Bus travel is undoubtedly a very cheap and highly eco-friendly means of transport. But it does take longer to reach your destination. For example, travelling from Paris to London can take over eight hours by bus. Eight hours in a bus doesn’t sound much fun, but your mind set and level of preparation for your journey can make all the difference to how you feel about it.
First and foremost it is important to choose a bus travel company that has a solid reputation for punctuality, reliability and comfort. Eight hours on a run-down, dirty bus is no fun no matter how positively you try to feel about it. Comfort does not have to mean expense: choose iDBUS, for example, and you can travel for as little as £35 per person from Paris to London, plus you get comfortable seats, a clean bus, friendly staff, free Wi-Fi and plug sockets for your electronics.
Read online reviews for different bus lines to see what other travellers have experienced. You could also ask questions on forum threads. For example, do the seats have plenty of room for you to spread out, reducing your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis and helping you and the person in the neighboring seat keep a polite distance?
Once you have an idea of which companies you would be happy to travel with, think about when you would like to travel. Do you want to travel overnight and get some sleep? Or do you find it hard to sleep whilst travelling? If you think you will struggle to sleep then opt for a daytime journey but be sure that you know how to get to wherever you want to be when you arrive at the coach station. Some bus travel companies use out-of-the-way coach stations, meaning you can end up in the middle of nowhere late at night with no idea of how to get to your hotel. iDBUS uses central coach stations and have night time and daytime journeys available.
When travelling by bus you should be allowed one piece of luggage for the hold and a piece of hand luggage to take on board with you. Your hand luggage will be very important during your journey. If you want to save money on buying refreshments during your journey, pack a picnic, drinks and enough snacks to last for the whole journey. Also pack things to keep you entertained: your laptop, hand-held games console, a good book or magazines (some people experience motion sickness when reading, so think about taking some audio books on your mp3 player instead).
Also pack some earplugs, because you never know who else will be on board with you and eight hours in front of a crying baby or grumpy toddler is no fun.
Dress comfortably for your journey, with flat shoes and loose trousers. Wear layers so that you can add or remove clothing to suit the temperature around you. Make sure you take advantage of rest stops to use the bathroom facilities (though there should be a toilet on board) if only to give your legs a stretch and further reduce your risk of deep vein thrombosis.
Finally, remember that buses can be delayed by traffic jams and other problems on the road. iDBUS has on board live journey information broadcasts so you can tell at a glance where you are and how long it will be until you reach your destination.
If you find the idea of being late stressful, make sure you plan in plenty of time for getting to your hotel or for the starting the next leg of your journey. That way, you can sit back, enjoy the scenery and not worry about the exact time that you will arrive.
