I made so many mistakes on my first long-distance train ride that I flew back home. Here are 12 things I wish I'd known before I left.

• I traveled from Los Angeles to San Francisco by train. The journey took a long time.

• It was my first long-haul train trip and I wish I'd booked business class.

• I decided to fly home instead of taking the train.

There is a famous passenger train that runs between Los Angeles, California, and Seattle, Washington.

I had never taken a long-distance train before, but the views were calling my name.

I went for an 11-and-a-half-hour stretch from Los Angeles to San Francisco because I didn't want to go straight into the 35 hour journey.

I thought the journey would unfold like this: I'd take photos, do work, and call friends. I'd stay the night at an apartment building in San Francisco and wake up refreshed and ready to go back to my house.

That didn't happen.

I am not a pretty person. I'm disorganized when traveling. I tried to change my seat on the train, but I ended up flying home instead of taking the train back.

Before my first long-haul ride, here's what I wish I knew.

Amtrak's website offers multiple routes between stops, so double-check that you book the correct one

I went to the Coast's landing page on the Amtrak site and pressed the book to purchase my ticket. I was wrong to think I had reserved a seat.

I booked a mixed service option which would have put me on a series of buses and a different train. I had to use the website's filters to specify that I only wanted to see the Coast options in order to book the right ticket.

When I tried to check in at Union Station, I realized my mistake. An Amtrak attendant helped me sort out my mistake and kept me from canceling the trip.

I made the same mistake that I did. Don't buy your ticket if the departure and arrival cities are incorrect.

The temperatures in the cars fluctuate

I showed up at Union Station wearing expensive shoes and a floor-length dress, even though I didn't book the correct train.

It didn't take long for me to regret my fancy attire because I was very holier than that.

I was sitting for a long time. I should have been more focused on comfort. I should not have worn a bra for half a day. Life is too short and it is too uncomfortable.

The train cars warmed up. I was sweating at some points on the coast. If the temperature goes down, pack layers.

Coach passengers don't have access to the dining car

The difference between coach and business class on domestic flights is not much.

An upgrade will give you a bigger seat, more space, and a free glass of wine. I booked a coach because I thought the same thing would happen on the coast. I had to pay an extra $100 at Union Station to change my ticket because it was the wrong route.

I would have liked to have paid the $10 more to sit in business class.

I didn't know that the dining car is only accessible to business class and private room passengers. An employee of the railroad stopped me from looking into the other sections.

I tried to change my ticket to business class. It took a lot of calls to get to the headquarters. I accepted that my mission was a failure after sitting on a call for 30 minutes.

The train can sell out in advance, so buy your ticket as early as you can

Business class and the sleeper cars are the first to sell out on the Coast, according to the representative at Union Station.

As soon as possible, buy your tickets. This may not be the best route to take if you are looking for a last minute trip.

There's a café cart on the train, so don't panic about bringing enough snacks

My first train ride was going to be a survivalist one. I had enough food and water to last me for an entire weekend.

This wasn't really needed. Even though I didn't have access to the dining car, I was able to buy food and drinks from the café cart.

I got a diet coke and some popcorn. I would have ordered some of theIPAs on the menu if I hadn't been assigned.

The cart's vegan blue-corn tamale was the only thing in my lunch bag. As far as affordable plant-based food is concerned, the tamale was fine.

I found train seats superior to those on airplanes

I tend to rank my travel experiences on a scale of "scare" to "call an ambulance" because of my back problems.

The Coast Starlight seats weren't great, but I preferred them to airplane seats. They were large, had plenty of space, and reclined far back.

The seats were nap friendly. I can sleep wherever I please.

The observation car was one of the best parts of the train — but you might not be guaranteed a seat

The observation car was the center of attention.

I remembered why I boarded the Coast Starlight as I sat in one of its rotating chairs. Beautiful views of the coast, rolling hills, and flower-filled fields could be seen from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I was out of my anxiety haze. I came on this trip because of it.

If you want to sit in the observation car, be warned. Other passengers were waiting for their turn to look out the window and hovered over me.

The sun got really intense and I headed back to my seat after I hogged a chair.

Stretches of the route aren't very scenic

The first part of the train ride went through the backyards of some people.

Californians are sunbathing on their pool decks. A boy won a game of Marco Polo. These views were better than the beautiful sunsets.

As the train moved inland, there were some less-scenic stretches. I liked seeing the different landscapes.

WiFi isn't always reliable, so come prepared with other forms of entertainment 

The internet was spotty at times during the ride. I didn't think it was a problem for me.

I brought a lot of entertainment and had the time to finish a book because I knew the internet wouldn't work. I pondered and looked out the window.

I had to take a train ride like this to force myself to stop using my phone. The digital cleanse was a part of what I paid for.

Overall, the train passengers were very friendly

I have flown on many planes and have never met anyone who was as cheerful as the passengers on the Coast.

Maybe it was because they didn't have to deal with airport stress, or maybe it was because I was traveling on a holiday weekend, but these people had all the fun.

The people were very friendly and social. A man is strumming a guitar. I had a good reaction to the men playing acoustic guitars.

The people waving at the train made me feel like I was on the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise is something I like to do.

The train might not arrive right on time

If you're going to be picked up, make sure you have a cushion. The train was late arriving in San Francisco.

When I realized I had four more hours to go, things started to feel worse. It was the most difficult part of the trip.

I don't regret boarding the Coast Starlight, but I did decide to fly back home

You will be surprised that I accidentally canceled my entire trip when I was trying to upgrade my seat and change my return time on my phone.

I got a partial refund and put it towards the cost of a plane ticket to Los Angeles instead of buying a return seat. My flight was over an hour.

I would do almost everything differently when I rode my first long haul train. I would read the ticket before purchasing it. The train was nice. I was able to laugh through travel anxiety and see more of my home state.

I was relieved at the end of the day that I wouldn't have to travel for more than a day.

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