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Okay, so, during my move I'll be traveling by Greyhound bus. Now, I've traveled by bus before,but not Greyhound. What can I expect?
I don't know how far your are going and I've only traveled by Greyhound once. It was the most miserible experience and I wouldn't do it again! The bus stops in every little town along its path and the stations in large towns are many times in the worst areas of the city. There are 2 bathrooms at the back of the bus and they get stopped up pretty quickly. Hold onto any valuables you are carrying tightly as you will be traveling with some pretty unsavory characters. I'd really suggest you looking into an alternate way to travel.
I don't know how far your are going and I've only traveled by Greyhound once. It was the most miserible experience and I wouldn't do it again! The bus stops in every little town along its path and the stations in large towns are many times in the worst areas of the city. There are 2 bathrooms at the back of the bus and they get stopped up pretty quickly. Hold onto any valuables you are carrying tightly as you will be traveling with some pretty unsavory characters. I'd really suggest you looking into an alternate way to travel.
What do you suggest? I don't have a whole lot of extra money, airplanes are to expensive and I don't have a friend driving all the way across the country for me to tag along with.
What do you suggest? I don't have a whole lot of extra money, airplanes are to expensive and I don't have a friend driving all the way across the country for me to tag along with.
When you concider the food you need to purchase on the way, I think you'll find that the cost of a plane ticket is close to what the bus will cost. Check some of the less expensive no-frill airlines for flights. Southwest air, Alaska air, Jet blue. Make sure to select a one-way fare. The reason bus travel is so cheap is because its so bad!
Ya know...I was curious so I looked up the fare difference. For a single person flying on SW airlines on March 31st from NYC to LA the cost is $164.00. Greyhound for the same route on the same day is $193.00. I don't know where you live or where you are going but I bet flying will be cheaper for you
To add to what VA cat said, the time and extra money spent on crappy food will surpass the price of a bargain airline ticket. Plus, after a long bus trip, you will simply be fatigued and worn out. I haven't taken a Greyhound bus for years, and it's not the most comfortable trip.
At least with flying, you will be there quicker and refreshed. Granted, flying can be a chore and hassle these days, but again, you will arrive at your destination in a fraction of the time that it takes you to get there by bus.
You may also consider the train. Now time will be a factor here, but you won't be stopping in what seems every little town along the way and the travel is faster. Plus, you will have room to walk around, stretch and get a snack.
You could also rent a car if that's an option. Again, distance may be a factor, but your are more or less in control and can stop when you wish, or not.
Traveling coast to coast by bus will test your ability to not go postal. If you are lucky the person wedged into the seat with you could either be someone that weights 400 pounds or is a single parent traveling with 2 or more kids that will misbehave the whole way. If you are not so lucky, your seatmate could either be someone that uses every meal stop to stay stoned or a homeless person who has not seen a bath or clean clothes in several weeks. Many meal stops will be at diners that do not have the staff to serve everyone before the driver says it is time to go. The only thing nastier than the restroom on the bus is the restroom at the bus stations. If you decided to forgo eating at the diner in order to use their restroom, chances are 20 other passengers will have made the same decision. If you board the bus somewhere that does not have a full service station, the driver may or may not make the effort to tag your luggage and load it in the baggage compartment. More than once I have had to lug everything on the bus, leaving my suitcase in the asile for everyone to trip over. I wish I had something positive to tell you, but I just can't think of anything.
I've taken a Greyhound bus moving from Ga-DC and GA-NYC plenty of times...
how far are you traveling?
