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Comment by caseyy | Hacker News Reader

I thought the same as I was reading the comment you're responding to. Arriving rested after public transport? Get a load of that guy :) Not sure how anyone does that, but of course it would be nice to learn this dark magic.

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"sleeper train" is the key here. Another keyword to search for is "couchette", I think that's how it's called in some places. See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couchette_car and the map.

I've used the Caledonian Sleeper a couple of times. The first time it worked reasonably well, I got a reasonable amount of sleep. The second time not so much, not really any fault of the train, I just didn't relax enough to get a reasonable amount of sleep.

Both times I'd say well rested would be a stretch. The first time felt a bit like a magic carpet in that I got somewhere while using up no useful hours but it still wasn't perfect.

That’s exactly what I mean. I never sleep much better than I would sleeping in a car.

I suppose it’s the novelty of sleeping in a moving vehicle, my flight attendant friend said it took them a while to start sleeping well on long haul flights.

Perhaps with a lot of benzodiazepines or drowsy anti-histamines I could attempt to sleep well in a sleeper train, but not normally. Happy for those who can of course.

Gotcha. It's the same for me on an airplane (I think maybe because I'm unable to fall asleep on my back), but I didn't have problems on the sleeper train.

Do you think it's the noise for you, the movement, or something else (like lack of privacy)? I started taking earplugs with me for any kind of trip now, they are a godsend.

The lowland sleeper London-Glasgow/Edinburgh isn’t long enough for a good nights sleep in my view.

Yeah, you can stay on it for a bit longer after they arrive but you'd have to be very asleep not to notice the lack of movement and noise of the station around you. Funny enough the best night I had on it, it was delayed by a few hours (normally a horrible thing on the train but perfect on a slightly too short sleeper!).

Couchettes are cheaper, lower-comfort bunks.

Most sleepers also offer cabins with proper beds (for a premium).

Sleeper train can be a great experience. Unfortunately, this was not an option when I was young either due to pricing or due to availability. At least in Europe with the InterRail ticket.

Sleeper trains and being young help a lot. I always chose 10h sleeper over 5 hour bus or car when I had to do the trip between Odesa and Kyiv in my 20ies.

Being short is probably the biggest decider - I went around the indochinese peninsula on sleepers a few years ago, and my wife, pretty much on par with the average height for the region, slept like a tot, found her bunk spacious, while I, several SDs above the average, awkwardly wedged myself into my coffin and encountered every jolt through my bones - and believe me there were a lot of jolts. They stop everywhere, and there’s plenty of shunting.

But then again some sleepers (Shiki-Shima in Japan) are like being in a luxury hotel. Rather enjoyed having a soak in the tub in my suite.

These are trains with sleeping cabins and actual beds you sleep in. It's better than many hostels.

I rode in a sleeper car in December 1999 in Australia, between Melbourne and Sydney, and it was an unpleasant experience. It was a jerky, bumpy, noisy ride, somebody kept going between the cars for smoke breaks and the smell wafted into our cabin, and there was a baby crying in the cabin next door.

I think this is a personal thing. Even at home we are not equal. I can sleep almost anywhere, and usually fall asleep in a very short time after lying down and closing my eyes. Some people can even fall asleep on a chair in a wedding party with loud mudic and bright lights without even being wasted. Some people can't. Some will always complain about the bed, even in the most luxury/premium hotel. My partner can't stand the slightest light going through blinds, a neighbor making noise or the drunktards making noise in the street at night. Yet she will fall asleep in a matter of minutes in a car.

So as an individual traveling alone, you know your limits and can pretty much figure out if that way of travelling works for you. For a family, you are pretty sure at least one member of the family will have a rough night and complain in the morning.

A sure way to spend good night while travelling is to be very active during the day. You sleep much better if you have walked for 15 to 20km around a city to visit it than if you have been idle most of the time and taken taxis and buses whenever you could. Most lazy people don't understand that rest has to be earned.

I often have trouble first night on a trip even when jet lag isn't involved although that, of course, makes things worse. Then I usually get into a rhythm.

And, yes, especially when time zones are involved, sticking to a schedule and getting exercise helps.

I took a train from New York to Miami a few months ago, very restful, very civilised, and that was in a roomette, not even a full sleeper.

First class sleeper cabins would count. Definitely not equivalent to a hotel room but better than a couchette.

The definitely ran between Germany and the Netherlands in the 00s because I took at least one trip that way.

IIUC you have these options:

* couchette (6 couchettes per cabin, less comfort)

* 2nd class bed (3 beds per cabin)

* 1st class bed (same as 2nd class, but 2 beds per cabin)

* 1st class private bed (same as above, but without roommate)

I think the key is to not get wasted on the train.

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