I spent 53 hours on the longest train ride in the US. Here are 10 ways I made the 2-night Amtrak trip more bearable.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author sits looking out a window to the right in the Amtrak bedroom
The author took Amtrak's California Zephyr train from Chicago to Emeryville, California.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I spent 53 hours in a bedroom on an Amtrak train for $2,200 and made 5 mistakes

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author sits looking out a window to the right in the Amtrak bedroom
The author made some mistakes on board the California Zephyr.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I paid $2,200 for a bedroom on a 53-hour Amtrak train. The 50-square-foot space with a full bathroom was worth the price.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author standing smiling in the Amtrak bedroom with a bunk bed in the background
Business Insider's reporter spent 53 hours on Amtrak's California Zephyr train in a bedroom accommodation.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I booked the cheapest accommodation on an overnight train in Europe. I'll never do it again.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A close up of the exterior of a blue sleeping car on a train
Business Insider's reporter got no sleep in a reclining seat on an overnight train through Europe.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I booked a private bedroom on a 30-hour Amtrak ride for $1,000. Check out the 45-square-foot space with a full bathroom.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author wakes up to morning light in the train bed.
Business Insider's reporter spent 30 hours in an Amtrak bedroom while traveling from Miami to New York.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I paid $500 for a private room with 2 beds and a toilet on a 30-hour Amtrak ride. Take a look inside.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A composite image of the author sitting in a roomette with a window on the left side and a duffel on the right and a close up of the exterior of a silver train sleeper car with a red stripe and a white stripe.
Business Insider's reporter traveled by train down the East Coast from New York to Miami in an Amtrak roomette.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I booked the nicest room on the Caledonian Sleeper train to Scotland for $587. The overnight ride was luxurious but not perfect.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business, Style
View of room on Caledonian sleeper train from doorway
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Emily Garnham

I splurged on a $1,000 room for a 30-hour Amtrak ride. It was the best overnight train experience I've had in the US.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author relaxes in an Amtrak bedroom traveling from Miami to NYC.
The author relaxes in an Amtrak bedroom traveling from Miami to NYC.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I spent 11 hours with 3 strangers in a shared cabin on a sleeper train in Europe. 6 surprises made me regret it.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A composite image of the author in front of a blue train and inside a train cabin with red bunks
Business Insider's reporter tried out a sleeper cabin on a train in Europe traveling from Vienna to Venice, Italy.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I went to Vienna for the first time. 4 mistakes drained my energy and bank account.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author stands in front of a garden in Vienna
Business Insider's reporter made some mistakes during her first trip to Vienna.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

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