Traveling by Bus

Tips for First-Time Bus Travelers

The difference between taking a long plane ride and a long bus ride is huge. The plane is certainly more comfortable. However, riding a bus is cheaper so a lot of people would prefer it. When you’re taking a long vacation, you would want to save as much money as possible so choosing the cheaper option would be a great idea. Here are a few tips when it is your first time riding a bus on a long trip:

Bring Your Own Food
There will be a ton of rest stops along the way to your destination and you are going to be tempted to buy some food. However, there are also some that would make you have a sick stomach. If the travel time is long, you would not want that to happen. Therefore, it would be better to bring your own food so you would not need to buy from the rest stop. You are going to be sure about the quality of the food that you will eat. Also, better not eat it in one go or else you will find yourself wanting to use the bathroom of the bus. Bus bathrooms are generally not the cleanest so it would be better to avoid using them too often.

Choose a Nice Seat
If you are a man, you may not mind whoever you sit next to. It may be a different story if you are a woman. Some guys or gals may want to start a conversation and may never stop talking. It may not be all that bad if you would not mind talking to him or her but you may want to get rest if it is a long ride. Thus, it would be better to give yourself as many options as possible. Don’t we wish that we could do this one a plane?

Use a Neck Pillow
If you are having a hard time sleeping throughout the entire ride, you can use a neck pillow to help you sleep. If you are a backpacker with a huge backpack then you would not mind attaching a neck pillow somewhere there. You will certainly have an easier time sleeping and that is pretty important on a long trip. Besides, you would need as much sleep as you can get so you can enjoy the rest of your travels once you get to your destination. You would not want to get there and be very sleepy. Other things can help you get a proper nap like an eye mask and an earplug. In fact, using them all could help you have a nice rest.

Use Noise-Canceling Headphones
Throughout the entire trip, there will be a lot of noises that are going to bother you. There may be a TV that could play a bad movie or your seatmates talking about a bunch of nonsense that you don’t want to hear. Of course, it would be impolite to tell the bus driver to turn off the TV because other people may be enjoying the movie. It would also not be nice to tell the people near you to stop talking as they may get mad at you. However, you may have a hard time sleeping so it would be a splendid idea to wear noise-canceling headphones. If you do this, you can listen to your own music. Besides, you may have your own music that could put you to sleep.

Scatter Your Valuables
During a long trip, you can’t avoid someone trying to steal your personal belongings. Thus, it would be better to scatter them so all of them won’t be lost. For example, put some money in your pocket and some in your luggage. This is only common sense. Most bus lines are safe, but you can never be too careful. The rule that you should never keep all of your eggs in one basket should be followed. There is nothing more frightening than finding yourself in unfamiliar surroundings with no money. This goes as well for your identification. Be extra careful with it. You can get replacements for credit cards and such rather easily, but trying to replace ID far from home could be a living nightmare.

Arrive Early
There may be times when the bus leaves early so better arrive at least an hour before departure. This would also allow you to get the seat of your choice. Do you like sitting in the back or near the window? The choice is all yours when you arrive there a bit earlier than the others. There is no need to worry about losing sleep by getting early to the bus since you are going to get some sleep on it anyway.

Follow the Bus Driver’s Rules During Breaks
There will be a lot of breaks throughout the entire trip and your bus driver will give specific instructions. Better listen to them and follow each one. For example, the bus driver will tell you what time you need to be back on the bus. If you are not there, the bus driver won’t hesitate to leave you behind especially when you have a lot of other passengers who would want to get to their destination as soon as possible.

Choose a Trusted Carrier
It would be better to splurge your money on a trusted carrier so you know you are in good hands. There are a lot of good options like Greyhound and National Express as it would depend on where you are traveling. Also, they usually have two drivers take turns in case the other gets a bit sleepy.

Pack an Energy Drink
It is important to stay hydrated throughout the trip and what better way to do that than to bring an energy drink. This drink is full of electrolytes which means you won’t have to go to the bathroom to pee as often as you need to. Remember, there is nobody assigned to clean the bathrooms throughout the entire trip so it can dirty due to several passengers using it. You can never tell if they will care about the next person who is going to use the bathroom or not. Thus, it would be better to reduce the number of times you need to go.

With most bus lines arrival times are good. You will get there usually within twenty minutes of when you are supposed to on shorter trips of a few hundred lines and on cross country trips you will most likely arrive within an hour of the time that you were quoted when you purchased your ticket. If that sounds bad then you should consider how often planes take off late or when they land our get stuck waiting at the gate to get off the plane. Hours can be lost at airports.
If you are visiting friends or family try to keep them informed along the way of your progress and any changes to your time table. If you are going to be staying at an inn or a hotel then you should book well in advance as you would if taking a trip by plane. Booking ahead never hurts and can save you a great deal of money.
This concludes your introduction to bus travel.

Here is a traveling by Greyhound video to help you with that popular US bus line,