I have spent 317 hours on Amtrak and traveled 23,000 kilometers (14,300 miles) on their trains. Among my friends, I’m known as an Amtrak guru. Here, let me share some of my best-kept secrets with you — to make you a true Amtraker, too.

First, to set the scene.

Amtrak’s longest rail service is the Texas Eagle, connecting Chicago to Los Angeles via the name-giving state. Traveling the Texas Eagle is a mammoth journey of 4,390 kilometers — approximately the same distance as Hamburg to Moscow AND BACK. Only Russia, China and Canada have longer passenger rail services.

The trip takes a scheduled 67 hours to get you from America’s third to its second-largest city. On the way, you traverse seven states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. It takes you through empty deserts and fields, along the feared border wall and tall mountain ranges, and through both a remote volcanic field and several bustling megacities.

The California Zephyr, too, is a mammoth journey, going from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area over the course of three and a half days and covering 3,924 kilometers on the way.

I traveled both of these spectacular routes (and many others) entirely in coach class. That means no bed, no restaurant car; only a seat, Amtrak’s bistro, and whatever you packed for the trip (hopefully lots of water snacks). And believe it or not, it’s actually quite an enjoyable way to travel and, above all, extraordinarily affordable. So much so that I did some of these huge journeys several times.

I have traveled more on Amtrak in a few short years than most Americans have in their lifetimes, so here I’ve collected some lessons learned to help turn you from a beginner into a veteran Amtraker (plus, stay for some secret discount links!).

Things to pack on a long-distance Amtrak trip in coach class:

• Blanket. Amtrak trains can get really chilly at night. It’s a mistake I’ve made once and never again.
• A gallon jug of water or two. There is water on the train, but the fountain is painfully slow and sometimes gives off questionable smells. I have also been on trains where the potable water ran out or wasn’t working. There is also the cafe car, but you have to — of course — pay for drinks from there, and it closes at night.
• A scarf. Similar to the blanket. But you can also use this to block air coming from the vents under the window and make it more comfortable to lean on when you are sleeping.
• Sleeping clothes. The train is your home for the better part of a week. Bring some comfortable clothes to sleep in that you can change into in the evenings. On the flip side, changing into day clothes can help get the day started and separate the day- from nighttime, helping you sleep well.
• Noise-cancelling headphones. I don’t listen to music much when on the train because I like to talk to my fellow travelers and hear the sounds of the journey. But sometimes, you just need an out, or there is a noisy iPad kid sitting a row behind you.
• Earplugs. I’m a fairly light sleeper and can have trouble falling asleep when traveling, especially when I’m excited. I’ve found that earplugs can really help. People on the trains tend to be respectful of rest periods, but there are stops at night and people will be moving around and talking occasionally.
• Eye mask. The light on Amtrak’s trains is turned off at night (and replaced with a dim blue night light), but total darkness can still help you catch better sleep.
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. Just because you’re on a train doesn’t mean your normal routine stops! Keep these habits up even when traveling and you will feel much better, even without access to a shower for four days.
• A separate smaller bag (like a tote bag) for your valuables. Your passport, documents, phones, most important charger, etc. can go in here when you explore the train, pop out during a fresh air break or even just go to the bathroom. I’ve found this to be a good compromise between the convenience of leaving my heavy bag at my seat (with my clothes and other replaceable things in it) and not running the risk of anyone nicking my valuables. I’ve never had anything like that happen — but you don’t want to tempt fate. And who knows, maybe the reason why it hasn’t happened to me yet is because I take precautions?
• A power strip, especially if you’re traveling with someone else and/or have a lot of electronics (e.g. camera gear). You can plug it into the power outlet in the wall. There are two sockets, meaning effectively one for each seat.
• A travel pillow. I mean one those silly croissant-shaped neck thingies. Maybe get one that is inflatable if you want to save space and travel light.

In that vein, here are some of my pro tips for traveling on Amtrak’s long-distance routes:

