This summer, my spouse and I decided to take the longest Amtrak trip we’ve ever taken — three trains from Washington, DC, to Vancouver over four days.
My partner, who is a teacher, had a break between the school year and the summer program, so this adventure was the perfect excuse to relax, disconnect from the world, and enjoy the train’s views. That was, unfortunately, not the case for me.
Since I have an office job with limited vacation time, I decided I would work remotely throughout the entire trip. Even though I had my boss’s permission to work on the train and had packed all my essentials, I still wondered how successful this endeavor would be.
Turns out, it was more challenging than I anticipated, but still worth the hassle.
I made sure to prepare for any WiFi outages and pack accordingly.
Before the trip, I researched whether the trains would have WiFi, but found that it could vary by route.
Since I wasn’t sure how reliable my internet options would be on board, I made sure to download the most important documents onto my computer instead of just relying on the cloud. This way, even if there was an unstable connection, I’d still be able to access them.
Additionally, I made sure to have my phone’s hotspot at the ready for whenever there wasn’t WiFi on the train.
And just as an extra precaution, I made a point of scheduling any important calls for either before or after our train rides, so that I wouldn’t risk losing signal while speaking with my team.
To prevent any other hiccups, I packed everything I could think of that I might need: my work laptop, my portable monitor, all the appropriate cords and chargers, and my planner for anything I needed to do on paper.
The roomette’s privacy was great, but it didn’t have enough outlets.
On two of our three train rides, we booked a roomette, a small bedroom with two seats facing each other that would convert into bunks at night.
The internet was spotty in there, but I was still able to wrap up the last emails of the day without any problems.
On the first train ride from DC to Chicago, the roomette had two power outlets, but on our journey from Chicago to Seattle, it had only one — forcing my spouse and me to take turns charging our devices.
I loved working in the café car.
Sometimes, the roomette felt pretty cramped, so I took my work setup to the café car as often as I could.
Not only was there plenty of room for me to spread out with my laptop and second screen, but I could also witness amazing views — like the Mississippi River or the Great Plains — from the window.
However, since there weren’t any power outlets in the café car, I was only able to be productive for as long as my computer and phone batteries lasted, which was about 2 hours. Then, once everything had run out of power, I had to return to the roomette and plug everything in, which disrupted my workflow.
I didn’t think about how my hotspot wouldn’t be reliable in rural areas.
Since there was only stable WiFi on one of our three trains, I was relying heavily on my hotspot for most of the trip. But by the third day, the cellular signal kept getting spotty as we entered more rural areas of the country, making my hotspot less reliable.
Because of the weak connection, I couldn’t access my team’s folders, so I had to email my boss a report instead of uploading it to SharePoint.
I panicked a little, since we’re not supposed to save documents directly to our computers, but this was my only option without a consistent signal.
When we sat in coach, I could barely get any work done.
For the last leg of our trip from Seattle to Vancouver, we sat in coach instead of reserving a roomette.
We were able to sit at a small table, but it was too cramped to take out my laptop, and there wasn’t any space to work in my seat either. This was the only portion of the trip where it was impossible to do any work, and it really made me miss my roomette.
Even though working on the train was challenging, the station lounges were perfect.
Whenever we had train delays, I would work at the Amtrak stations, which were great places to be productive.
The station in DC had a place to stash our suitcases, decent WiFi, and various tables and chairs. The one in Chicago was also a great size, was well-lit, and had a strong internet connection and plenty of seating.
Similarly, the upper level of the Amtrak station in Seattle had a small art gallery and sitting area — a perfectly comfortable space for me to do my job.
It wasn’t the easiest way to work, but I’d do it again.
Although working on these trains wasn’t always smooth, I still had a great experience and would definitely love to do it again.
Next time, though, I would pack a power bank to charge my phone and monitor without needing an outlet, and overprepare for a lack of WiFi.
Overall, even though working remotely on Amtrak trains had its challenges, I loved the stunning views and the chance to see new sights rather than just sitting at my desk.
Business Insider reached out to Amtrak for comment.
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