AARP Hearing Center
Smart Solo Train Travel Tips for an Enjoyable Trip
Safety and practicality are key to a successful rail journey
As older adults consider solo travel, traveling by train for multiple days at a time is one way to sightsee without your car. Alaska Railroad’s Hurricane Turn Train travels through Alaska’s wilderness.
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Key takeaways
- If you are interested in solo travel, consider taking the train to sightsee instead of driving your car.
- Experienced solo train travelers suggest starting with shorter routes.
- Social spaces on trains provide opportunities for connection and camaraderie.
Inspired by a YouTube video about solo rail travel, Christy Fischer was 55 when she decided to try it for herself. She boarded a train in Cleveland and rode it to Boston to visit her stepson. By the end of the trip, she says, “I was hooked.”
Fischer, now 59, isn’t the only one who enjoys solo travel. According to a survey by Road Scholar, a nonprofit educational travel group, 82 percent of American adults have traveled solo or are open to trying it, with 58 percent of boomers and 50 percent of Gen Xers having taken at least one solo trip.
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She’s also part of an emerging trend to use the train for travel. Amtrak reported record ridership in its fiscal year 2025, with 34.5 million customer trips. In Canada, VIA Rail maintained its ridership with 4.4 million passengers in 2025.
If you’re uncertain about trying a rail trip by yourself, Fischer, who runs the Facebook group Amtrak Solo Travelers, offers some reassurance. “Once you get over the nervousness of being by yourself in something new, you’re literally hooked.”
Ready to board? Here’s what you need to know for a safe and successful solo train travel journey.
Bring minimal luggage and pack entertainment
Navigating narrow aisles with heavy bags can be tricky. “Pack light,” Fischer says. She recommends a carry-on and a travel backpack to keep essential items within reach.
Sojourner White, who offers tips for solo train travelers on her travel blog, Sojournies, recommends packing plenty of items to help pass long stretches of time, such as novels, journals, devices with downloaded movies, word-search books or a deck of cards. “Bring things to do because you are alone,” White says. If you’re looking to meet people, she adds that games can be a great way to meet and socialize with other passengers. White also suggests bringing your own snacks. “It’s a little pricier” to buy food on the train instead of at your local grocery store. For comfort, she says to bring slippers or something to cover your feet.
If you’re unsure whether train travel is for you, start with a short trip or take a historic or scenic tourist train, like the White Pass train in Alaska.
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Start with a shorter trip
Some train trips in the U.S. or Canada can last three or four nights. For your first few trips, White suggests starting small. “Find a train ride near you,” she says. She doesn’t like to drive and embraces a “passenger princess lifestyle,” which she documents on YouTube.
Another option is a heritage or scenic tourist train, which focuses on the experience rather than the journey. “Fall is a really great time to try a train ride because people love good fall foliage train trips,” she says. By starting short, you can ease into this style of travel. Plus, if you end up not liking it, you won’t be stuck on board for days.
Meet other travelers on the train
Traveling solo doesn’t mean you have to be alone the whole trip. There are many opportunities to meet other travelers. But what’s the best way to meet them?
Janice Waugh, 69, founder of the website Solo Traveler, recommends having meals in the dining car. You’ll share communal tables with other passengers, which makes it easy to meet new people. Once you’re seated, she says, “The conversations can ensue.”
If you don’t feel like sitting down to a full meal, Waugh recommends enjoying a drink or a light snack in either the café car or (if available) the dome car, which offers passengers a panoramic, 360-degree view through a wall of windows. Both are social places with lounge seating. “Some really fun things can happen there,” she says.
Fischer also suggests the café car for social encounters. There are “always people sitting there talking and chatting,” she says.
Waugh says the real benefit of socializing on board a train is learning from people of different generations and cultures, and often, gaining a new perspective. “You start seeing yourself through the eyes of the person you’re speaking to,” she says.
Choose a sleeper car or roomette for added security
The solo travel pros agree that train travel is generally considered safe. But if you want to increase your safety, you can book a room in a sleeper car instead of a coach seat. Passengers who travel in sleeper cars are assigned a room attendant. “There’s somebody looking out for you, which I think makes it a bit safer than seats in coach,” White says.
For additional security, White suggests placing a doorstop alarm under the door, and she always does regular check-in calls with her family so they know where she is. Fischer adds that most rooms have a safety button you can press if you need assistance.
If a full room is too expensive, you can opt for a roomette, a smaller private room with a seat that converts into a bed.
Unlike a hotel room, a sleeper-car room doesn’t lock from the outside. Since other people might have access to your room, you may want to take your valuables with you when you walk to other parts of the train.
Ask for help when necessary
If a passenger makes you uncomfortable, step away. “Get assertive,” Waugh says. If you are having trouble leaving the situation on your own, she suggests asking a nearby stranger. “You say, ‘This guy’s bugging me,’ ” she says.
Fischer says that she’s never personally experienced a safety issue but knows others who have had concerns with people. In those cases, the passenger either moved or asked for assistance. “If there’s a problem, say something,” Fischer says.
Stay alert when deboarding
When you deboard the train, Waugh says to take your time and not feel pressured by strangers to purchase items or get into a rideshare. “Don’t let people rush you,” she says, since it could lead to an unsafe situation or being taken advantage of financially. Traveling solo means you get to set the pace — both on and off the train.
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