I have never ridden on a Greyhound bus. It will save my family about $1200.00 on our vacation next year. Any

Question

tips on what I should expect? Can we carry an ice chest with drinks/snacks? How much room is inbetween the seats for legs and "stuff". My husband says it can be a scarry group of people riding a bus, but to me, it will be worth it to save that money! Please share your experiences, things you carried on, how far you traveled, etc. Thanks!! BTW, we are going from Houston to Orlando.

Lunatic...I didn't compare riding the bus to driving a car...I failed to mention the 1200 saved would be compared to plane tickets.

Geeze I'm glad I asked!! 19 answers and not one positive!! We won't take the bus!!...lol. I don't think a train is an option for us though, but I will check into it! Thanks ya'll!!!

Answer 1

I understand your need to save money. But your husband is right, there are some scary, smelly, people on the Greyhound. I assure you, that you will not enjoy a minute of it. Especially a long trip from TX to FL. My advice to you, is to find another way to save money. If you think you can handle it, go for it. But I guarantee you will NEVER do it again. That is something normal people do only ONCE, and it's only done ONCE for good reason.

I personally would rather walk from TX to FL.

Answer 2

Bus travel is dirty and your hubby is right; you meet some rather interesting people.

Used to be you could take just about anything you needed on the bus. I used to ride to visit friends every other weekend or so but that was years ago before all of the security changes that have taken place due to 9-11. You should be able to take a small cooler with you (lunch box size or a little bigger) with snacks and drinks since there is nothing available on the bus.

Most busses will stop at breakfast, lunch and dinner time and give you an hour to get a meal and get back on.

Houston to Orlando is going to be a long ride in a very uncomfortable seat that smells like butt...

Answer 3

I have ridden the Grayhound for 6 or so hours. Here are some things to expect.

Yes, there can be very sketchy people on board. They are not regular travelers and you can meet some really weird people.

I doubt you can carry on an ice chest, that is a little too big. You can carry a backpack with things inside.

There is not a huge amount of leg room. It is pretty much similar to an airplane except the chairs are a bit smaller and do not recline that much.

It all depends on is time of value. Because the amount of money you spend you will lose in a lot of travel time. Grayhounds even the express ones will stop frequently and waste time. Also you cannot rely on estimated travel time because it does not account for bad traffic.

I would only take it if you are really pressed on money. If not then spend that extra money on an airplane and take that extra time to do other things. You will really waste a lot of your time on the bus and if you travel with kids they will get annoyed.

If it really is that much then why not rent a car? Then you can travel at your own pace and stop whenever you want. Grayhound you are stuck with their schedule and if someone gets car sick or something you really don't have much options.

Answer 4

I have traveled on a greyhound about once a month for about a year. The trip was 3 hours long each way.
To be honest, I would much rather drive. You can stop when you want, listen to music, have a personal conversation, take your own route.
There was enough space for me on the bus ( but I am only 5'2 and regular weight), but I had trouble sitting still for most of the trip, because i need to move a bit, which is easier to do in a car.

If you are using it to get to a destination where you will stay and enjoy your vacation, then it might be worth it. If you are using it as sight seeing inbetween then I wouldn't go on a bus.

It also depends how long you plan on being on the bus. 3 hours was long enough for me.

Answer 5

Ok... Let's start with the simple stuff. Expect delays. Its not an "express bus" so therefore it will make stops. How many depends on who's goin where. The chairs are bigger and recline, but, think of airline seats and you have it. No to the ice chest. Yes, husband is correct. can be scary. The money you will save will be lost in time spent traveling. Sorry, Greyhound isn't a very good option.

Answer 6

Ahhhh Go greyhound......Not unless I have NO OTHER CHOICE
I road greyhound/Continental....a dang bus from Toledo Ohio to Amarillo Texas.....never again! I road bus lines many times before then too so i am very familiar with them.
You can carry on small coolers like little igloos that hold like a 6 pack of colas.. there is not allot of room between the seats and the seat in front of you can recline which leaves even less space, the bus stops at just about every town to load or unload people or packages...
yes there have been very scary people riding them some have rolled and smoked pot,drank beer and caused kayos. Trust me your going to be cranky and so will your kids because other people do not care for children running up and down the isle and being loud ...there cranky too form the ride.and they will yell at your kids unless you keep them under control.
You cannot stop to get out and walk when you want to, you cannot stop and get out to streach your legs and get fresh air when you want to ......you cannot stop and get out to go do a little shopping if you want to,..... because they have a scheduel to keep and if you do not get back to the bus in a timely manor when they do stop at these little places to eat meals you can be left behind.
Going by bus is the very last way to travel on a vacation When you get where your going how will you get around in the vacation spot? better to spend the extra money and enjoy your vacation than to ride day and night at someone elses scheduel and not your own good luck

Answer 7

Bus rides are good for short jaunts under 200 miles. There isn't that much room in the aisle or legroom between the seats. I don't knock the bus agency but the security is fair at some stations. I'd spend a little more and take Amtrak instead. Better views and more walking aisles.

Answer 8

well I don't know if this will change your mind, obviously a lot of people have had bad experiences. They may be thinking more about public transportation than Greyhounds. I have ridden one a couple of times. Once to chase down a boyfriend who I believed was in mortal danger across the state, and another time from Kentucky to Illinois. Both times I was extremely comfortable, the ride was a/c and smooth, and there was plenty of leg room. Not very many people were on it either time.

Answer 9

How in the world could riding in a bus be $1200 less than driving your car? The bus will take at least as long as driving and you won't have to rent transportation to get around Orlando.

Answer 10

Personally, I would car camp before I took the Greyhound again and I was only on it for 200 miles. Costs only $300 RT for me to drive from MN (my brother lives in Sarasota). There just wasn't any knee room in my seat and while granted, the bus was packed due to an Amtrak derailment, it just wasn't the comfortable ride I was expecting. I could neither knit nor crochet. Couldn't imagine riding for 1000 miles without anything to do!

Another choice would be to take the Amtrak, but due to Katrina, some routes still aren't up. Amtrak WAS FUN and roomy and comfortable. I've taken it, my brother has (he is physically disabled) and my parents have all on separate trips and we were all pleased.

Answer 11

You do tend to get people travelling by bus who are too poor to afford other types of travel. They can't afford airfair, a personal car or renting a car. Its a shame that their being less fortunate makes them scary to your husband. That being said, the furthest I've ever travelled by bus is a couple hours. Is the savings worth the time you'll be giving up riding a bus when you could have been at your destination?