Taking a plane may be faster, a train more elegant, but to get a real sense of a place you need to consider taking the bus. On a bus, you can you slow down and see somewhere away from the rails and closer to where people live, work, and play. If you've never been a bus passenger, we've got five great reasons to take the bus on your next trip.
It's Cheap
The bottom line: the bus saves you money. It's the mode of transportation that many people opt for on a daily basis, so of course it's going to be the most affordable. You may sacrifice some time and space for that savings, but if your budget is tight, the bus is right.
Change Your Perception
Staring out a bus window on a long ride allows you to take the time to acclimate yourself to a place. Getting from point A to point B takes a palpable amount of time. There are things to see between cities, and you have the luxury of absorbing it all, instead of just flying by.
Get Off the Beaten Path
Despite the fact that we live in a world that is more connected than at any other period in recorded history, there are still many places that you can only reach via bus. Don't miss out on all of the wonderful places, people and food that exist, simply because they're off the "beaten" path of rail and airplanes.
Real People, Real Experiences
Real people ride the bus. From city buses to cross-country routes, you'll find the heart and soul of a people, all riding on four wheels. Only on the bus can you find yourself sitting next to a working dad, a grandmother going to visit her family, or a returning college student; people from all walks of life, sharing common space and a voyage.
Mistakes Turn Into Adventures
When you take the bus, you can make mistakes. You can miss your stop, get off at the wrong place, or even get on the wrong bus. All of these difficulties, anxieties, and mistakes are an adventure unto themselves, so don't let a fear of mistakes steer you away. While it may be hard to see this aspect of bus riding as an upside, if you do make a mistake, you'll be ok. People will (probably) help you get back on track and you'll have some great memories and stories to tell.
Love it. I always ride the bus or any sort of public transit when I visit a place. Yes, some of it is because I can't spend tons of money, but I also like that you get to see the city more and really start to learn it, because you have to pay attention to where you are going.
I like the slow pace and elevated perspective you get when riding the bus. When we lived in DC it was easy to hop on the metro and get somewhere efficiently, but when I took the bus I was allowed the time to admire the architecture from a different point of view and observe people going about their daily lives.
Google just put out a new service (new I think) called Google Transit: http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/transit/#mdy
Google transit isn't new, in general, but they've been adding a lot of cities to their repertoire as of late. Real integration into Google Maps is also relatively new, so it's no surprise if many people haven't noticed it.
I've been playing around with it a lot lately when planning travel and it's a real time saver when it comes to deciding whether a hotel is conveniently located.
Great post! I have a gargantuan bus trip coming up in April - Barranquilla to Caracas: 20 hours on a luxurious rolling icicle (they keep the A/C set on "Arctic"), lie-flat seats, questionably inebriated drivers, and the latest in high-volume salsa setting the tone as we navigate the majestic mountain passes of northern South America. At only $75 each way, it beats the hell out of the outrageous US$500 airfare (for a pair of 1.5 hour flights!!!).
Sounds like a "true" adventure. :) Does the route take you along the coast at all?
Austin, you're absolutely right. It won't be comfy most of the time but the experiences are well worth it!
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