What kind of train traveler are you?

[Garethe7]

Packed and ready to go 2 weeks ahead of time?

Overwhelmed with last minute details? (Me)

Somewhere in between?

A worry wart?

Nervous nelly?

All or none of the above?

With a little over a week to go I have to admit I'm getting a bit anxious that I'm running out of time; although in my case a relocation is involved making my trip related preparations a little more involved than it would be if it were a simple vacation. However, I tend to be a bit of a worry wart and don't fully relax until I'm on the train; but not so much that I can't enjoy myself. My Mom however is so overwhelmed with details that she hates traveling.

Thoughts?

 

[SarahZ]

Buy the tickets and make hotel reservations so far in advance that it's ridiculous. Part of this is to snag a good deal; part of it is a need to control everything.

Become increasingly impatient waiting to leave on said trip. Annoy boyfriend with constant countdown updates.

Two days before trip: think, "I should do laundry."

One day before trip: actually do laundry

Night before trip: figure out how many days we'll be gone, count out that number of shirts/socks/etc and place in suitcase, grab books and put in backpack, pack as much medicine/toiletries as possible. My packing is really organized, even though I can pack for a week in about two minutes. I have lots of practice. (On the way home, however, I just throw everything into the suitcase and sit on it to get it zipped. I don't care at that point since everything's dirty.)

Day of: pack the rest of the medicine/toiletries and any last-minute chargers and whatnot in the backpack, pack laptop

Go to airport or train station ridiculously early because I am impatient. Immediately freak out that I forgot to turn something off and/or pack something. (Note: I never forget anything, but I worry anyway.)

On plane/train: relax, read, enjoy scenery, drink alcohol, take pictures, watch DVDs, play games

 

[Bob Dylan]

Packed and ready to go 2 weeks ahead of time?

Overwhelmed with last minute details? (Me)

Somewhere in between?

A worry wart?

Nervous nelly?

All or none of the above?

With a little over a week to go I have to admit I'm getting a bit anxious that I'm running out of time; although in my case a relocation is involved making my trip related preparations a little more involved than it would be if it were a simple vacation. However, I tend to be a bit of a worry wart and don't fully relax until I'm on the train; but not so much that I can't enjoy myself. My Mom however is so overwhelmed with details that she hates traveling.

Thoughts?

Sounds pretty "Normal" to me! Some of us keep our "Train Stuff' Packed and spend our Spare Time ( in the Case of Some Work Time! :giggle: )Planning Train Trips! Hopefully your Mom will "Kick back" and Relax once shes Aboard the Train! Happy Rails to Ya'll!!!

 

[MiRider]

Easy going but an obsessive, list making, do everything in advance, totally organized, all ducks in a row kind of traveler.

Once I'm on the train, totally relaxed and carefree.... well, at least that's how I see myself.

I think my husband might dispute my point of view. :giggle:

 

[EMDF9A]

I pack the night before or the day of, depending on departure time. I check the website to find out if there are any delays. I really dont worry about them because to me the more time I spend on the train, the better. Since I travel (for pleasure) in a sleeper, I dont worry about getting to the station early as I know I will have a room ready and waiting for me once I board. The only thing I actually worry about is that they dont change my room assignment after I get my tickets. I have to be on the upper level, as I get motion sickness on the lower level when viewing passing trains outside the roomette window. This has been an issue on more than one occasion where my ticket said one room and they tried to put me in a lower level room. Things have always been worked out by the SCA & Conductor to my satisfaction.

To use part of my Trails & Rails greeting "So visit Cindy (or whomever the LSA in the cafe might be) in the Cafe, grab your favorite beverage or a light snack, Take a seat by the picture windows, Sit back, relax and enjoy the miles of BEAUTIFUL American scenery"

 

[SarahZ]

In direct opposition to me is my boyfriend. He hates worrying about costs, itineraries, and all the mundane details, so I (the control freak) am in charge of everything. He makes endless lists, packs a week in advance, and then asks me questions every day - "You have the tickets, right? We're leaving at 2:00, right? We get there at 9:00, right?" It baffles him that I pack the night before and don't make lists.

He calls me "his secretary". Even though I do all of the planning, I do run items by him for his approval, as he often covers 50-100% of the cost. We split a lot of things equally, but there's some stuff he pays for since he makes more than I do. We have a pretty good system, and I don't mind being a secretary.

 

[Bob Dylan]

You deserve a Raise Sarah!!!

 

[jebr]

Go to airport or train station ridiculously early because I am impatient. Immediately freak out that I forgot to turn something off and/or pack something. (Note: I never forget anything, but I worry anyway.)

Can I have that problem? I always seem to forget one or two things. Last time it was my usual (long) microUSB cable, and my short one has nearly zero reach.

You deserve a Raise Sarah!!!

I hear she's getting a 100% monetary raise!

 

[the_traveler]

"What kind of train traveler are you?" :huh: The best kind! :giggle:

I just got back from my trip to CHI this morning, and I'm ready to plan my next trip!

