amtrak ride

[braydeni]

If I have motion sickness and I get sick on a deep sea fishing trip but not on a lake in a boat will i get sick on amtrak.

 

[amamba]

Hard to say. You might want to be prepared with bonine or dramamine as everyone reacts differently.

I get very seasick on a sailboat in the ocean, but I am ok on a boat on a lake and I have no problems with amtrak. I am not really able to read in a car, either, without feeling nauseous.

But what works for me might not work for you, so be prepared just in case. Good luck.

 

[braydeni]

Thanks that's how I am about reading and does it sway alot and would you recommend a sleeping car does it help with sound or is it alot more luxorious and less bumps

 

[amamba]

The swaying and bumping on the train really depends where you are traveling. I travel a good amount on the NEC and I have no problem reading, using my computer or doing anything on that train while riding sitting forward or backwards.

I have noticed rougher track in other areas of the country. Personally for me I always book a sleeper overnight, because I am unable to sleep sitting up and I need quiet and darkness to sleep. I also snore and wouldn't want to bother others with it.

A sleeper will be quieter in general, but again, no guarantees so if you want quiet, bring ear plugs. I have no problem reading in a sleeper while sitting forwards or backwards. I have ridden in both a roomette and bedroom and found I slept better in the bedroom, which seems to be contrary to what others have found regarding roomettes.

 

[John Bobinyec]

Motion sickness occurs for some people when the signals from your eyes and ears don't match. So in situations where you can feel that you're moving but you can't see that you are, or vice versa, you might have trouble. Not being able to see the motion can occur:

• if you keep your eyes closed for an extended period
• if you look out the window and can't see anything (because it's dark)
• if you are in a bathroom, shower, etc... where you can't see out

There's nothing inherent in train travel that is any different than travel by any other vehicle, as far as motion sickness goes.

I heard that when the Acelas first came out, the amount of "tilt" was set so that it compensated for going around curves. People started complaining because it made them sick. Why? Because they couldn't feel the motion, but could look out the window and see that they were tilted. The solution was to unbalance the tilt so that the curve can be felt as well as observed.

jb

 

[neroden]

For some reason, I get severely motion sick in cars and buses unless I stare out the window ALL THE TIME. I can't read on cars or buses at all, or on boats (though I actually find boats better than cars).

However, I can actually read on the train without getting motion sick. At 79 mph. And I can sleep, too. I don't get motion sick at *all* on the train. For some reason, the type of motion is different and it doesn't bother me.

To use airplane terms, the train has quite a lot of *roll*, but it has very little *pitch* and very little *yaw*. I suspect that the yaw is what bothers me; cars and buses have vast amounts of yawing motion.

Different people have somewhat different types of motion sickness, so I can't *guarantee* that this will be true for you. But a lot of people are like me: motion sick on a lot of vehicles but not on trains.

 

[train rider]

Don't stare at the trees next to the track as they whip by.

 

[tricia]

My husband, who's very prone to motion sickness, feels queasy if he reads while sitting on the backward-facing seat in a roomette, but is just fine facing forward. He can't read in a moving car at all, so his sense of it is that the train presents less of a motion-sickness problem than auto or boat.

 

[crescent2]

I second the suggestion to not look out at things close to the train, but look farther away. I've only traveled on one Superliner (double decker train), and found the sway on the top level to be noticeably more than on the single level trains, but not enough to bother us. A lower level seat or compartment might be a better choice if sway bothers you.

Off the top of my head, I'd say a train has more in common with a boat on a lake than with a deep sea fishing boat, although a train is usually smoother than a lake boat at speed. There is obviously motion, but not the deep rolling motion you might get in rougher seas. Of course, it's hard to say how it would affect any particular person. In my experience, it doesn't seem to be a very common problem, and you don't find barf bags in coach as you do on planes, FWIW. Maybe that's encouraging.

You can buy "sea band" bracelet-type thingies in drug stores, and two of the teachers I worked with swore by them when they were pregnant and having problems with nausea. (Teachers don't have frequent access to restrooms.) The bands put pressure on a point on your wrist and they both said they helped them a lot. They are marketed as a motion sickness preventative so you might want to take those, just in case.

I hope you have a pleasant trip.

 

[Acela150]

I've been on trains that go 110MPH, 125MPH, 150MPH and 79MPH. I haven't had any issues facing forward or backward. When I was younger I had issues with motion sickness. I couldn't get on the school bus for weeks without having to take dramamine. The school bus would only go 45MPH tops. But at this point it was always a full bus and it didn't have A/C during the warmer months when the heat would start to bother me.

 

[FormerOBS]

Very good advice from those who posted above. I'd say be prepared by bringing your Dramamine along, but relax and don't fret. Motion sickness is very rare on trains. It may be instructive to know that little kids usually sleep pretty well on trains. I think it's because they're naturally relaxed and trusting; and they're content to let the train rock them to sleep.

Tom

 

[chakk]

Some ld trains now sell Comfort Kits containing ear plugs, eyeshades, neck pillow and blanket.

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