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Train Travel Essentials: A Personal-Item Kit for Holiday Trips
Christine Walek
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A holiday train trip has one big advantage over flying: you keep your bags close and your seat has room for a small kit. Last December, AAA expected 4.9 million people to travel by bus, train, or cruise over the year-end holidays, the fastest-growing group in its forecast. If you are one of them this year, a little packing planning makes the ride easier.
This checklist covers the train travel essentials worth keeping in your personal item, what Amtrak allows on board, and how a NasalGuard® step fits into the morning you leave.
Start with Amtrak's bag limits
Amtrak lists its carry-on rules per passenger. As of its current carry-on baggage page:
One personal item up to 14 x 11 x 7 inches and 25 pounds, such as a small bag or backpack that fits under the seat.
Two carry-on items up to 28 x 22 x 14 inches and 50 pounds each. On the Pacific Surfliner, carry-ons can be up to 28 x 22 x 11 inches.
Your personal item stays at your seat, so that is where the kit goes. Source: Amtrak carry-on baggage and pets pages.
The personal item is the one that stays within reach, so build your kit around it. Larger carry-ons often go on overhead racks or in luggage areas at the end of the car.
Train travel essentials for your personal item
Keep this list small enough to fit in a pouch you can pull out without unpacking anything else:
Phone, charger, and a cable long enough to reach a seat outlet
Your ticket in the Amtrak app or printed, plus ID
A refillable water bottle
Snacks for the stretch between stations
Headphones
A light layer or scarf for drafty vestibules and station platforms
Hand lotion and lip balm
Your NasalGuard tube
Rail trips run on their own schedule, and long routes can include station stops where you step out for a few minutes. A pouch that clips or zips into your personal item keeps these things together through all of it.
Shared cars, pets, and everyday particles
Train cars, station waiting rooms, and platforms are shared spaces. On a busy holiday run, that means coats, bags, and boots moving through the aisle all day, along with the everyday dust that comes with them.
Pets may be on board too. Amtrak allows carry-on dogs and cats up to 20 pounds combined with their carrier, on trips up to seven hours on most routes, with one pet per customer. If you are sharing a car with a pet, NasalGuard can be a barrier step for time around airborne pet dander.
NasalGuard® Airborne Particle Blocker is an invisible, drug-free gel applied around the outside of the nostrils and above the upper lip to help reduce inhalation of everyday airborne particles such as pollen, dust, and pet dander. It works with positive ion technology and takes a few seconds to apply.
Three steps before you board
The station is a good place for this step: you have a minute while you wait for the track to post, and your hands are free before you are carrying bags down the platform.
Place a small amount on a fingertip. The gel is milky white in the tube and on your fingertip.
Spread it between the thumb and finger.
Apply around the outside of the nostrils and above the upper lip. It goes on invisibly once spread.
A small dab of milky-white gel goes on invisibly once spread. Use as directed.
Reapply according to the current directions and after the area becomes wet, such as after washing your face in the onboard restroom. The directions on the product tell you how much to use and when to reapply.
Which NasalGuard to pack
For a train trip, the everyday NasalGuard Airborne Particle Blocker works well, since there is no security checkpoint to plan around:
Unscented 3g for a jacket pocket or small pouch.
Cool Menthol if you like a light, cool scent when you apply it.
10g tube if you are staying with family for a week and want one tube for the whole trip.
If the same trip includes a flight, the For Air Travelers 3g tubes fit easily in a quart-size liquids bag. Our long-flight personal item checklist covers that side of the trip.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pack for a long train ride?
Keep the essentials in your personal item, which Amtrak limits to 14 x 11 x 7 inches and 25 pounds: phone and charger, ticket and ID, water, snacks, headphones, a light layer, and a few personal-care items. Larger bags can go in your two carry-on items, which often ride on overhead racks.
How many bags can I bring on Amtrak?
Amtrak's carry-on page lists one personal item and two carry-on items per passenger. The personal item can be up to 14 x 11 x 7 inches and 25 pounds. Each carry-on can be up to 28 x 22 x 14 inches and 50 pounds, with a smaller size on the Pacific Surfliner.
Can I bring a pet on an Amtrak train?
Amtrak allows carry-on dogs and cats on many routes, up to 20 pounds combined with the carrier, on trips up to seven hours, with one pet per customer. Fees vary by route, and some seating areas are off limits, so check Amtrak's pets page when you book.
When should I apply NasalGuard on a train trip?
A good time is at the station before you board. Place a small amount on a fingertip, spread it between the thumb and finger, and apply around the outside of the nostrils and above the upper lip. Reapply according to the current directions and after the area becomes wet.
Christine Walek writes for the NasalGuard editorial team about air quality, travel, and the everyday airborne particles we share space with. Articles are reviewed against current product labeling before publishing.
