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Greyhound bus trip: advice?
LadyM
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm taking a Greyhound trip up to Canada for a wedding . . . Not too long, 19 hours one way (on Dec. 26th) and 16 back down (on the 29th). I'm just looking for general advice, I guess.
Is there anything in particular I should do to make sure my luggage arrives with me? (I'm a bridesmaid and it would be a disaster if my dress got lost in transit.) Are there any essentials I should take? (Pillow? Blankets?) And what are some good ways to avoid conversations with people? I'm worried I'll get a seat next to someone creepy.
Is there anything in particular I should do to make sure my luggage arrives with me? (I'm a bridesmaid and it would be a disaster if my dress got lost in transit.) Are there any essentials I should take? (Pillow? Blankets?) And what are some good ways to avoid conversations with people? I'm worried I'll get a seat next to someone creepy.
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Take a small pillow and blanket with you since you're going to be going for nearly an entire day without a bed. I went during the summer and their AC systems work pretty good but I don't know how well they heat and going up north in winter is bound to be cold.
That being said, MP3 player will be necessary. NECESSARY. Maybe a DS/PSP or something along those lines as well. I personally can't zone out in a book in that environment, cause it's creepy as fuck, the buses, but also make sure anything on you can be secured in a way that you won't be worried about it going missing if you fall asleep. Are you making this trip alone? A buddy would really be your best insurance for a safe trip honestly.
Also, invest in some mace, as being a lady likely puts you at better risk of getting raped. I would also suggest bringing a cushion you can throw away for when you are waiting for your bus to arrive either time, and also bring lots and lots of disinfectant wipes, everything is filthy, just fucking disgustingly fucking filthy. Blankets and Pillow? Bring 'em, but like I said, bring a blanket and pillow you're willing to BURN.
My best advice though? Don't take a Greyhound Bus.
I had a friend while at school in NYC who regularly visited his girlfriend in Canada. He told me that Greyhound's scheduling system for seats is different in Canada. If you buy a ticket in the US, it essentially reserves a seat for you. However, (apparently) in Canada you must buy a seat and then, as a separate instance, get in contact with Greyhound to reserve your seat on said bus.
I'm not sure how valid this is, but I do know my friend once missed 4 classes and was extremely pissed about being held up for the next bus. I'm thinking his recollection, while possibly skewed, must have some basis in reality. Might wanna check into that.
The stupid thing is it would only take me 5 hours to drive straight up there, I just don't have a lot of confidence in my winter driving skills (translation: they are shit). I looked into plane prices but then I remembered land travel is the only way into Canada that you don't need a passport yet. Grrrr.
I would drive if its only 5 hours. As long as you aren't driving in a storm, you should be fine.
I also concur that you should drive yourself there if you can.
Seriously, the worst part would normally be the traffic on Boxing Day with cross-border shoppers, but with the dollars nearly at parity, even that shouldn't be as big a problem as years prior.
Drive it - Canada doesn't become the Arctic at the border.
I'd bring those little alcohol wipes like you get from a hot wing place. Those buses are covered in human body oils, and sweat, and ickiness.
B.net: Kusanku
Do you have triple-A or better world club? Might put your mind more at ease. But no, I did the half-country Greyhound trip thing and, while it definitely worked for moving me across the country, it was generally a bad experience. And expensive -- flying is not much more and a fraction of the time.
Seriously if you're worried about snow or whatever, drive yourself or fly.
Figure out a basic itinerary, and make sure somebody at your destination knows when you're due, and therefore realizes when you're overdue. Think about waypoints, like when you get approximately to your halfway point, call to check in and make and corrections to your time estimate.
I also recommend keeping your vehicle fueled, more than half a tank if possible, just in case you do end up stuck behind a pileup or waiting at the border.
Before you leave, check the forcast for your intended route. Right now where I am, it's -29.3 Celcius, and with the windchill it feels like -38.2 celcius, which is pretty much just as cold in farenheit. Dress appropriately or at least of extra clothing in your car.
