# Advice on Subletting Bed From Another Passenger? September Trip/ SWC



## Amy (Jul 27, 2016)

This may be a weird question but I'm desperate. I really hate sleeping in the reclining seats in coach, but I cannot afford the price of a room myself.

Is there a way to connect with other passengers on the same train and offer them some cash for an unused bed in their quarters? I don't need access to this space at all during the day. Just at night to lay out flat and sleep. Do people ever do this to share cost with other passengers? How do they connect with each other and plan before hand?

I am a woman in her early 30s. I guess my preference would be to rent from another woman but I'm open to any suggestions.

I am traveling on the southwest chief from LA to Chicago and would need a space to sleep Wed night Sept. 7th and Thursday night Sept 8th.

For the return trip it would be the nights of Monday, September 19th and Tuesday, September 20th. Southwest Chief, Chicago to LA.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I take this train trip often and it would be great to have a good sleeping arrangement that is cheap but comfortable each time.

Or maybe someone has found a way to turn the reclining coach seat into a comfortable situation? I doubt it is possible but open to suggestions! 

-Amy


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## CCC1007 (Jul 27, 2016)

As far as I'm aware coach passengers are not allowed in the sleepers for any reason, as far as Amtrak is concerned they paid for the room and if traveling alone they are to be the sole occupant of the room.


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## me_little_me (Jul 27, 2016)

CCC1007 said:


> As far as I'm aware coach passengers are not allowed in the sleepers for any reason, as far as Amtrak is concerned they paid for the room and if traveling alone they are to be the sole occupant of the room.


Not quite. You can add an "open sleeper" coach ticket to a room.


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## the_traveler (Jul 27, 2016)

However, that "open sleeper" reservation would have to be opt aimed prior to boarding the train. It can not be done aboard the train.

AFAIK, there is no way to do so - if you don't know someone who will be on that train beforehand.


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## KmH (Jul 28, 2016)

Bed down in the SSL car.

Many people do, and they start settling in about 9 PM (local time) or so.

Some sleep on the 'couch' seats, some sleep on the floor.

Those passengers who do that are known affectionately as Lounge Lizards.

The conductor rousts the lounge lizards between 5 & 6 AM so other passengers can use the seats/floor.


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 28, 2016)

I do not think this is a good idea considering what is going on in the world today! Perhaps you have a friend or family member who can travel with you!

Unless you know the person (lots of us have shared rooms with AU Members on trains and in hotels), it is best to try and get your own Roomette at Low Bucket. Most of us use amsnag. net, developed by an AU member, to check Rail Fares (it will always be Low Bucket with a Booked Room) and Room Charges for 30 days at a time up to 11 months in advance.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jul 28, 2016)

Bob Dylan said:


> I do not think this is a good idea considering what is going on in the world today!


Logically the maximum potential risk is relatively high while the general probability of harm is likely to be relatively low. However, most of the statistical safety margin of such a proposal is based on the lack of advance knowledge and limited pool of potential contacts on any given train. However, posting an inquiry with dates and names and genders and age ranges well in advance of the departure on a public forum casts an extremely wide net that vastly increases the total number of potential contacts. This gives even statistically rare motives and personality traits a much higher chance to initiate contact. In other words, the proposal probably wasn't that dangerous until it was posted in detail here on the forum.


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## Alice (Jul 28, 2016)

Well, I wouldn't do this. But a young woman I know used Craigslist to find a ride cross country. She did some online research about the guy and took some other precautions, and had a good trip. So perhaps you could meet some people that way in LA or Chicago. It might work for some trips, anyway. What I have done is meet people in various ways and plan trips together after I know them a little. Some people work out better than others but noone has been terrible. Recommend you network (including in person) with people who ride trains. Also join here so people can PM you.


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## acelafan (Jul 28, 2016)

If you can get a window seat in coach, take an eyemask and earplugs with a light blanket and comfy pillow (doesn't have to be huge). That arrangement is tolerable to me. But I have never been able to really get comfortable with an aisle seat unless you want to ask your seatmate if you can lean up against them at night. Probably a bad thing to ask unless you are traveling with someone you know.

Agree with others about not seeking to share a sleeping accommodation with a stranger ("open sleeper" ticket or not.) Good luck!


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## Ronbo (Jul 28, 2016)

Devil said:


> Bob Dylan said:
> 
> 
> > I do not think this is a good idea considering what is going on in the world today!
> ...


