Even though my 52-hour trek on Amtrak's California Zephyr was my first long train ride, I think I created a pretty solid packing list.

However, there are a few items that could've made the trip from Chicago to California even better.

Bringing ginger chews is something I thought about after the fact.

Though I had Dramamine and sea-nausea-relief bands, ginger is a natural motion-sickness remedy, so I would've loved to see just how well it worked.

I don't normally travel with an extra pillow, but I think it would've been good to have in my roomette for additional comfort. Even a neck pillow would've been nice.

That said, Amtrak provides roomette passengers with a pillow and blanket, so you don't have to bring your own if you don't want to.

I also love sleeping with a big comforter.

The blanket Amtrak provides isn't too thin, but it's not as thick as a comforter.

For future fall and winter rides, I'll probably pack an extra small blanket for more warmth and enhanced comfort.

Looking back on it, I wish I had downloaded movies from Netflix ahead of time, as the train doesn't have WiFi.

I needed to write, so I wanted to focus on that, but it would've been much more relaxing to fill the time by watching a movie (or three) in my roomette.

I love playing card games, so not bringing a deck with me was a missed opportunity.

It could've been a screen-free activity for when I wanted a break from my laptop and phone.

Plus in a post-COVID-19 world someday, I would love to take a long train ride and play card games with other passengers, which could be a fun way to make friends as a solo traveler.

I had no idea that you can bring your own bottle of wine in a roomette.

The wine Amtrak provided was delicious during meal times, but I would've also liked to have brought my own bottle to enjoy as I relaxed in my space.

I'll definitely bring my favorite red or white on my next train trip.

Even though I brought snacks, I wish I had packed more.

Amtrak's meals were better than I expected, but it would've been nice to have other snacks to switch it up.

I saw someone with a little cooler and thought that would've been a good idea for packing fresher snacks instead of just packaged ones.

Keeping in mind that some travelers are allergic to certain scents, I still would've liked to pack an air freshener just in case.

The train didn't stink at all, but after a few days, I wanted a fresher smell. Packing a jelly air freshener or spray could've brightened the roomette up a bit.

The other passengers weren't noisy at all, but the train itself could get a little bumpy and loud at night.

Earplugs would've been nice to have on the first night to adjust to sleeping on the train.

I'm normally a heavy sleeper, and I slept pretty well on the train, but a little bit of light came through the door at night.

On the second night, I realized I could block most of it with my backpack in front of the door — which also worked as extra security — but I still would've loved an eye mask to make it pitch black.

Copyright © 2022. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Times Syndication Service.