Ride a sleeper train

“I climbed up onto my bunk, pulled up the sheet and blanket, and tried to sleep. It was more difficult than I expected (normally I sleep very easily on planes/buses/trains). The main trouble was that I was laying sideways, rather than front-to-back as you normally would on a bus or in seats on a train, so the motion was different. The train sways side to side, in a way that doesn’t bother you so much when you’re standing or sitting, but when it’s between your head and your feet, it’s disorienting. There’s also the fact that the top bunk had no rail, so whenever the train stopped there was a very real fear of getting accidentally tumbled over the edge in my sleep. I think it was mostly paranoia (the top bunk was also very high), but on one particularly sudden stop I did have to grab hold of the luggage rack, and I was a little afraid to sleep after that. It was also quite hot and stuffy in the cabin with the door and window shut, but the train passes through tunnels constantly, so with the window open it’s quite loud [...] All that aside, though, the bed was quite comfortable and the blanket was cozy, and eventually I dozed off.”

“For one of my six hour trips, I splurged on a sleeper car. Using the online booking system, I was able to select my seat and saw that there was an empty two-person cabin. Checking into my room felt like stepping back in time. [...] The door shuts and locks, and while the bed isn’t super comfortable, I can tell you that compared to sitting upright in a train seat, it’s like sleeping in luxury. I can’t speak how awkward it would be to have a stranger in the room across from you. I got lucky and had the whole room to myself. [...] It’s comforting to know that all your valuables are protected by the weight of your body, as you’re sleeping on top of them. As someone who frequently dreams that they’re being robbed while traveling, this was actually quite relaxing.”