I agree, risky business at best! You mention that you take this train trip often. How have your previous trips worked out for you?

Another option I thought of is to save some money by flying one way and travel by train in a roomete the other. Maybe you could afford to do that. I was curious about the price differences on the date you mentioned, September 7th:

Southwest Chief, $138.00 coach, plus $351 for a roomette, and a long trip.

American Airlines, $194.00 and a 4+ hr. trip.

Just saying.


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## Seaboard92 (Jul 31, 2016)

I know when I traveled on the Capitol Limited In coach. No one was using the luggage rack downstairs so I just slept there.


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## AmtrakBlue (Jul 31, 2016)

Seaboard92 said:


> I know when I traveled on the Capitol Limited In coach. No one was using the luggage rack downstairs so I just slept there.


And no one boarded down the line and threw their bags on top of you?


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## Seaboard92 (Jul 31, 2016)

It was empty the whole trip from CHI to WAS


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## the_traveler (Jul 31, 2016)

I have never seen the luggage rack in coach being empty. (Usually its overflowing.) I've never even saw the rack in the sleepers empty - and there's only not more than 32 passengers in the car!


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## AmtrakBlue (Jul 31, 2016)

Seaboard92 said:


> It was empty the whole trip from CHI to WAS


And you're talking about the rack at the bottom of the stairs, not a baggage area of a coach-bag car, right? I've heard of people sleeping in the baggage area of a coach-bag car.


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## Seaboard92 (Jul 31, 2016)

I believe it was a coach baggage actually.


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## AmtrakBlue (Jul 31, 2016)

Seaboard92 said:


> I believe it was a coach baggage actually.


Ah, that makes more sense. I couldn't imagine being scrunched up in the rack being more comfortable a coach seat.


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## FormerOBS (Jul 31, 2016)

AmtrakBlue said:


> Seaboard92 said:
> 
> 
> > I know when I traveled on the Capitol Limited In coach. No one was using the luggage rack downstairs so I just slept there.
> ...


Many years ago I had to evict a grown man from the overhead luggage rack of an Amfleet coach. Or maybe it was a Heritage dome coach. Don't remember for sure, but it really happened. This was before the installation of baffles in the racks. They were put there to prevent the shifting of luggage, but they also do discourage use of the luggage racks as beds.

Tom


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## Seaboard92 (Aug 1, 2016)

I'm quite surprised the luggage rack was able to hold him


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## NW cannonball (Aug 2, 2016)

AmtrakBlue said:


> Seaboard92 said:
> 
> 
> > I believe it was a coach baggage actually.
> ...





Seaboard92 said:


> I believe it was a coach baggage actually.


I've slept on the dirty carpet in a Coach-Bag on the CS when my arthritis was acting up and I could find no painless way to sit in my coach seat (usually I've no problem sleeping in coach).

No bags were thrown into that baggage hold, but when I woke up after a good 6 hours sleep -- there were four other passengers asleep in the (large) space.

Not recommended but worked OK that once


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 2, 2016)

_Amtrak Coach Class. Almost as good as a soiled luggage rack!_


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## SANSR (Aug 7, 2016)

At the risk of sounding inexperienced, which I am considering the concept proposed by the OP, I just think this is a bad idea all around, even if it could somehow be sanctioned by Amtrak.


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## Seaboard92 (Aug 8, 2016)

It really isn't that foreign of a concept in Europe bone can by a T4 or T6 couchette room and end up sleeping with three to five strangers in a room. So it isn't unheard of. I wouldn't do it personally. I believe russia does that as well.


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## MikefromCrete (Aug 8, 2016)

Sharing of rooms by strangers is quite common in Europe, but I doubt if it would fly in the U.S.


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 8, 2016)

MikefromCrete said:


> Sharing of rooms by strangers is quite common in Europe, but I doubt if it would fly in the U.S.


Considering the bizarre bathroom bill movement I'd imagine there would be a strong push to ban mixed sleeping arrangements on religious grounds. America's illogical preoccupation with anything even remotely related to sex or gender is rather confusing to me but seems to make perfect sense to the average Texan.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 8, 2016)

The average Texan? They're all out @ the gun range or in a beer joint complaining about the guvment and the foriegners that have ruined "their" country! "..Poor souls, only a pawn in their game.. " as my namesake said!

