Traveling on Amtrak or a plane can be a lot of time sitting in one place. Here are my tips and tricks for surviving a trip!

Workout Prior to Your Trip

This is an absolute must for me. I typically like to do something cardio heavy to get out all of my energy and to make it easier to sit for an extended period of time. For trip to NYC this past weekend, I ran before I got on my train on Friday and went to a cardio based F45 course before I left to return home. (To hear more about my fitness classes and adventures, see my post about NYC here!)

In addition to making it easier for me to sit still, the fitness classes/running allows be to feel productive, making it easier for me to continue my streak of productivity on the train.

Schedule and Break Your Time into Blocks

Right now, I am in the middle of summer classes and therefore don’t have much down time. I went to visit some of my friend in NYC this weekend and planned out what I needed to accomplish on each Amtrak ride. I added them into my Ical notes section for each of the train time slots.

NOTE – help yourself out and be realistic/underestimate what you will be able to accomplish. One they way to NYC and back, I planned that I could read case studies and 1.5 chapters on my way down and 1.5 chapters on my way back up. This gave me some time to nap, eat snacks and listen to some music.

Walking Breaks and Stretches

If you are like me and have a Fitbit, it is nudging you every hour to move. Even if you do not have a Fitbit, it can be nice just to get up and walk away from your work for 3-5 minutes every hour. When my Fitbit buzzes, I get up and stretch for a second. If needed, I will walk a few cares down and then walk back to my seat.

Break Tip: sometimes the best break is wiping down your face with a makeup wipe and then applying some face lotion because the train air can be drying.

Pack Snacks That Fuel You

I love to pick and snack! I try to work with myself by packing some good food and some Takis 🙂 On the train ride back to Boston, I packed my water bottle, some Takis, and an apple. At the train cafe car, I purchased a plat of veggies (omitting the ranch dressing) and a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich on rye.