As I have just got back to the rail agency after I got my train tickets to Transylvania (again), I got to thinking about what we do during these train rides so that we don’t get bored.

My parents kept joking that I was about to be born in the family car. So I keep saying that may be the reason why I love to travel. I got acquainted with traveling when I was a child. I have vivid memories of our family try to Voineasa – by train, of course, with a change in Sibiu -, as well as short trips to the nearby Bocsig, where we used to have a vineyard.

My first independent trip, when I was 19, naturally had to happen via a train ride: Arad- Sighisoara. At that time, about 5 hours of happiness with two friends whom I have met just a month prior to the trip. I then “graduated” to 10-14h rides to Bucharest, depending on how much work they were doing on the rail when I traveled, and then the epiphany of my rail journeys: 18 hours to Bacau. And yes, before you ask, Bacau is in Romania. Can you stop laughing now, please?

As I grew older and low-cost carriers start to show up in the area, we decided to fly on longer distances but the 4-5 hours train rides are still a pleasure for us. Budapest is 4 hours by train from us and Cluj-Napoca is 5 hours.

Abroad, we have taken 7 hours bus rides in Italy, as well as shorter ones (anything from an hour to 4 hours) but have also started to taste the joys of high-speed train travel, crossing Italy in just 2 ½ hours.

With a lot of hours logged on trains (and buses), we certainly have experience when it comes to being prepared for the trip and not getting (that) bored.

1. Luggage

Light carry on packers usually, even us are tempted to carry a bit too much when we travel by train. There is no luggage limit on trains – although high-speed ones do require you to stow the big luggage in specialized areas and not near your seat – which opens up a can of worms. As a rule of thumb, I take my usual backpack and a small daypack separately.

The day pack has my valuables and it is always by my side. Never ever put it up in the luggage compartment.

2. Food and beverage

Unless you go in a high-speed train or the train has a specialized restaurant car, you are bound to get hungry if you don’t bring anything. I’ve always packed snacks and drinks for my train travels. For short ones (up to 2 ½ hours), I typically only bring bottled water; but for anything longer than that, I bring snacks.

I wish I could say I am health-oriented all the time, but that would be a lie. Not-so-diet friendly snacks have been eaten and I don’t feel guilty about that. Typically though, nuts are always present; and many times I make sandwiches at home (or at the accommodation) to have for the ride.

Water-wise, consider the season and how much water you really need. We typically bring at least a liter of water per person for the 5 hours ride to Cluj-Napoca.

On the other hand, no matter how short the bus ride is, I never ever eat anything. I do bring water…and my motion sickness pills!

3. Reading material

I used to read printed books. Yes, they added weight to the luggage. I switched to e-book reading apps on my smartphone nowadays. They don’t require an Internet connection and I can bring as many books as I want with me.

And if you are really in for a long ride, pack those crayons along with an adult coloring book.

Unfortunately, reading makes me sick when I travel by bus (and I found out this the very wrong way).

4. Power banks

Some carriages do have power plugs but, unfortunately not all of them and this is valid for all countries I’ve traveled by train in. So, bring on the power bank!

We bought our first power bank 2 years ago, so before that, we just use techniques to increase battery life and most often would use an mp3 player to listen to music.

5. Music or Audio Books

Nowadays, I listen to music on my smartphone. I have loaded a ton of music and sometimes I go through it and add more stuff.

In previous years, I would use the above mentioned mp3 player. I still have one which works with 1 battery which typically lasts more than 10 hours.

A good alternative to listening to music is to listen to audiobooks. I have tried audiobook while I worked out but have yet to take them on the road. Many of my friends really love them, though!

6. Sleeping

Our rule is never to sleep at the same time. One of us needs to stay awake. While we have never had problems while traveling by train, I believe it’s a lot safer if someone is alert and aware of the surroundings.

If you travel solo and need to sleep, you can consider splurging on a sleeper. You can just lock yourself in there and enjoy the snooze.

7. Enjoy the scenery

One of the reasons I love traveling during the day is to just look at the scenery I pass through. Bonus points for sunrises or sunsets. Some months ago, due to repairs on the line, we were diverted on the longer route from Cluj-Napoca to Arad (via Alba Iulia). The train left Cluj-Napoca at 5:45 am and we were lucky to see one of the loveliest sunrises ever.

Make sure your camera is handy (and the window clean ahem) to catch some interesting snaps. Thankfully, Central – Eastern Europe is filled with scenic rides. And don’t forget to try to do some animals and birds spotting! Trust me, in the slow Romanian trains, it’s very possible.

8. Play games

Especially if you have a power bank or a power plug handy, you can spend some time playing games on your mobile. I used to play Minion Run (yes, please, laugh), I even spent some time with Pokemon Go! but nowadays I don’t have any game installed on any of my phones.

The other option is to bring a pack of cards and play some games.

9. Watch a movie

I’ve watched a lot of movies on the long Bucharest trips. Since I usually traveled with my laptop – thanks to being able to work from wherever I had an Internet connection -, I would load up a couple of movies (or episodes from my favorite show) to enjoy during the trip. Remember that headphones are a must as you don’t want to be that traveler whom everyone swears at for making noise.

10. Work (or study)

In my case it was work. I’ve written a lot of articles during train rides. Being in a different environment has always helped me come up with new ideas.

11. Make friends

Countless conversations were struck during our train rides. In various languages, too. Since we take the routes which are frequented by foreign travelers, we do end up talking to strangers, making friends and exchanging stories.

12. Just enjoy each other

You really cannot read, write or listen to music for hours at a time, so you end up talking to your travel partner. Talk about anything and everything. We usually make travel plans for the future.

13. Slow down and enjoy

The trick of enjoying a long train (or bus ) ride is to just slow down. Don’t plan everything by the second as things may (and do) get delayed.

Read more about traveling by train (or bus)

>>Train travel in Hungary
>>Train travel in Italy
>>Train travel in Romania
>>Central Europe by train

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