Love Trumps Hate! Hate is not an American Value!


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## Long Train Runnin' (Aug 10, 2016)

Devil's Advocate said:


> Bob Dylan said:
> 
> 
> > I do not think this is a good idea considering what is going on in the world today!
> ...


Come on guys. Let's be serious here for a minute. The world today? The world today where in dozens of countries around the world you simply buy a bunk in shared berth? Yes here in the land of red white and blue sharing a compartment would be a tough sell. But to act like boarding a sleeping car train and sharing the space with strangers is putting your life at risk. There are thousands of people at this very moment in shared sleeping compartments around the world how many will be killed by another passenger while they sleep? Let's put some perspective back into this conversation.


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## chakk (Aug 11, 2016)

Yes, european, asian, and australian teains sell shared sleeping car space to strangers. I've done it myself in all 3 regions. But the iriginal post wAs about subletting space in your room to a stranger. And I think the answer to that question is also "no" in europe, asia and australia. Sleeping space must be purchased through the raikroad, and one passenger is not permitted to purchase 4 bunks in a couchette and sell the other 3 to other parties.


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## unitedstatesfan (Aug 11, 2016)

chakk, I am Australian: you are correct.

The railways or authorised agents are the only ones who can sell sleeping berths.

There are many times that I have shared with strangers: mixed sex in Europe (Spain for one), while in turkey, I had three hefty males in my couchette compartment (the latter was a four berth.

On the Sydney to Brisbane overnight XPT in Australia, I joined at Nambucca Heads one night at about 2130 hours and found - thankfully - the other male was asleep in the top berth (these are twinettes - two berths per compartment.)

In Australia strangers of a different sex who book separately cannot share a compartment, so it's sort of a halfway house between the USA puritanical view and the 'stay dressed all night' typical European couchette occupancy.

In Malaysia I have shared with a male. I don't believe that a spare berth in a cabin occupied by a male would be sold to an unrelated female.


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## norfolkwesternhenry (Aug 11, 2016)

what about taking two or four roomettes and turning them into bunks? Like on Via rail, you can get an upper, lower, or both, and a shared common space during the day with cushy bench seating.


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## Seaboard92 (Aug 11, 2016)

I want to say DB's old policy was that if you were traveling with a women as a guy she would be in a separate room


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## iggy (Aug 14, 2016)

"Agree with others about not seeking to share a sleeping accommodation with a stranger"

Granted in a closed room this could cause concern. But in coach you can have a seat to yourself when you fall asleep - but wake up to a stranger sleeping next to you in seat that had been empty.

Years ago an older lady offered to share her roomette with me - at the time I figured this would have to be against policy and while nice - she was a stranger I had just met in boarding lobby. Not sure why she wasn't using lounge that day.

Roomettes are suppose to cover 2 ticketed passengers - so follow any applicable rules and find someone you feel comfortable taking a long ride with.


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## Steve4031 (Aug 15, 2016)

The sca probably would not be pleased with such an arrangement. They are responsible for who is in the car. The only "legal" way to do this is with an open sleeper ticket. I did this for a person I met so she could hang out in my room and eat in the diner on 58. We met on 2 and I knew she was continuing to Memphis.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 15, 2016)

I've shared rooms with AU friends ( of both sexes) on Amtrak LDTrains and Hotels during Gatherings and on joy ride trips. ( of course it was easier and cheaper under AGR1.0)but never with a Stranger I met on a Train.

As has been said, overseas and in hostels,it's different where up to nine other people may be sharing a room with you.

Never had any problems with this, but would NOT share a room with a person I met on an Amtrak LD Train until I got to know them! YMMV

"Hate is Not an American Value!"


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## Lonestar648 (Aug 16, 2016)

Personally, I would only share with someone I knew and trusted. If someone I didn't know asked to share my room, I would say no. I have had family ask to ride along, even a friend or two, but that is totally different. I seriously doubt Amtrak would allow this activity since they are expected to keep an accurate listing of the passengers on board at any given time. Liability issues come to mind as well in this sue happy country. You could be held accountable if someone you sold your space to caused a problem and its found that Amtrak didn't sell a ticket for them in your room.


