Thinking about taking a long bus trip? I have been there, done that and have a few tips I’d like to share with you. My trip lasted two days each wayas I traveled from the south west of America (near Mexico) to the north west of America (near Canada). My tips are specifically for a certain company that uses a dog.
#1 – Comfort
Take a blanket and a pillow. Yes I went in summer time, yes many places were well over 90 degrees, but you will find that the AC is running continually – as long as it does work, which my many buses never had a problem. So with your blanket and pillow not only will you be warmer but you’ll have a bit of comfort as you try to sleep curled up like a horseshoe.
#2 – Conversation
More than likely, you will have someone sitting next to you. I was pretty blessed to be alone for the first 10 hours of my trip, but after that, it was solid people. You never know who you are going to meet. I chatted with a Ukrainian immigrant, a guy who kept wondering why he was moving as the girl he was moving for had previously dumped him, and another guy who along with his friend has biked all the way from southern California to northern Washington. Of course you can choose not to talk. I did that with one guy. He sat next to me for three hours and neither one of us said a thing.
#3 – Craziness
It will be crazy. You are taking a bus for more than one hour. Expect crazy lines at the stations, grumpy people, and even weird stuff to happen. My craziest moment? One of the guys who got of at a stop in Oregon, where a bunch of us were waiting for six hours for the next bus, stole a car. Yes, he really stole a car! He even had an accomplice, but the accomplice came back and told the police that he really didn’t know what happened. Rumor was the guy who stole the car had just gotten out of jail.
Those are my tips. In all the trip wasn’t too bad. Just long. Oh and one more thing – pack food and water unless you want to eat McDonald’s and gas station food every time you stop. :0)
Erin's Echos 