Travel in a comfortable compartment on a train
By maximax8
@maximax8 (31042)
United Kingdom
March 16, 2013 6:08am CST
In May and June I will be traveling to Eastern Europe by train. We have reserved the wheelchair accessible compartment from Cologne to Prague. I know it will be excellent to have a train and sleeping area I can get my son's wheelchair onto. Going from Prague to Krakow we will probably have to have an ordinary 3 bunk sleeper. I hope my son's wheelchair will fit onto the train.
In my younger days as a backpacker I got one space in a budget sleeping compartment and shared it with five other backpackers. I always had the top bunk. There were three bunks on each side. Now I have to have a compartment suitable for my family either 2 bunks wheelchair accessible or three bunk usual.
Did you ever sleep on transport sitting up?
If so how comfortable were you?
How do you feel about traveling by train?
1 person likes this
7 responses
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
16 Mar 13
When we were going from Halifax to Vancouver, we were on the economy coach and later on we wanted to take a trip and get a coach, but could not. They were all taken so we had to transport sitting up and the one behind my seat had very long legs, so I was uncomfortable all through the trip. So I really wish I could get a coach. I still remember my sore back.
@maximax8 (31042)
• United Kingdom
16 Mar 13
I would love to travel all the way from Halifax to Vancouver by train in a sleeper. Sitting up for all of that long journey must have been like a nightmare. It is a shame when the passenger behind has very long legs. It was such a pity about your sore back.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
16 Mar 13
Not to mention my neck. I was in my early teens at the time, from what I believe and we were going to visit relatives. That blew me off train travel.
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
16 Mar 13
Being tall is not always an advantage especially when you have to sleep in a bed that is not made to hold someone that is 6 foot 2 and it can be very very uncomfortable, as my first trip on a sleeper train was, it was the most uncomfortable trip I had ever made by train. I just couldn't get to sleep, not sure if it was the excitement, or just the fact that I was so damn uncomfortable.
@maximax8 (31042)
• United Kingdom
16 Mar 13
Hi Wolfie. I think all sleeping bunks should be long so even the tallest man can be comfortable sleeping. Your height 6 foot and 2 inches is very tall in many countries. It was a shame you couldn't get to sleep and you felt really uncomfortable. Good luck next time around.
@ctryhnny (3460)
• United States
16 Mar 13
About 4 years ago I took Amtrak from Boston to California! I was lucky that through the whole 5 day ride nobody ever sat next to me I think that was because I had so much stuff with me. I got to lay down on the two seats and I'm not that big so I was comfortable. I loved going across the country and seeing so many sites I would never have seen. We even made stops in some awesome states. I loved it and would do it again.
@maximax8 (31042)
• United Kingdom
16 Mar 13
I really enjoyed reading about your 5 day train ride from Boston to California. It was excellent that you had so much stuff that nobody could sit next to you. I love it when I am lucky enough to get two seats. You seemed to see ever such a lot in the different states. Thanks for your fantastic response to my discussion.
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
16 Mar 13
Well, my train travels have been limited since trains are no longer the "go to" transport in the U.S.
However, my mom used to tell me that when dad defended his Master's paper it was just after they had to give up their apartment in Denver. So, she caught the train, without the money for a sleeping compartment, back to New Jersey, while dad stayed with a friend until he was done.
I think that pretty much put mom off trains for life!
@tigeraunt (6326)
• Philippines
16 Mar 13
hi maximax,
i have never been on a train. what we have here are buses and you stay sitting the whole three days even when it is time to sleep, from our place to manila. buses pass through many places and then rides the barge from one island to another until it reaches the destination. i have only done it once. there are stations where it stops so that passengers can go to the john during breaks and assigned restaurants where they could eat breakfast and lunch and dinner. it is kind of nice the first day but gets tiring the second and third. but always the places i pass through are so pleasing to the eyes, you dont want to blink.
have a great day.
ann
@maximax8 (31042)
• United Kingdom
16 Mar 13
Hi Ann. Yes, some countries or areas don't have a train. Therefore bus travel is very common. I understand that for the first day looking out of the window might be interesting. I would be very uncomfortable after two or three days though. It is great there are bus stations where people can eat and drink. Have a wonderful day.
@natliegleb (5173)
• India
17 Mar 13
always prefer a good and ideal class with all benefits and enjoy the travel especially to prague
@Porcospino (31365)
• Denmark
16 Mar 13
When my husband and I travelled from Denmark to Amsterdam by train we shared the compartment with 3 girls from Germany. The girs discovered that the compartment next to our compartment was empty and they decided to spend the rest of journey there so that they were able to sleep instead of sitting up. When they had left the compartment my husband and I were also able to sleep. There was no one else in the compartment and we had six seats so we were both able to sleep.
Some years ago we travelled from Greece to Bulgaria by train. We shared the compartment with some people from Bulgaria and we were not able to lie down. I managed to sleep some hours anyway, but a sleeping compartment would have been more comfortable.