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 16, 2016)

Long Train Runnin' said:


> Come on guys. Let's be serious here for a minute. The world today? The world today where in dozens of countries around the world you simply buy a bunk in shared berth? Yes here in the land of red white and blue sharing a compartment would be a tough sell. But to act like boarding a sleeping car train and sharing the space with strangers is putting your life at risk. There are thousands of people at this very moment in shared sleeping compartments around the world how many will be killed by another passenger while they sleep? Let's put some perspective back into this conversation.


I don't think sharing a bunk on a train is necessarily dangerous in and of itself, but once you broadcast your dates and times and intentions on the internet there is really no telling who you might encounter as a result. The internet casts a very wide net that can reach all sorts of unsavory folks. People have been raped and murdered for the simple mistake of handling an otherwise innocuous Craigslist transaction in a poorly planned location or under poorly conceived circumstances.

Even here on AU some members have experienced random strangers suddenly showing up to meet them on their journeys without any notice or prior communication. I'm not aware of anything serious happening as a result but this knowledge should serve as a warning to others that whatever you put out on the internet can reach people and places you would have never expected or intended to inform of your personal plans.

The simple truth is that we live in a culture where some of the most physically aggressive and least mentally stable individuals continue to enjoy easy access to military grade weaponry. Unfortunately these same individuals tend to have very limited access to proper mental health screening and corrective services. That cultural disconnect seems to be unique to the US and can turn seemingly safe and uneventful plans into potentially volatile or even life threatening encounters.


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## calwatch (Aug 17, 2016)

On the other hand, for the OP's concern, presumably you would meet these people in advance or at least peruse their social media trail to determine if they were legitimate.

During low season I might consider getting lower level tickets if you want a better night's sleep (at the risk of getting a snorer in a confined space, but that's what earplugs are for). They are also less likely to sell out so you might get two seats to yourself. The other way to increase your chance of having two seats to yourself, on the Coast Starlight and presumably other trains which will have them, is to buy Business Class.


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 17, 2016)

The OP hasn't been back to comment since the very first post. Lots of sudden oversharing of personal information from a complete stranger followed by complete radio silence. My guess is that it was nothing more than a silly windup and we all fell for it. At least we got some humor out of it.


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## ScouseAndy (Aug 17, 2016)

I am at a loss why this is deemed such a social no no, you have air B & B and sofa surfing over in the states don't ya?

I'm certain this is the case so I cant fathom my head around why staying in total strangers home is socially ok but not sharing a room on a public train?


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## rrdude (Aug 17, 2016)

ScouseAndy said:


> I am at a loss why this is deemed such a social no no, you have air B & B and sofa surfing over in the states don't ya?
> I'm certain this is the case so I cant fathom my head around why staying in total strangers home is socially ok but not sharing a room on a public train?


Agee 100%! This idea of a "Rail Air BnB" is longggggggg overdue. Somebody will create the website, matching "those with" and "those withOUT" rooms, take a $5 fee, and match them up. I'd do it on every trip I have ever taken, if it was Ava


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## Long Train Runnin' (Aug 17, 2016)

Devil's Advocate said:


> Long Train Runnin' said:
> 
> 
> > Come on guys. Let's be serious here for a minute. The world today? The world today where in dozens of countries around the world you simply buy a bunk in shared berth? Yes here in the land of red white and blue sharing a compartment would be a tough sell. But to act like boarding a sleeping car train and sharing the space with strangers is putting your life at risk. There are thousands of people at this very moment in shared sleeping compartments around the world how many will be killed by another passenger while they sleep? Let's put some perspective back into this conversation.
> ...


Yeah I have had AU members join me without letting me know ahead of time after a post in the trip forums. I also tend to post on another site when I will be in airline lounges around the world and am willing to guest members of that board into lounges with me. I have invited seat mates on long haul flights into the lounge with me...I have set up meetings online with perfect strangers in dozens of countries. Joined group trips from websites like these and others. Hell you've even met me personally because you attended a group gathering set up on the internet. Am I total moron who is rapidly heading towards getting slaughtered in a back alley of some 3rd world country? Maybe. Am I going to change what has created some great friendships and some fascinating experiences because oh well this might not go well? I don't think so. Yeah getting on the back of a motor bike with someone I met 5 minutes before in a cafe in Vietnam or getting picked up by stranger on the side of the road in Northern Ireland are all things I won't recommend but those situations have turned out to be amazing days/nights with real local people who had nothing but the best intentions and I was able to get into a culture in a way that would never happen if I was to afraid to talk to strangers. I'm not saying terrible things don't happen everyday, and sure maybe one day my gut will be wrong and I'll miss the sign that this isn't going to end the right way. Then sure I'll deserve whatever happens in that back alley or on that sidewalk. For me though "the risk" far out weighs the rewards. Your traveling so to me the phrase nothing ventured nothing gained holds so true. It's an adventure you're somewhere thousands of miles from home your in this moment to me I'll roll the dice and live outside my comfort zone.

