet that can fit in purse, backpack, even a pocket. When I get to my seat or roomette I thoroughly wipe down the armrests, tray table, and anything else I might touch with my hands. You will be grossed out when you see how dirty everything is (this especially goes for airline seats and tray tables). You also want to take sanitizing handwipes, these also come in small packets and I think they're more effective than liquid sanitizer.

Make sure your luggage has locks and use them. You can store luggage on the rack at the end of the car and try to find a seat nearby where you can keep an eye on it, or above your head on a rack. Don't leave things like cellphone, iPad, iPod, camera, etc. where someone can easily steal. I keep these items in my cross-body purse or Scottevest clothing (many pockets). You will need to step away from your belongings at some point in the trip, make sure someone can't come a long and open a zipper to remove your valuables. When I walk around the train (restroom, cafe car, etc.) I take my most valuable things with me. You wouldn't leave your stuff by your chair at the airport to go get a drink, don't do it on a train, either.

Pepsi products are served on Amtrak, so I always take a small cooler (check out the ebags.com own brand "Crew Cooler" which comes in 2 sizes) with snacks (granola bars, almonds, sliced apple) and my Diet Dr. Peppers. I prefer the plastic bottles with cap, I can take a few sips and put it back in the cooler to stay cold. Amtrak has decent snacks in the cafe car, but they're a little pricey. I prefer to bring my own and save money.

Please don't think the above hints are the result of paranoia, I always travel with heightened awareness and good common sense. I never worry about personal security on a train.
 
Great tip on the sanitizing wipes; I too usually toss in a packet of Clorax or similar wipes. They are worth their weight in gold, especially if you are in a Viewliner or Superliner Bedroom where you share your room with a toilet.
 
I will definitely be taking lots of Wet Ones with me, both to sanitize myself and the things in my surroundings. And I will be purchasing luggage locks. Also, I have a question: can I bring a small blade onboard the train? How rigorous are security checks. I know that there will probably be no security checks at the Williamsburg station, since it's very tiny. But I also know that I can easily expect lots of security at union station in dc. The knives in question are a really small swiss army pocket knife, and a gerber knife. The blade of the gerber knife is less than three inches. I was able to find a link to pictures of a similar gerber knife online:

http://www.brms.com/gerber-power-frame-folding-knife?gclid=CIzjgIfCxrQCFal_Qgodw2IA3Q

Here is my model of my rather tiny swiss army knife:

http://www.adorama.com/VI53012.html?gclid=CLeChtrCxrQCFWrZQgod3UQA1Q

As you can see, both knives/tools are not meant for violent purposes. Rather, they are for uses in many situations that may come up, such as for opening boxes, cutting ropes, etc.
 
OlympianHiawatha said:
Great tip on the sanitizing wipes; I too usually toss in a packet of Clorax or similar wipes. They are worth their weight in gold, especially if you are in a Viewliner or Superliner Bedroom where you share your room with a toilet.
Click to expand...
Sounds like our PennyK!!
 
The Swiss Army Knife might fall under "Scissors, nail clippers, corkscrews, and razors are allowed in carry-on baggage". I'm not sure about the Gerber, since it is so small.

That said, I've never been searched, and the stations don't have x-ray scanners. If, by chance, someone did see the Gerber and say something, they'd probably just confiscate it if you volunteered to hand it over until the end of the trip. But, as I said, I've never been searched. One time, they were checking purses while boarding the Wolverine, but it wasn't very thorough. They just shined a little pocket flashlight in my purse and didn't move anything around or open pockets. I could have had a gun and two knives under all of the crap stuffed in there, and they wouldn't have seen it.
 
One of the reasons I like going by train is that I always carry a tiny Swiss Army knife (one small blade, a file, and a pair of tiny scissors, which are the most useful tool in it, LOL!) and on a train, I don't have to remember to remove it before traveling! BTW, you'll find lots of older folks on the train because it is safe and comfy, and lots of younger folks because they can have room to move around and the kids don't get as bored and uncomfortable. The only ones you won't find much of are the power suits in a hurry!
 
I left my wallet in the dining car of an Amtrak train, and another time it dropped from my pocket when aboard an Indian overnight train... in both cases it was returned to me 100% safe and correct. Viva rail travel !

Ed :cool:
 
I don't know if hat checks are used on the NE corridor or if passengers just fend for themselves. On most long distance trains, the conductor takes (now scans) your ticket and writes your destination code on a paper "hat check" that is placed above the seat on the edge of the luggage rack. If your don't mind sitting in an aisle seat, you can avouid getting a new seat mate enroute by observing the hat checks and picking a seat next to someone going beyond your station. Be aware that the hat checks often use Amtrak's 3 letter station codes, some of which are not intuitive.

LWB
 
Ryan said:
Seat check, and yes they're used on the NEC.
Click to expand...
However, because of the huge amount of passenger turnover coupled with the conductors changing at NYP, the crews always recheck all tickets from those who were onboard prior to NYP.
 
TheLadyMage said:
I will definitely be taking lots of Wet Ones with me, both to sanitize myself and the things in my surroundings. And I will be purchasing luggage locks. Also, I have a question: can I bring a small blade onboard the train? How rigorous are security checks. I know that there will probably be no security checks at the Williamsburg station, since it's very tiny. But I also know that I can easily expect lots of security at union station in dc. The knives in question are a really small swiss army pocket knife, and a gerber knife. The blade of the gerber knife is less than three inches. I was able to find a link to pictures of a similar gerber knife online:

http://www.brms.com/gerber-power-frame-folding-knife?gclid=CIzjgIfCxrQCFal_Qgodw2IA3Q

Here is my model of my rather tiny swiss army knife:

http://www.adorama.com/VI53012.html?gclid=CLeChtrCxrQCFWrZQgod3UQA1Q

As you can see, both knives/tools are not meant for violent purposes. Rather, they are for uses in many situations that may come up, such as for opening boxes, cutting ropes, etc.
Click to expand...
This is one aspect that sets train travel apart from air travel. I don't think anyone would have any problem with a Gerber or Leatherman tool. In fact, you may get to do some maintenance while on board, being so well equipped!

There is the "creep" factor that can potentially plague single women travelling alone. To mitigate this for my daughter, I put her in business class where the traffic of wandering creepy men is kept to a bare minimum (only business class folks should be in business class and generally folks aren't just "passing through").

IF you find yourself in a situation sitting next to a guy who doesn't respect your space (there aren't armrests betweens the seats), just simply get up, find a coach attendant and ask to be reseated. If there is room on board, it shouldn't be a problem. If the train is crowded, however, you may wind up being uncomfortable for a while. Of course, in almost any case, you can choose to spend your trip in the cafe/lounge car if you feel so inclined (though getting a 4-top table to yourself may not be so very kind if the lounge is crowded).
 
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