• Always tip the cafe car attendant. They’re traveling the whole route with you, and will remember if you don’t tip (looking at you, Dan). Try the Amtrak hotdog while you’re there. The cafe is located on the lower level of the observation car and is typically open from about 6 am to around 10 pm.
• It’s okay to join an occupied table in the observation car. If there’s no space, or even if you’re just feeling extra social, you can ask to join a table that already has people at it. I’ve had some very fun and truly fascinating conversations start like that. Shoutout to Melanie, I hope the beach glass collecting is going well.
• Get the window seat, if you can. Obviously, you’re doing this trip for the views. But it is also a more comfortable seat: No people walking right by you, and you get to lean on the side of the railcar for additional sleeping position options.
• The front of your seat folds up. It’s kind of like in a fancy cinema. In addition to the footrest on the back of the seat in front of you (don’t worry, you have plenty of leg room; it isn’t an airliner), you can fold up the front part of your seat (usually found below the sitting part of the seat) at various angles for thigh support. To adjust it, use the lever on the armrest next to the one that controls the backrest. Using this significantly increases comfort, especially for sleeping. Also:
• Put your bag under your legs, especially when sleeping. With the leg rest folded up, you can even stuff your bag underneath that, making it very hard for any wannabe pickpockets to get at it. With you sitting on top of it and your legs further obstructing the way, it’s unlikely that anyone would try or be successful at stealing your stuff, even with you fast asleep. Again, I’ve never had any issues in that regard — but your mileage may vary.
• Similarly, keep your valuables on you. Ideally, even when you sleep. I keep my phone in a pocket or with me sitting/lying on top of it when I sleep.
• Go to sleep earlier than you usually would. The train’s rhythm is mostly based on whether it’s light or dark outside. Go to “bed” early so that you can be up in time for the sunrise, beat the rush to the bathroom, and get a spot in the observation car.

• Get off at fresh air breaks. They can be few and far between, so make use of the opportunity to go and step off the train when a fresh air break is announced. Some breaks are also quite long — even upward of an hour. When the train is being refueled, cleaned, or crews changed (and a long break has been explicitly announced!), don’t be afraid to wander off a little farther and have a look at the town you’re in. It’s this how I got to see places like Denver, San Antonio or St. Louis. Just make sure not to dawdle too long, as the train will leave without you.
• Don’t forget to take the slip of paper that the conductor uses to mark your seat if you change seats. They usually clip it to a metal rail above your seat row. Also, make sure to ask whether it’s alright to swap if the train is busy — in that case, the conducts will have a handwritten seating chart where they keep track of where everyone is and where future passengers will go (they go to extraordinary lengths to try to assure people traveling together get to sit together). The usually pastel-colored slip of paper, clipped above your seat by the conductor after checking your tickets, indicates that the seat is occupied and what stop you’re getting off at: If you are having a sooze, this will allow the conductor to know to wake you in time.
• There’s more seating downstairs in the cafe car. While upstairs, in the observation car, is where the show is really at, that space fills up quickly. There is more seating downstairs in the observation car, and it tends to be overlooked by passengers and consequently quite empty. The windows there are still big (though not curved), and less tinted than in the passenger cars, making for better photos.
• Try to avoid sitting directly by the door between rail cars. This may seem tempting because there is no seat to recline into your space or for you to recline into their space. But trust me: The downside of having the noisy connecting doors and the foot traffic, plus the light at night, does not make it worth it. Also, the seat rows are spaced so far apart anyway that you will hardly notice whether the person in front of you is reclined or not.
• Don’t travel on a tight schedule. Because of the way American rail works (the tracks are owned by freight companies whose lowest priority is making sure passenger trains that aren’t theirs run on time), Amtrak will often face delays. On long routes, these can be several hours (though I have also arrived up to an hour ahead of schedule in my final destinations). If you have a connection planned, especially one that isn’t Amtrak, make sure you have ample buffer. If you need to check your train’s status, Amtrak’s app now (finally!) has a decent interface, but you could also use Amtraker, a purpose-built project.
• The cafe car sells a comfort kit. In case you skipped over the packing list, you can buy a comfort kit from the cafe car attendant that contains a neck cushion, a blanket (Amtrak-branded!), an eyepatch and earplugs. It’s also surprisingly cheap, at $20.

Remember that coach class on Amtrak’s long-distance, cross-country routes is a real bargain. Prices usually range from $140 to $180, but keep in mind that it is not just the transportation but also a hotel for the three or four days that you spend on board. My Texas Eagle trip, for instance, ultimately came out to a cost of 3 cents per kilometer. It’s basically a super low-cost land cruise.

If you are a student under 24, Amtrak also has discounts for you! These don’t always apply on long-distance routes, although students do get a 15% discount on trips booked a day before departure (though this isn’t typically advisable for long adventures becuase availability can be sporadic). If you’re a student taking an Amtrak through the Midwest, you get a 15% discount even if you book in advance!

Amtrak also has a loyalty program that allows you to collect points that you can later redeem to pay for trips.

If you’re going to embark on a cross-continent trip, go into it for the adventure, not to get to the destination. Remember, you will see a fantastical cross-section of the country in a way that you would otherwise never get to experience while traveling along some of the railroads that are inextricably linked to the building of the USA. You will be passing through communities that you would otherwise never have heard of and never have seen. You will get to see ghost towns and other fascinating sights and leave the train with a new level of understanding of this expansive country. You will likely get talking to people whose circumstances and life paths are fundamentally different from yours and whose stories will stick with you forever and inform who you are as a person from that point on.

Amtrak’s cross-continent routes are some of the world’s longest direct train services. And taking them is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. If you’ve been wondering whether to do it, take this as your sign — go and book those tickets!