Especially when it comes to putting plans online if you are going to take the time to read through travel boards and decide wow this guy is going to be in (Insert Place) better load up the AR-15 and wait for him to head out of the station/airport/ferry terminal/subway stop/hotel lobby and I'll show him for calling my proposed trip stupid. If that's how I'm going out well thats how I'm going out. I'm not saying I run around carelessly broadcasting my location live on social media or something, or that when I'm on the ground in a different country I am not careful about having spare credit cards local currency and a second passport locked up in my hotel room. Depending on exactly where I am I'll occasionally slide some money under the padding of my shoe as well. I just don't think the view should be oh wow every person out there is going to plan to kill me when we meet up, or anyone who strikes up a conversation with me is going to cut my kidneys out. That's just not the way I choose to live and at this point I've been to a lot places that the State Department and other groups recommend you stay away from (beyond the DPRK) will I get what's coming to me some day? Maybe. But until then I choose to at least give a stranger the benefit of the doubt.


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 18, 2016)

rrdude said:


> ScouseAndy said:
> 
> 
> > I am at a loss why this is deemed such a social no no, you have air B & B and sofa surfing over in the states don't ya? I'm certain this is the case so I cant fathom my head around why staying in total strangers home is socially ok but not sharing a room on a public train?
> ...


Interesting position but I'm not sure I follow the reasoning. I've traveled alone in a bedroom many times on Amtrak and never entertained the idea of hosting a random stranger in the other bed. What are the likely benefits to the host? To have a stranger lull you to sleep with their snoring? To accidentally step on you as they climb up or down? To claim the prime real estate below you? To fill your room with their luggage and noises and odors? Just so you can save a few dollars off the cost of the ticket? Yeah, I think I'll pass on that. The way I see it I can either afford the trip or I cannot. I'm not going to host someone trying to couch surf their way across Amtrak's network like a socially connected hobo. As for meeting interesting people I can already do that without inviting them back into my room so nothing gained there. I guess we could go down the path of intimate encounters but unless you're still in college or have reached limp noodle pensioner age there's not likely to be much to work with on today's Amtrak.



Long Train Runnin' said:


> Yeah I have had AU members join me without letting me know ahead of time after a post in the trip forums. I also tend to post on another site when I will be in airline lounges around the world and am willing to guest members of that board into lounges with me. I have invited seat mates on long haul flights into the lounge with me...I have set up meetings online with perfect strangers in dozens of countries. Joined group trips from websites like these and others. Hell you've even met me personally because you attended a group gathering set up on the internet.


To be fair none of those examples are logically equivalent to hosting a stranger in a bedroom behind closed doors. Oddly enough Charlie and I did end up splitting a hotel room for the Gathering. Even though we had never met in person we had both been on the forum for several years and weren't exactly strangers. I'm not entirely sure why Charlie chose to offer his room but his suggestion was greatly appreciated nonetheless. That being said its not the sort of thing I would have intentionally solicited from my end or suggested to others either. We live in a world that is mostly safe but can also become seriously cruel and suddenly dangerous when things go wrong. Better safe than sorry and all that.



Long Train Runnin' said:


> Am I going to change what has created some great friendships and some fascinating experiences because oh well this might not go well? I don't think so. Yeah getting on the back of a motor bike with someone I met 5 minutes before in a cafe in Vietnam or getting picked up by stranger on the side of the road in Northern Ireland are all things I won't recommend but those situations have turned out to be amazing days/nights with real local people who had nothing but the best intentions and I was able to get into a culture in a way that would never happen if I was to afraid to talk to strangers. I'm not saying terrible things don't happen everyday, and sure maybe one day my gut will be wrong and I'll miss the sign that this isn't going to end the right way. Then sure I'll deserve whatever happens in that back alley or on that sidewalk. For me though "the risk" far out weighs the rewards. Your traveling so to me the phrase nothing ventured nothing gained holds so true. It's an adventure you're somewhere thousands of miles from home your in this moment to me I'll roll the dice and live outside my comfort zone.


Although you bring up some interesting counterpoints I do wonder if you're accounting for the fact that security risks for meeting strangers are different for women like the OP than for men like us. For most men the primary dangers of travel involve relatively simple misfortunes such as being involved in a traffic accident, experiencing an active excursion injury, contracting a debilitating disease, suffering a serious infection, or becoming the target of petty theft. Women have all of those risks plus the statistically relevant danger of malicious manipulation and forced sexual encounters. That's a distinction I'm not sure you're factoring into your replies for this particular thread.



Long Train Runnin' said:


> I'm not saying I run around carelessly broadcasting my location live on social media or something, or that when I'm on the ground in a different country I am not careful about having spare credit cards local currency and a second passport locked up in my hotel room. Depending on exactly where I am I'll occasionally slide some money under the padding of my shoe as well. I just don't think the view should be oh wow every person out there is going to plan to kill me when we meet up, or anyone who strikes up a conversation with me is going to cut my kidneys out. That's just not the way I choose to live and at this point I've been to a lot places that the State Department and other groups recommend you stay away from (beyond the DPRK) will I get what's coming to me some day? Maybe. But until then I choose to at least give a stranger the benefit of the doubt.


In the end it's your life so live it however you want. So far as I am concerned any liability you _choose_ to accept on your own behalf is entirely your decision. So long as your decision doesn't bring harm to anyone else it's your business and nobody else's.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 18, 2016)

I see Stephen's points but totally agree with Chris that it's different for women while traveling alone!


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## Mystic River Dragon (Aug 18, 2016)

The whole point of a roomette or bedroom on a train for me is privacy. For both security and privacy reasons, I would never share with a stranger. If I want to talk to anyone, I can go to the dining car for meals.

Also, as a woman traveling alone, I would never go to an Airbnb or take Uber (I'm sure most of them are fine, but they are still strangers). I stay in hotels with good reputations, never go out after the evening rush hour if I am in a city, and if I must take a cab, I ask the hotel to get me one.

As the little travel gnome says, I try to "wander wisely." 

I think Devil's Advocate has a good point about the original poster not coming back. I'm not sure she was trolling, though--it sounds like she was in some kind of travel panic and just throwing out ideas on websites she came across. And thanks to her, we're having a great conversation here, with many different perspectives.


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## jis (Aug 18, 2016)

Bob Dylan said:


> I see Stephen's points but totally agree with Chris that it's different for women while traveling alone!


It could be pretty interesting for men too specially if they find themselves the next day with a kidney missing. It is known to have happened in certain parts of Asia. just because you have been lucky a few times does not necessarily make it safe.

It is very important to be truly aware of the environment you are in and act accordingly when dealing with the environment, including the people around you, and commensurate with your own risk tolerance. There is nothing to be ashamed of for being risk averse. Some people get their kicks by taking more risks for more thrills. Others don't. Know yourself and act within your comfort space. Typically on most Asian intercity trains it is common to share sleeping accommodations though in more of a section like setting more often than in a Couchette like setting. Couchette like setting is not uncommon and they all are pretty safe. It is when you go off the beaten path that things may start getting dicey.

Interestingly, several women that have made it clear that they will never again travel alone on Amtrak Coach overnight trains, said their reason was the lack of separating armrest in Coach and the fact that they have repeatedly faced what they considered to be some creepy men tried to and insisting on starting up a conversation with them even after they were told in no uncertain terms to get lost. At least two of them commented further upon me digging deeper that in their experience such is very rare on planes and a little more common on buses. I was a bit shocked to learn that Amtrak overnight trains were considered to be almost as creepy as buses, but I can see their point. Some of them like to ride trains but have forsworn traveling on Amtrak alone, which is kind of sad. But such is the world.

Coming to think of it, I don't like Amtrak Coach on LD trains either, but my reason is different. When I am traveling alone the coach attendant and conductors seem to take a perverse pleasure in shuffling me around to the most undesirable of seats ostensibly to accommodate others more deserving of the better seats for various reasons. So I am pretty much done with i and will not travel by Coach overnight any more.


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## ScouseAndy (Aug 18, 2016)

Devil's Advocate said:


> rrdude said:
> 
> 
> > ScouseAndy said:
> ...


Roomette between New York & San Francisco via the cardinal is 5 full days and 4 nights on the train (with 6 hours in Chicago if your lucky - for many that is simply to long to go by coach however a single traveller is likely to cough at having to fork around $1000 dollars for that, however if you can share that cost it brings it down to around $700, that more than just a few dollars saved.

I travelled from Cologne (Germany) to Beijing across Russia sharing a bedroom with numerous total strangers which took 10 days with an over night in Moscow some male some female, I had not had the opportunity to vet them or even talk to them prior to boarding, amazingly nothing happened to me and nothing happens to the 1000's of people across Asia and Europe every night who find them selves in the same position.


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## calwatch (Aug 18, 2016)

On the other hand, the roomette is just too close quarters to share with someone who is not at least a pre-existing acquaintance. If they went to a Slumbercoach or hostel-type environment, where multiple beds are in a room, that actually makes it a bit safer. I think two women could make friends on the train and share quarters, but women can be just as crazy as men are.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 18, 2016)

I agree with Patty that this is an Interesting topic to discuss and am enjoying the various perspectives of the posters, some of whom I know and have travelled with. ( but not shared rooms! )

Would be great to hear from some more members,especially females who seem to value privacy more than males.


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## pennyk (Aug 18, 2016)

Jim, you can probably guess my response. I don't want to share a room with anyone.


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## Alice (Aug 18, 2016)

Jim, I have shared with both male and female, some who I didn't know but someone who knew us both provided a reference. Never any problem.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 18, 2016)

Thanks Alice and Penny! I've shared Rooms on Trains and Hotels/Hostels with both sexes including some AU Members (.none who have posted here) and as Alice said, with persons recommended by someone I knew well!

I fully understand your view Penny! 

No problems except for a couple of minor thefts in Hostels in other Countries, and none on a Train except for having to sleep in the Superliner Coffin in a Roomette!


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## pennyk (Aug 18, 2016)

pennyk said:


> Jim, you can probably guess my response. I don't want to share a room with anyone.


I think I should amend that statement to mean "overnight." Last year, I shared a room with a male AU member during daylight hours between CHI and MSP, and we both survived.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 18, 2016)

pennyk said:


> pennyk said:
> 
> 
> > Jim, you can probably guess my response. I don't want to share a room with anyone.
> ...


Was he allowed to use the bathroom in the room or did he have to go down the hall?


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## Long Train Runnin' (Aug 19, 2016)

Bob Dylan said:


> I see Stephen's points but totally agree with Chris that it's different for women while traveling alone!


Yeah again I think that might be a uniquely US perspective. In the past 4 months alone I have had conversations and even spent half a day with solo backpacker type single females traveling alone. Even in Myanmar I met 2 girls from Australia that had met while they were both traveling solo and had then spent weeks together. 3 weeks ago I was in Lisbon on a subway platform and was approached by a Chinese national who was a couple years younger then me. It turned out we were heading to the same place, so we spent a few hours together until our plans diverged. That night while enjoying dinner at a sidewalk cafe I shared my table with another solo female traveler from Montreal. Now granted this is all Western Europe so it's not like I was very far off the beaten path, but even in the past year or so when I've really gone off the rails and been traveling way to much I don't tend to run into solo American travelers. The only one I can think of that sticks out I met in Ecuador he was 70+ and still going strong maximizing his retirement that's the kind of person I hope I can become!



jis said:


> Bob Dylan said:
> 
> 
> > I see Stephen's points but totally agree with Chris that it's different for women while traveling alone!
> ...


I understand exactly what you are saying here. It's location location location. I always do my best to research what the culture is like in places. I also understand that what is acceptable in the city centers may not be the way things are in other parts of the country. Next week I am heading to Longyearbyen where local stipulates if you are venturing out the city limits you must have a firearm because of the polar bears. Certainly one of the more interesting local regulations but still something important to keep in mind.


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## jis (Aug 19, 2016)

Long Train Runnin' said:


> I understand exactly what you are saying here. It's location location location. I always do my best to research what the culture is like in places. I also understand that what is acceptable in the city centers may not be the way things are in other parts of the country. Next week I am heading to Longyearbyen where local stipulates if you are venturing out the city limits you must have a firearm because of the polar bears. Certainly one of the more interesting local regulations but still something important to keep in mind.


