5 Tips on How to Survive Long Bus Journeys

Travelling by bus is often the cheapest way to travel but it isn’t the most comfortable, hence below are my top five tips on how to survive long bus journeys. My favourite bus companies to travel with are National Express for journeys within the UK and Flixbus for journeys on mainland Europe. For the US I have seen good things about Megabus but have never tried them myself.

Wear Layers

Layers are your absolute best friend on long bus journeys! Buses often go from being really stuffy and uncomfortable to arctic cold in minutes…. It’s crazy! I try to wear an outfit that allows me to decide how much I’m wearing. For instance, wear a t-shirt, then a jumper, a scarf and my coat, then you can change how many layer you have on depending on what temperature the bus is. Plus, if you have a large scarf you can use this as either a blanket or a pillow (roll it up!), both if you bring two… wear one and have a spare in your bag!

Bring Entertainment

You will definitely need to bring some entertainment to survive long bus journeys. Even better bring multiple forms… make sure they are not all reliant on technology. Worst thing on a long journey is your phone running out of charge, meaning you just have to sit there… although sometimes simply looking out the window and taking in your surroundings is lovely!

I recommend having both entertainment on your phone and in real life, such as a book or puzzle book. Getting lost in a good book is a great way to pass the time.

Make sure you have chargers with you

This links with the tip above, make sure you have both wall chargers and portable chargers with you. I’ve been on buses that have USB ports and ones that don’t, so its good to have both. You don’t want to run out of charge before you make it to your destination.

You will definitely need your devices when you reach your destination so make sure you bring the right chargers so they survive the long bus journey.

Struggling to save for your next trip? Check out these easy ways to save money!

Snacks Snacks Snacks

Snacks are my favourite all the time, even more so on long journeys! I always take a range of sweet and savoury as well as some healthy choices 🙂 If your lucky to have a driver that will make stops you may be able to buy food and drinks at various service stations on your journey… but these places can be very expensive! I recommend stocking up on snacks before you get on the bus at a local supermarket, it’ll be much cheaper and there will be more choice.

Keep your valuables on you

My biggest fear travelling by myself on an overnight bus was that someone would steal my valuables whilst I was asleep. Wearing a cross body bag (or one of those security bags) under my jumper was the best way to keep my stuff safe and be able to relax. Obviously, this is fear talking and the majority of people you are around are completely trustworthy, but you can never be too careful. Plus hiding my valuables makes me feel safe and able to get some sleep, which is essential to survive long bus journeys, especially overnight ones.

So, these are my top tips for surviving a long bus journey. Bus travel is one of my favourite ways to save money whilst travelling, plus its better for the environment than air travel!