With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I decided to share a few tips for traveling home! If you’re like me, you’ve been desperately counting down the days until it’s time to go home. While some of you may carpool home, others may take a bus or train. Since I live in San Diego, I have a very long trip on the Amtrak consisting of both train and bus. However you get home, it’s good to be prepared for the journey home. That said, I hope you all benefit from this article.
#1 Pack light!
This is probably the problem I struggle with the most when I plan to go home! There really isn’t much room to put your luggage on the Amtrak. During peak times during holidays, like Thanksgiving, it’s especially hard to find space. For this reason, I recommend not bringing more than two pieces of luggage. I usually bring my backpack and a large duffel bag or my small suitcase. For some people, that’s not enough to hold all their essentials. If this is the case, I suggest you get to the Amtrak station 2 hours early to check in your luggage. With Amtrak, I believe you can check in two pieces of luggage and you can take an additional two as carry-on luggage. I personally don’t like being at the train station so I just pack light.
#2 Bring snacks!
If your trip is particularly long, I recommend buying some snacks for your trip! I usually bring two water bottles, a bag of chips and fruit snacks/gummies. Other snack suggestions include: cookies, trail mix, and granola bars. If you’re driving home, I definitely recommend snacking on the way to stay awake.
#3 Bring a blanket/pillow
If you are going on a long journey by car, bus or train, be sure to bring a blanket and pillow! My train journey takes about three hours and I usually don’t fall asleep, but for the second half of my journey I am on the bus for 5 hours. I usually try to get some sleep on the bus, as the lights are off and it’s generally pretty quiet. I often forget my blanket, which is a shame because it is usually very cold on the bus for some reason. If a blanket and pillow seem like a lot, it also helps to bring a comfy hoodie and a travel neck pillow.
#4 Entertainment
Be sure to bring something to keep you busy on your journey home. I usually use my phone and laptop the most when I travel home. Listening to music or watching a movie is a good way to pass the time until you get home. I sometimes take a book or even my knitting with me when I travel!
#5 Don’t forget to stay charged!
Don’t forget the necessary chargers for your electronics! Always make sure you have your phone chargers, laptop chargers and anything else you need to make sure your electronics don’t die! If you are traveling on the Amtrak, make sure to use the outlets on the train and bus. The power outlets on the train are located along the wall, and most Amtrak buses have power outlets between the seats. Many people don’t know about the outlets on the bus, so pay attention to that too.
I hope my tips have helped those of you preparing for the journey home! Travel safe and I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!