^** LIKE **^


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 19, 2016)

Great post Stephen, and I've experienced the same kinds of travel over my many years of wondering the globe!

Look forward to your next trip report!


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## Long Train Runnin' (Aug 19, 2016)

Bob Dylan said:


> Great post Stephen, and I've experienced the same kinds of travel over my many years of wondering the globe!
> 
> Look forward to your next trip report!


Should be right after Labor Day. I rode a ton of different trains/subways/light rail/trams/funiculars in Portugal a couple weeks ago and meant to write it up, but I felt like I didn't take enough pictures and nothing remarkable really happened so it seemed like it would be a rather boring report. Next Thursday I start an interesting 7 days up into the Arctic including trips to an abandoned USSR mining town and then a research base a few hundred miles from the north pole. Then swing back to work for a couple days before heading down to Brazil for a couple days. Should be a good one.


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## Alice (Aug 19, 2016)

I just spent a couple of days at an unusual rail museum near the Weed CA yard (north of Dunsmuir). Quite a number of single young women got there by hitchhiking and bicycling. They were more hobo-like than student-on-summer-break-like, and highly skilled at formerly male fields needed for old railcar restoration. Great women and superb workers. I think who can enjoy high risk travel depends more on street smarts than genital shape.

BTW, if you are curious about the museum, see bbcrc.org. I got to spend the night in 999028.


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## me_little_me (Aug 19, 2016)

Bob Dylan said:


> pennyk said:
> 
> 
> > pennyk said:
> ...


Given that it was a likely a roomette, there is no toilet in Roomettes on Superliners. They are all down the hall or downstairs.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 19, 2016)

You have to know the Backstory on this, Penny only rides in Bedrooms on LD Superliner trips!


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 20, 2016)

ScouseAndy said:


> Roomette between New York & San Francisco via the cardinal is 5 full days and 4 nights on the train (with 6 hours in Chicago if your lucky - for many that is simply to long to go by coach however a single traveller is likely to cough at having to fork around $1000 dollars for that, however if you can share that cost it brings it down to around $700, that more than just a few dollars saved.


If money were truly an issue and you couldn't find anyone you knew or trusted to split the fare why wouldn't you choose to fly at half the cost instead of soliciting paid bedroom access from strangers? Or simply keep saving up until you had all the money you required? Perhaps my confusion is a product of my era and upbringing but this mindset honestly makes no sense to me. Hey I'm running a little low on rent this month, care to share my bedroom for a fee? Nope, I just can't see myself ever saying that.



ScouseAndy said:


> I travelled from Cologne (Germany) to Beijing across Russia sharing a bedroom with numerous total strangers which took 10 days with an over night in Moscow some male some female, I had not had the opportunity to vet them or even talk to them prior to boarding, amazingly nothing happened to me and nothing happens to the 1000's of people across Asia and Europe every night who find them selves in the same position.


Did you go online to advertise your desire for a casual sleeping arrangement with a stranger in an unshared sleeping culture weeks or months before departure? Because for me that's when things went from slightly unusual to genuinely careless. Something about that post made my lizard brain tingle and I tend to trust my gut on such things. Then gain I'm not a frumpy couch surfing Millennial vagabond so maybe what feels weird to me seems perfectly normal to others.


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## AmtrakBlue (Aug 20, 2016)

Devil's Advocate said:


> ScouseAndy said:
> 
> 
> > Roomette between New York & San Francisco via the cardinal is 5 full days and 4 nights on the train (with 6 hours in Chicago if your lucky - for many that is simply to long to go by coach however a single traveller is likely to cough at having to fork around $1000 dollars for that, however if you can share that cost it brings it down to around $700, that more than just a few dollars saved.
> ...


Some people can't fly, for various reasons, but still need to travel and be places on specific dates.


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## dlagrua (Aug 22, 2016)

I am not for sharing a sleeper with a complete stranger but if arrangements are made in advance by both parties, (with proper vetting), you can be added to a sleeper passengers ticket. The sleeper car is a rather closed environment and IMO reasonably safe but I know of no online exchange point where people can connect to share a sleeper. If you have the date and location you may be able to ask here to determine if any members have interest but be advised that bedrooms and especially roomettes are tight quarters. You will have your own bed but you really need to get along well with your room mate in the limited space. .


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