I got stuck in weather like this once, minimum 8 miles from the nearest town at 9:30pm (which is four hours after dark this time of year). It took me almost two hours to dig myself out, and I was lucky because I happened to be returning from a training exercise so I had a full set of (firefighter) turnout gear that I could put on. And I did have to dig myself out, being on a rural road, nobody else even drove by during that time. I guess they were all smarter than me, and just stayed home that night.
However, I'd drive it. You might be able to rent a nice Subaru or something else with AWD, makes it quite a bit easier to handle the snow.
I don't understand what all the bitching and moaning about the buses is all about though. I've taken them round trip from Vermont to Boston and DC many times without incident. I don't remember them being dirty except for the bathrooms (avoid these at all costs). Thankfully I'm a dude and could just pee behind a gas station at the next stop.
If you must ride the bus, I can only reiterate to stay the hell out of those bathrooms. Don't drink a lot of fluids unless you're sure you can time up your urination for the next stop. Avoid a lot of junk food because you'll feel terrible just sitting in the bus with it moving through you. A DS lite is a good companion, and a charge should last you most of the trip. Portable movies are the shit IMO, so if you've got a portable player of any kind then consider it. A book is good too. Anything to take your mind and eyes off the road and the endless stretches of trees.
Up here:
When you buy a ticket, it doesn't reserve anything, it's essentially open ended. There are no reserved seats, you just line up and pick a seat when you board. If you don't get there early enough for the busy lines, you have to wait for the next bus (sometimes they'll send a second bus if there is enough people to justify it). Get there an hour before.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
Then he started licking the windows.
The best bet is to sit near the front of the bus and buddy up with another person traveling alone who seems normal, and make sure that they sit next to you.
I was once sold a ticket 10 mins before boarding for a bus that was already oversold. What's more, they sold me a CONNECTING ticket too, that I wasn't going to make. Then told me the next bus that would get me there left in 8 hours.
Vancouver
Also, if you're unsure of what gate you should be at, ALWAYS ALWAYS ask at least 3 people, and take the most common response.
I get the feeling that though you ended your post with 'Vancouver', you really wanted to end it with 'those fucking bastards'.
Just a hunch. Sorry that happened to you.:P
You guys have convinced me, I'm going to say screw Greyhound (and their crazy ass holiday rates--$135 one way, give me a break) and drive it.
Well, I'll be straight with you: if you don't have winter tires and and four wheel drive, you won't make it on the Coquihalla, if it's snowing. You might want to consider driving to Abbotsford, B.C. (just across the line from Sumas, Washington) and taking a commuter flight from the airport there up to Kelowna. It's in the Okanagan, which is like Canada's version of the French Riveria, but it still gets a lot of snow in the winter, much more than anything in the Fraser Valley (where Vancouver is) or Southern Vancouver Island.
Driving or even taking anything that has to go on wheels up the Coquihalla in the wintertime is really inadvisable, unless you really are prepared. If you had a choice between driving yourself and taking the bus, take the bus. They will be prepared, and have chains and everything, so that will be alright. Another suggestion if you want to skim off some time on your trip is to once again drive up to either Abbotsford or Chilliwack and take the Greyhound from there. Chilliwack and Abbotsford are the two last major stops in the Valley, and you can shave a good 2-3 hours off of your trip just by bypassing Vancouver. I don't know where Spokane is in relation to either Abbotsford or Chilliwack, but if it's close to Bellingham or Sumas, it would definitely be worth it to do what I suggested above.
Hope that helps.
As for me, no more night buses. Ever.
Also, you're probably not going to get raped but it's also not a good idea to go outside of any station once you get to it. But that really applies to most transportation.
Also, they're pretty good these days about not leaving people behind. On my way to Seattle from Omaha and back, every single time they would spend a good 15 minutes walking into the station, announcing over the intercom and going person to person asking which city they're going to, because they have an expected # of people and if it doesn't match they freak out. I almost got left behind once but this was due to the driver being an asshole on that connection, and he put a standby ticket in my seat when I went to go use the bathroom.
Oh, and you won't sleep.
I'd recommend the train over the bus if you can manage it. It's just a much nicer way to travel.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer