I've spent 75 hours on overnight Amtrak trips. I wish I had known 9 things before stepping aboard.

I spent 60 hours on Amtrak overnight trains between NYC and Miami. Then I spent 15 hours on an Amtrak sleeper train from Denver to Salt Lake City.

I spent 11 hours with 3 strangers in a shared cabin on a sleeper train in Europe. 6 surprises made me regret it.

I thought booking a bunk in a shared cabin on an overnight train in Europe would be the best way to travel between countries.