Traveling can be exciting for some people as they get to be in different places. While reaching your destination can help build excitement, the long travel hours might pull you back. Whether you’re traveling by car, train, or plane, the long hours of waiting can be dreadful.
Meanwhile, there’s nothing more tedious than being on a train for hours with nothing to do but wait for time to pass. That being said, you need to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the long hours ahead.
Consequently, you’ll find out how long the trip should take as you search train tickets online. This gives you an insight into what you need to prepare to enjoy the journey. To help you out, listed below are some essentials you need to pack before taking a long train ride:
Luggage Locks
If you’re expecting to take a long train ride, anticipate going in and out of your cubicle to take a walk, dine in, or visit the restroom. However, since you won’t be having your own booth to secure your items, you might feel uncomfortable leaving them for fear they might get lost.
While you can carry your luggage with you, it might be a bit inconvenient, especially if you’re only going to take a leak. Alternatively, you could purchase a luggage lock so you can go anywhere without carrying everything with you.
This way, you can leave your luggage behind and ensure that your items are completely safe, as people would need a key or passcode to unlock your bags. Furthermore, this can prevent people from peeking through your bags as there’s no way to access them.
Small Day Bag
If you plan on sitting in a dining area or visiting the bathroom for a quick break, you might need to bring a few items, such as your wallet and phone. However, taking your large backpack with you wherever you go might be uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it would help if you had a small day bag to make things much more convenient.
A small bag that can fit your essential items comfortably is all you need. Hence you can leave your large bag behind and carry all of your necessities with ease.
Neck Pillow
As you’re expecting hours of travel time, you might want to take this opportunity to catch up on your sleep. If you’re not traveling with a sleeper train, it’ll be helpful if you have something to support your head to avoid having a stiff neck. With that, it’s best to bring a neck pillow to lean your head on so you can be well-rested throughout your train ride. You can choose standard neck pillows or inflatable ones to save space inside your bag.
Blanket
You can never know the exact temperature of the train you’re going to be on. To ensure comfort, you can consider bringing a blanket with you. This way, you can have something to snuggle up with if it gets cold.
A blanket can also make you feel safe and secure while sleeping on the train. If you’re planning to bring one, ensure that it’s compact. Also, it would help if you could fold the blanket easily so you can quickly put it back inside your luggage with ease.
Eye Mask
If you’re spending the night on the train or you’re planning to sleep during the entire ride, it’ll be helpful if you could bring an eye mask with you. Hence, you can shut out all external light and enjoy total darkness.
In addition, you can even bring a weighted eye mask to give you a better sleep. It’s a great sleep essential and won’t take up too much space inside your bag.
Insulated Water Bottle
You’ll need a quick refreshment to keep yourself hydrated during your entire train ride. Therefore, you can bring your insulated water bottle to prevent yourself from leaving your seat every few hours. You can even bring a separate bottle for your coffee so you can take a sip without getting up from your seat.
Snacks
You’ll eventually get hungry, especially if it takes more than six hours to reach your destination. While you can always purchase some snacks on the train, it would be great if you could bring some of your own. Not only can it help you save some cash, but it also assures you that what you’ll be eating is something you’ll enjoy.
Additionally, you can pack some food to help you sleep better at night while on the train. This would also work well if you have specific dietary needs that will likely be unavailable on the train.
Headphones
Listening to music is a great way to pass the time while riding the train. You can listen to your favorite tunes or catch up on the latest hits. To make your music session private, it’s best to bring your own set of headphones. You can pick ones with a noise-canceling feature so that you can eliminate any outside noise and focus on listening to music.
Power Bank
Since you’re bringing gadgets, you can expect them to run out of battery during your train ride. You might want to carry a power bank to avoid draining your juice, giving you an extra power supply. Doing so enables you to quickly recharge your phone, camera, or tablet.
Meanwhile, it’s best to look for power banks that can be charged using solar energy. So long as you can find a spot in the sun, you can charge your power bank and never run out of juice again.
Takeaway
Preparing for a long train ride can be dreadful most of the time. However, you can make yourself comfortable while waiting to arrive at your destination by organizing the things you need.
By packing your snacks, blankets, eye masks, and other entertainment devices, you’ll have several ways to kill time. You might be surprised that you’re already at your destination without feeling that you’ve been on the train for hours.