I am always anxious and ready to go. I usually have things ready, and usually pack the day before the trip. However, I can't wait for "that day to get here"!

 

[benjibear]

I typically plan our trips. I start packing about a week before and make lists of what I need to put in. Try to plan everything out because there is a lot I need to do right before we go (Clean litter boxes, feed cats, timers on lights, garbage out of the house, water shut off, water heater off, heat (or cool) set, take dog to her hotel, etc, etc. etc.) which can not be done too far ahead of time. I worry the entire night before, the way to the station, and once i get on the train. I keep thinking what did I forget? Is the car going to make it? Etc. Etc.

Usually I can't relax until l am on the train and force myself to stop thinking!

 

[buddy559]

3 months out, nothing left to do but watch the CZ go by another 90 times before they finally let me get on.

 

[MiRider]

I typically plan our trips. I start packing about a week before and make lists of what I need to put in. Try to plan everything out because there is a lot I need to do right before we go (Clean litter boxes, feed cats, timers on lights, garbage out of the house, water shut off, water heater off, heat (or cool) set, take dog to her hotel, etc, etc. etc.) which can not be done too far ahead of time. I worry the entire night before, the way to the station, and once i get on the train. I keep thinking what did I forget? Is the car going to make it? Etc. Etc.

Usually I can't relax until l am on the train and force myself to stop thinking!

No judgement here at all -trust me.... what is the longest you've left your cats alone?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I don't actually start packing until about two hours before I leave It doesn't matter if it's for an overnight trip a couple hours away or a week's trip a thousand miles away or even two weeks ten thousand miles away. Don't ask me why I do it that way. I guess it's just a tradition or something. If I forget something I can usually buy another one at my destination. I'm a rather simple guy in some ways, so it's kind of hard to end up someplace that doesn't sell a workable replacement for nearly everything I would need. My one difficult to replace toiletry type item is Neutrogena sunscreen. Everything else I can usually make do with whatever they happen to have. I'm not sure how that would work if it was my laptop/phone/camera that got left behind, but so far I haven't ever forgotten those and half the time I don't need them all that much anyhow. As the trip gets closer and closer I get more and more stressed out thinking something is going to go horribly wrong. I can't remember ever having anything happen that actually doomed a trip from the start, but for some reason I still think it's a serious risk every time I travel beyond the next town over. Once I'm settling into my seat on the first train or plane or whatever I'm finally able to relax and enjoy the experience.

 

[Dave Van]

I'm always a little nervous on travel day....did I forget something, will I make connections etc. But once settled in, maybe an hour or two, I get calmed down and start enjoying it.

I slowly pack for about a week or so (for my 3 week trips) plan much longer.

 

[jis]

More often than not spontaneous for shorter trips. But that is the way I am with any trip, if I can help it. Too much planning makes the trip too painful as far as I am concerned. I have a general que sera sera attitude about such thing, more often than not. Just go with the flow. Without such an approach one could could be flying over the proverbial cuckoo's nest while dealing with trips on many transport systems of the world.

 

[SarahZ]

More often than not spontaneous for shorter trips. But that is the way I am with any trip, if I can help it. Too much planning makes the trip too painful as far as I am concerned. I have a general que sera sera attitude about such thing, more often than not. Just go with the flow. Without such an approach one could could be flying over the proverbial cuckoo's nest while dealing with trips on many transport systems of the world.

Agreed. I only plan our hotel(s) and actual travel arrangements. Other than that, we just do what we want when we get there. Sometimes we have a general idea of what we'd like to see, but we very rarely stick to it, as we often find other things to do once we get there.

We spent a week in San Francisco, and the only items that were mandatory were 1) see Alcatraz and 2) see the ocean. It was a great trip because we took it easy and did whatever we felt like doing.

 

[benjibear]

I typically plan our trips. I start packing about a week before and make lists of what I need to put in. Try to plan everything out because there is a lot I need to do right before we go (Clean litter boxes, feed cats, timers on lights, garbage out of the house, water shut off, water heater off, heat (or cool) set, take dog to her hotel, etc, etc. etc.) which can not be done too far ahead of time. I worry the entire night before, the way to the station, and once i get on the train. I keep thinking what did I forget? Is the car going to make it? Etc. Etc.

Usually I can't relax until l am on the train and force myself to stop thinking!

No judgement here at all -trust me.... what is the longest you've left your cats alone?

When we had two, we left them for a week or so. Since we had three, I don't think we ever left them that long and had somebody stop in to check things. . It's is the most attention we ever get from the cats when we get home.

 

[SarahZ]

That's a good idea. I always worry they'll get trapped or hurt, or that they'll tip over their water dish; plus, it's nice to have someone to check on the house in general, just in case a pipe bursts or something like that. We have a kitty-sitter who comes over for an hour every day (while we're on a trip) to play with them, pet them, and check on food/water.

