I spent a 4-day Amtrak trip working remotely so I wouldn't waste any PTO. I underestimated how difficult it would be.

Working remotely on an Amtrak train wasn't easy, but I would do it again.

Laura Gio Carroll This summer, I took a four-day Amtrak trip with my spouse, and worked remotely the entire journey.

I loved working in the café car while taking in views of the Mississippi River and the Great Plains.

Even though the internet wasn't reliable, it was a great experience that I can't wait to do again.

This summer, my spouse and I decided to take the longest Amtrak trip we've ever taken — three trains from Washington, DC, to Vancouver over four days.

My partner, who is a teacher, had a break between the school year and the summer program, so this adventure was the perfect excuse to relax, disconnect from the world, and enjoy the train's views.

That was, unfortunately, not the case for me.

Since I have an office job with limited vacation time, I decided I would work remotely throughout the entire trip.

Even though I had my boss's permission to work on the train and had packed all my essentials, I still wondered how successful this endeavor would be.

Turns out, it was more challenging than I anticipated, but still worth the hassle.

I made sure to prepare for any WiFi outages and pack accordingly.

Laura Gio Carroll Before the trip, I researched whether the trains would have WiFi, but found that it could vary by route.

Since I wasn't sure how reliable my internet options would be on board, I made sure to download the most important documents onto my computer instead of just relying on the cloud.

This way, even if there was an unstable connection, I'd still be able to access them.