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Be Comfortable Away from Home

Your life will feel more balanced if you make an effort to optimize your comfort wherever you are. Here are some tips to help make you feel more comfortable away from home.

Bring something familiar with you to the hotel to cue you where you are if you wake up feeling confused. For example, one railroader brings an alarm clock that projects the time on the ceiling so that when he wakes up and opens his eyes, he recognizes it and knows where he is.

Check in with your spouse/family. You may sleep better knowing they’re OK. 

If you are riding in the crew van with others, try to be prepared with food and drinks so you don’t need to stop at the store. If you have sleep apnea, consider bringing a second CPAP machine to your hotel so you get good sleep away from home, too.

To optimize your comfort and opportunity to get good sleep, use an eye-mask to block light and earplugs to block out unwanted sounds. Try to fall asleep with the TV off. Use a fan for white noise. Use the "do not disturb" feature on your phone to only let select, important numbers ring through. 

Try to find comfortable seats to wait in when you’re not actively working. Bring a cushion for extra padding and get some rest if you can.