Maybe you do not feel like driving a few hundred miles. Maybe you cannot afford the increasingly expensive plane ticket that does not even come with a meal these days. Maybe you just feel like seeing the beautiful U.S.A. through your window. In that case, taking the Greyhound bus may be for you. Here are some tips to make your first ride go smoothly.
1. Greyhound buses are often delayed and rescheduled. Give yourself at least a few hours, preferably a day of leeway before you make time-sensitive commitments or appointments. If someone is meeting you at your final destination, be sure to keep him or her updated, as your arrival time is often later, and occasionally earlier, than scheduled.
2. Make sure that your luggage is recognizable and that you are taking as few items of luggage as possible. The biggest risk of losing your luggage comes when the bus driver puts luggage on other buses that are headed to your ultimate destination. So having fewer items means that there are fewer things to get lost. Try to take as much carry-on as you can. Consider shipping items ahead to your final destination, instead of bringing them with you.
3. Bring healthy snacks and bottled water. Greyhound stations sometimes offer cafeterias, but sometimes only vending machines. They are usually located in unsavory parts of town, not convenient to restaurants, and leaving the station and potentially missing your bus can be a hassle. Either way, if you come prepared, you will be able to save money compared to the station prices, and control the ingredients if you have special dietary needs, or are just trying to eat healthy.
4. Bring some kind of entertainment. Most Greyhound buses and stations do not offer Wi-Fi (their website does talk about future plans in that direction, however, so be sure to visit it before your trip for the most current information), but there are plenty of ways to keep yourself entertained. Hand-held video games, MP3 players, even a good old-fashioned book or magazine will help stave off boredom. Books of crossword puzzles can be fun for older people, while coloring books can keep the younger crowd occupied.
5. When you get to the station, line up in front of your door as soon as possible. It is okay to leave an item of luggage to mark your spot, just do not leave anything too valuable, and be sure to keep an eye on it. This will give you the best choice of seats when it is time to board. In addition, they sometimes overbook buses, so if they have to split the passengers onto a second bus, if you are in the front of the line, you have a better chance of boarding the bus that you paid for originally.
6. If you are boarding an empty bus, the very last row of seats adjacent to the toilet has three seats, rather than two, meaning you can stretch out or keep your group close together, if you are riding with friends or family. Some people consider that row to be the best seat, but others do not like sitting so close to the toilet. It is up to you. If you do not get that seat, though, try to sit closer to the front so that you do not have to smell the toilet. Also, consider that rowdier people tend to sit toward the back of the bus, where the bus driver cannot keep an eye on them.
Using these six tips, you should be able to sit back and enjoy the ride! Try to keep a sense of humor, and remember that you are saving a lot of money. When you finally get to your destination, you will also have a great story to tell about your ride on the Greyhound Bus.
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