1) Yes it will be taxing but being that I was raised poor anyways, it could've been alot worse. I disagree that the plane will be cheaper especially if you buy the greyhound ticket early enough...I brought snacks with me and that's all I ate...If i wanted meat, I got a cheap burger and some drinks if I needed it....humans don't HAVE to eat elaborate meals every day lol
2) Space is pretty limited, but usually trains will be pretty empty from the south and will fill up the further north you go so getting all the sleep you can get at your load in is key....going north to south, buses are full at the beginning and will empty out the further south you go...not sure about other directions though
3) Research special express routes Greyhound may have to shorten your trip
4)Be sure to ALWAYS tag your luggage yourself and be sure the station also tags your luggage. Be sure that every time you have a changeover, visually SEE your bag get loaded on the bus. If you're worried about someone taking your seat while you're making sure your bag is on board just leave something in the seat that non-valuable like a teddybear, pillow, stack of books/magazines to let other passengers know it's your seat
5) Take all the entertainment you can muster and pack it in a seperate carryon along with your valuables, buy an MP3 or CD player (if you don't already have it)and make sure it's properly charged and that you charge it along the way at various layover stops if you can...even if you're a "book/magazine reader" bring the MP3/CD player...trust me, it'll block out noise and give you something to hear besides the bus driving along the highway 24/7
6) Be Friends with the Bus Driver and desk staff, say hi, and let them see where you are traveling to..if it's EXCEPTIONALLY long they can tell you which alternative buses you can take to make your trip shorter than what's given on the ticket....I always shorten my trips by about 5-6 hours by doing this
7) Put stuff in your passenger seat...blanket, your carryon, etc....might be slightly rude but hey if a person REALLY wants to sit next to you they'll ask you to move your stuff and you'll be nice about it...however I found that when there was sitting room on the bus, people who needed a seat would rather find an empty seat than bother me with "hey could you move your stuff"....small thing you can do but will greatly enhance your riding experience lol ..
8) Plan a day of rest after you arrive at your destination and NOTHING else, no packing, nothing...just eat, sleep, and hangout
Another Cheap Alternative is Amtrak...longer trip sometimes depending on where you're going but bigger seats, less people, overall better experience...I traveled from D.C. to Florida doing Amtrak and though I had a HUGE layover was pretty enjoyable.
I used to travel Greyhound in the 50's and 60's on short trips and it was a wonderful way to travel back then. Not anymore. I made a Greyhound trip from the FL west coast to Savannah GA in 2003 and it was awful. The bus driver was a "Little Caesar" and let it be known at the very start that this was HIS bus and you would follow HIS rules or be tossed off the bus. (Pretty much his exact words.) He would not allow so much as a coat to be laid on the empty seat beside you--it had to go in the overhead. The woman in front of me was very short and couldn't reach the overhead so other passengers helped her put her carry-on in the overhead--the bus driver flat out refused to help her. He was ill-tempered the entire way--yelling at people to keep their children quiet or he would throw them off the bus, etc. No one could get off the bus at the little towns along the way (bus driver's rules and he threatened to leave behind anyone who got off while in transit) as he stopped solely to take on or let off passengers--they had to use the bus facilities or wait until we reached a stop where people were allowed off the bus. It was a miserable trip and I darn near kissed the ground when we arrived at Savannah.
I strongly urge you to either fly or go Amtrak for your trip. If you go by bus, by the time you reach your destination, you will come away with your own "horror story" to tell.
id rather crawl on my knees for 1000 miles than take a bus.
cough up the money for a plane ticket, or a train ticket or a rental car. youll be safer, happier, and less likely to be sitting next to a homicidal maniac or druggie.
Let's put things into perspective here. There are those stubborn die-hards amongst us, to this very day, who will never set foot in an airplane, even though they have the money to fly first-class. My cousin is one of them. Never, in her 72 years, has she ever been in a plane and never will.
So what's the other options, if Amtrak doesn't serve the city of your destination, and you refuse to fly?
A couple of years ago, I decided to fly somewhere, and do Greyhound for the rest of the trip, just for a change of pace. What shocked me was it was more expensive than flying, when not traveling big city to big city.
I thoroughly enjoyed every mile of that trip, talking to the people at the stations and on the bus, reading magazines and books between destinations, and smiling at the Highway Patrol officers stopping someone for speeding or a DUI.
Will I do it again? Can't wait to get on another Greyhound bus.
And, remember, there is also Latin and Asian bus lines, competing with Greyhound in all the major cities. That's another option to Greyhound.
Last edited by tijlover; 03-21-2011 at 08:22 PM..
Reason: edit
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