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Technically, perhaps they'd call it that. But I have this backpack right here, and it doesn't work very well in that regard for me with my teeny tiny short-person fingers. :) The one I'm currently using (a lightweight Targus bag) has a great carrying handle but it has all this padding in one...

Wow, quite a few to choose from. I'll have to assess how much I think I'll be out in public/cities because some of those security features look very nice, too.

Big Iron, wow! That is a seriously gorgeous backpack. And it does have a carry handle at the top already. :D I like the customization you can do with the web all over the front.

Yes, that seems to be important -- being able to easily access things like ID, phone, maybe pen/paper, etc. without digging through the whole backpack. This one's pretty good about that. I'm probably going to see how much essential clothing I can fit into the thing, based on when I can do...

jis, exactly! Hotels I know how to manage. I just wasn't sure how train reservations worked. :)

caravanman, I do have a few coach seats here and there and hope to hit some observation cars on other days, etc., as well. (I'm an introvert so it'll be a good, healthy way to stretch outside my comfort zone.) I'm probably going to do things a lot differently than I *think* I will do them now as...

Lonestar, do you mean the CHI to KCY connection? That's only 7-8 hours and is during the day (3 PM to about 11 PM). The only negative is that I'd already thought I could handle the coach seat from PGH to CHI overnight (since I anticipate being too wired to sleep that first night, plus I'm a...

I'm going on a cross-country, two-week train trip -- just for the experience and to write -- and I would love to travel light. Meaning, one backpack and then an oversized purse/tote for my tiny laptop and all other personal items. Right now I have this backpack...

No special issues here, so a regular coach seat will work for those legs where I don't already have a roomette in mind. ---- Did I leave enough leeway in connection times on same-day trains?

Thanks! I'd never been able to figure that out! :)

I'll be going probably in May -- so weather shouldn't be much of a concern at any point along the way. (I hope.) :)

It's still coming in under budget for me to use the sleeper on the last leg. I just asked myself whether I wanted to sit up in a seat that far into the trip, especially since I'll get in here at home around 5 in the morning. But yes, that would be the one leg I could cut back on, down to a coach...

My main expense will be the train. My FEW stops will be with friends. Maybe I'll get a hotel during one leg. Maybe. But most of the time you can cancel those 24 hours in advance with no penalty. It's sounding more like I will not need to worry about this, for this trip.

This is my big bucket-list cross-country train trip -- I'm going just so I can experience long-distance train travel and write a book about the experience. I'm a total newbie to train travel. I'm traveling alone, on purpose. I'm a 55-year-old writer. I'm looking at early May as my departure...

There really aren't going to be other parts of my trip. The purpose of this cross-country trip is to BE on the train as much as possible. I'll be writing a book en route (about the trip). One stop (probably) in Kansas City to see a friend and stay with her. So maybe I can simply skip the...

Sounds like I can opt out of the insurance deal if Amtrak has some sort of policy on this already that seems quite fair. (I'll read up more this week on all that.) I'm 55 and I do rarely get sick (I've had exactly 1 cold in the past decade and that's it). It's just that I rarely spend SO much on...

Thanks for all this info. I was mostly concerned about illness or injury changing my entire set of plans, not so much the connection issue. Though, since I'm a total newbie, apparently that's now something to worry about. :blink: I want to decide on destination and routes in the next week and...

Howdy! My finances are in sufficient order that I can start thinking about booking my big cross-country book-writing trip in the spring. I hope to go sometime in early May-ish. When hubby and I have booked cruises far in advance, we've sometimes gotten trip insurance of one sort or another. Is...

Oh good, so you're saying I'm not the only one then? (I do that at least twice a week. Pathetic!) :)

Oregon Pioneer, I'm definitely a people-watcher. I think most writers are. I'm looking forward to that part. And everything I'm reading certainly does make it sound as if train travel can be a charming experience. And I intend to take full advantage of it. :)