That said, I still leave several bowls of water around, along with a few dishes of food. In the summer, I put books against the doors so they can't get stuck in a room if the breeze closes a door. Even with all of those precautions and the kitty-sitter, I still worry about them while we're gone, mostly because I'm convinced they miss us and are worried we'll never come home. They're really attached and try to block our path/the door when we leave for work. :wub:

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

If I'm organizing for a trip more than 3-4 days, rail or otherwise, I always use a checklist of things I need to get done and things I need to pack, making sure everything is done the night before except final details such as turning off the computer or trimming the thermostat.

No cats to worry about here, though up until a couple years ago I had Monitor Lizards that needed special attention; fortunately the friend who checks the house while I'm gone knew how to feed and handle them. Before them it was a very cantankerous Black Rat Snake

 

[City of Miami]

I make a list too. I start a week or so before departure with the list as important items come to mind. Then the night before I pack according to the list and cross things off and then check the list again before walking out the door. Works for me.

The other night I had a dream wherein I was boarding a train and suddenly remembered I had left my luggage in the station where I had stashed it - everything, of course, wallet, tickets - everything. The conductor standing on the steps of the coach said he could not hold the train. [i had recently seen an incident similar to this with the Cardinal in the CVS station].

 

[debmep]

Super planner! Really enjoy details & planning. Once the decision was made last month to take a second long distance trip, we bought tickets on the CONO for a 4 night vacation, 2 nights in NOLA and roundtip on the train in

a roomette. Just today I am totally concentrating on finding places to eat in New Orleans for 2 evening meals. Now this trip isn't until the second week in May, I have all winter to plan. But once the times comes we enjoy

ourselves! Our trip 2 years ago to Albuquerque on the SWC was wonderful, even coming back to Chicago 8 hours late and missing our train to GRR. Amtrak took care of us, they had a van & driver waiting. I would say we are

comfortable on the train and definitely go with the flow.........

 

[Linda T]

Packed and ready to go 2 weeks ahead of time?

Overwhelmed with last minute details? (Me)

Somewhere in between?

A worry wart?

Nervous nelly?

Packed and ready to go 2 weeks ahead of time, but also a nervous nelly. I had that call from Amtrak that CSX wiped out a bridge near IND and there's no alternative transportation in 2011. Scrambled to find alternative transportation, then once I got it read here on the forum the bridge was back up, and rescheduled for the Cardinal again. Because most of the people don't read this forum they didn't know that the train was running again and we managed to get our roomette back both ways!

 

[MiRider]

I typically plan our trips. I start packing about a week before and make lists of what I need to put in. Try to plan everything out because there is a lot I need to do right before we go (Clean litter boxes, feed cats, timers on lights, garbage out of the house, water shut off, water heater off, heat (or cool) set, take dog to her hotel, etc, etc. etc.) which can not be done too far ahead of time. I worry the entire night before, the way to the station, and once i get on the train. I keep thinking what did I forget? Is the car going to make it? Etc. Etc.

Usually I can't relax until l am on the train and force myself to stop thinking!

No judgement here at all -trust me.... what is the longest you've left your cats alone?

When we had two, we left them for a week or so. Since we had three, I don't think we ever left them that long and had somebody stop in to check things. . It's is the most attention we ever get from the cats when we get home.

Thanks, Benjibear

My girls are feral rescues and I left them alone for 8 days in Jan. and I'm getting ready to do the same thing again.

Other than my 'baby' acting like I was a monster when I first walked in, they settled in quickly when I got home.

If I had a cat sitter, there's no way in hell anyone is playing with either one of them much less even seeing them.

The house is cat proofed but, being former ferals, they're all about self preservation and don't even consider touching or going near weird things.

I still feel guilty but they'd be more tormented and freaked out by a stranger looking for them than no one at all.

A bowl of food for each day and then some, also gigantic self waterers (made for big dogs) and favorite blankies on their favorite spots.

I also bought a Dropcam so I can spy on them and talk to them too - it worked just fine.

Of course, I still have people keeping an eye out, including the sheriff, and emergency contacts in place just not cat watchers.

 

[Barciur]

Heh, a huge huge majority of my train trips are under 100 miles, so I always really find it interesting to read all the posts here, because they mostly deal with LD travel, whereas I've only travelled "LD" like 10 times in my life maybe, and that was in Poland/Germany. So I find the talks of check-ins, baggage check ins and all kinds of weird stuff that I never experience on the NEC really fascinating and almost out of this world

Here in the US, I have never been west of Harrisburg on the train and outside the NEC.

I am always very excited for an AMTRAK trip on the Keystone (as that's all I take into Philly or New York) and enjoy the hour spent on it thoroughly anyway.

 

[shelzp]

I have a little toiletry bag that stays packed because I live back and forth between two houses. As far as clothes I take what's clean with me. I make an effort to avoid overpacking! I do double and triple check myself on electronics though!! Where I get obsessed is when I'm staying overnight in a hotel between LD trains. I spend so much time researching a one night stay that it is almost embarrassing. I'm never concerned about the actual train trip because I know how they go and I love them.