The 35 rules of train travel every passenger should follow
Train travel is an excellent way to see a country. A planet-friendly way to get to work. And a surefire way to get thwacked in the face by the person next to you who didn't have the sense to take their backpack off in a crowd.
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Then there are the seat sprawlers who try to take up extra real estate with their bags, the café car squatters who leave no room for anyone else to eat and — worst of all — the extroverts who run conference calls from the quiet car. At least on planes, you can't be talking on your phone.
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'I think being on a long train journey, trapped inside a metal tube for several hours, seems to do something to people's behaviour,' said William Hanson, a Britain-based etiquette coach and author. 'They sort of forget that it's not their own private royal train.'
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Better to make sure you're on the right track now than when a conductor is inches from your panicked face.
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Leave no trace at the gate
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Clean up food wrappers, coffee cups and crumbs large enough to count as an amuse bouche.
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Tuck in all extremities, including legs and luggage wheels, while you're sprawled on the floor or running to board (We told you to get there early!)
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Got help? Make sure to tip.
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If you are travelling Amtrak at a station that offers it, make use of the Red Cap baggage handling service. Don't forget to tip.
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Don't zone out
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Pay attention to signs and announcements; that gate assignment can be stealth.
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Boarding
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This is not a stampede
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When the gate number is announced, remember: You are not an elephant. Proceed to your gate calmly and queue up.
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Don't block the doors
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Make room for the people exiting the train. Riding the train is not a contact sport, so don't act like an offensive lineman.
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Be someone's hero and help carry a heavy bag up the stairs or hoist it in the overhead compartment. We all need a little kindness.
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Watch your backpack
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Take off your pack, and hold it in front like a baby sling, so you don't bash the person behind you in the face.
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Four-seaters are for four people
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We love space, too. But leave the four-seater open for families or friend quartets. If a four-seater is open once the train starts moving, sit diagonal from your fellow passengers, not directly across from them, so your knees aren't kissing.
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