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I've spent 200 hours of my life traveling 5,800 miles by train. For 140 of those hours, I traveled by night.
2025-08-19
On sleeper trains, I sometimes save money by staying in shared spaces. In other cases, I splurge on private rooms.
My first overnight train trip was back in October 2021, when I booked the cheapest private cabin on a 30-hour train ride from New York City to Miami: an Amtrak roomette for $500.
A year later, I traveled to Europe and booked the cheapest bed on a 12-hour Nightjet train from Vienna to Venice, Italy: a bunk in a shared cabin for about $80.
After taking both rides, I found the roomette was more comfortable for an overnight journey and worth the additional price.
I stayed in a roomette on a US train in 2021 and a shared cabin on a European train in 2022.
The outsides of the Amtrak and Nightjet trains.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I booked the roomette through Amtrak in the US and the bunk option with OBB Austrian Federal Railway's Nightjet train — which operates overnight routes between Austria, Italy, France, and the Netherlands — while visiting Europe.
The roomette was a private, 22.75-square-foot cabin with two beds, a toilet, and basic amenities.
Inside an Amtrak roomette.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The roomette was large enough for me to move around easily. Two seats facing each other folded down to form the bottom bunk, and the top bunk pulled down from the ceiling.
The bunk was in a 74-square-foot shared cabin with six beds, though only four were booked for my ride.
Inside the shared cabin.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Both accommodations allowed me to stretch out my legs, which I appreciated. However, the room felt cramped with three other travelers packed inside.
Each room had temperature and lighting controls.
Controls on the Amtrak and Nightjet trains.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
On the Nightjet train, I had to share the controls with other travelers.
I had a private toilet in the roomette, but in the shared cabin, I used the bathroom in the train car.
The bathroom inside the Amtrak roomette, and the shared bathroom on the Nightjet train.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
My roomette also came with a sink and mirror, so I could brush my teeth and wash my face and hands without leaving the room.
Without a sink in the bunk, I brushed my teeth in the train-car bathroom.
I slept better on the Amtrak ride.
The author rests in the roomette and the shared cabin.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I had the choice of a top or bottom bunk. In the roomette, I chose the top bunk. However, I found it to be quite bumpy, so I went for the bottom bunk for my shared cabin ride, which I thought made a difference.
Both beds felt thin and a tad uncomfortable, but the blankets on Amtrak's train were softer.
I had a hard time sleeping on both rides, as understandably neither bed was as comfy as my own at home. But I slept more on the Amtrak ride, which I attribute to the comfier blankets and private space.
Amtrak had a more satisfying breakfast.
Breakfast on the Amtrak train and the Nightjet train.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Both tickets included breakfast in the morning. On the Amtrak train, I had a filling, balanced meal with an egg sandwich, yogurt, oatmeal, and a muffin. Nightjet provided two rolls with butter and jam, which I appreciated, but I could've eaten more.
After trying both options, I preferred the roomette and found it more comfortable than the shared cabin for an overnight ride.
The reporter in the Amtrak roomette.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
A representative for OBB Nightjet told Business Insider that the company values comfortable travel experiences and the train line is "constantly working on improvements."
Similarly, an Amtrak representative told Business Insider that the company is "constantly evaluating ways to improve the customer experience" it offers.
While I didn't personally enjoy the shared cabin on the Nightjet, the brand also has private cabins on select routes.
The reporter exits a Nightjet train in Venice.Joey Hadden/Business Insider
In 2023, I took another Nightjet train from Venice to Vienna. This time, I booked a private cabin.
Read about how the private cabin compared to Amtrak's roomette — and which offered the best value.
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Joey Hadden is a travel reporter and photojournalist at Business Insider based in NYC. She covers transportation modes, alternative lifestyles, and luxury travel. Many of Joey's stories are visual features that give readers a front-row seat to her personal experiences at home and around the world.Joey graduated from St. Edward's University in May 2019 with a BA in Photocommunications. Since joining Business Insider in 2019, Joey has traveled by train in seven different countries, including overnight rides lasting up to 53 hours. She's ridden on many different train lines, including Amtrak, Via Rail, Nightjet, and the iconic Orient Express of the 21st century, among others. During her travels, she's slept in countless accommodations — five-star hotels, unique tiny homes, and private train cabins, to name a few.When traveling in North America, Joey takes readers inside the continent's wealthiest enclaves where billionaires hide away, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to Medina, Washington. When she's not taking trains, notes, or pictures, Joey spends her time singing and playing drums for the indie-rock band Blanket Approval.
