OT: Taking Greyhound(bus) to NAHBS

[dekindy]

I was thinking about attending NAHBS but the thought of driving to Texas was too much and the expense of flying, staying overnight, etc. was more than I wanted to pay. However I discovered that for $172 I could ride Greyhound, spend much less than it would cost me to drive which I estimate to be approximately $230 just for fuel, and time it so I could be in Austin all day for any day that I choose, and sleep on the bus.

I had no idea that there were so many options by bus and I am not even sure what prompted me to research this. Between Indianapolis and Austin there are only two transfers and there are numerous stops where you can get off the bus and stretch your legs and/or get a meal. And the travel time is only a couple more hours than it would take to drive and I would not be exhausted. Only caveat is that you have to reserve 21+ days in advance for that rate. Otherwise it costs twice as much.

Anybody traveled 2,000+ miles by Greyhound recently?

[bike22]

i bet if you book your ticket as much time in advance as possible you can get an even cheaper rate.

[Louis]

and sleep on the bus.
:
:
and I would not be exhausted.

It's been a long time since I've done a long bus trip, but I do know that in my case, unless I'm about to keel over from exhaustion, it's nearly impossible for me to sleep on a plane.

If you think you can sleep semi-well on the bus I say go for it, otherwise, it may be a rough time.

Have fun :)

[Ralph]

No problem with the bus ride, but I would plan a hotel stay in the trip for a night or so. Not only for rest, but to get cleaned up.

[Frankwurst]

Don't do it. :beer:

[rwsaunders]

How about a train? The Silver Dog (slang for Greyhound) can have some interesting passengers.

[dekindy]

How about a train? The Silver Dog (slang for Greyhound) can have some interesting passengers.

Interesting. I will look into it. My son loves trains and Amtrak stops in Indianapolis. I was going alone but maybe it could be a family trip.

[Chris]

Hitchhike. Might be safer in the long run.

[rugbysecondrow]

That is a long ass way to take the bus. I would likely only do that if it were an emergency or something unavoidable. I have taken the greyhound a few times from Baltimore to NYC and it is doable, but that 4 hour trip is about the longest I would want to do on greyhound.

The train is a good option, go for that. The world looks different from a train, you have space to move around, and it seems more civilized.

Are you sure there are no Southwest flights that work? I just did a quick search at for right at $300 ($148 each way) you can fly there and back. It is almost double the cost of the bus, but when you factor in the amount of time you are saving, it is a good deal IMO.

[Fixed]

Interesting. I will look into it. My son loves trains and Amtrak stops in Indianapolis. I was going alone but maybe it could be a family trip.
trains are great imho you can't keep from sleeping on a train
cheers
just read the christmas train .http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Train-David-Baldacci/dp/0446525731

[ckamp]

I would recommended not using greyhound. In my past experiences the bus system welcomes some rather interesting characters, likely due to the cheaper fare. These people may make you feel uncomfortable over the long ride. I remember telling myself not to cheap out again. :beer:

[Wilkinson4]

No! Have you checked SW Airlines Gotta Get Away? $250 RT. From Denver it was like $140... I got lucky this year in that I travel a bunch for my job and my last trip was overbooked so I took a late flight and SW hooked me up with $ 460.00 worth of LUV. Bought (3) RT tickets for me and some buddies to go, other guys are using points for the room and a car.

So, the last time I took the bus was when I rode from Denver to Minneapolis to see the Twins play (Baseball Tour) but decided to pack the bike and take a bus ride back. Huge mistake. It was like 30 hrs (or felt like it), I sat next to a gang member, and my bike ended up with a dent in the top tube even after a decent packing job (Not decent enough). I should have rode back no doubt.

The Baseball Tour was done by Charlie Hamilton and it was an amazing feat. I rode with him on the Denver to Minneapolis leg.

mIKE

[davidlee]

There has got to be a better way !!
Carpool ??
I'd hitchhike before I took the bus.. Seriously.
davidlee

[dekindy]

Good points. Bus is out. Train is very expensive and not very timely. Thanks for the observations.

[Louis]

Just let your beard grow for a few days, get a scruffy-looking jacket and a temporary teardrop tattoo and you'll be safe. ;)

Seriously, if I had time and wanted to see the country I'd rent a car that got good mileage (say a Malibu) and drive. If I didn't have time I would bite the bullet and fly.

[BengeBoy]

Long-distance bus rides are great if you're 17 years old, in the marching band, you're in the bus all night, the flute player you've been mooning after all semester has finally started to notice you....

Otherwise, not so interesting.

[trophyoftexas]

Don't do it. :beer:

DON'T DO IT!!!! You'd be better off walkin' down....after all, it's downhill all the way! But, seriously, don't do this, you'll be sooooo sorry!

[Dekonick]

Give it a shot and report back! I'll bet it will provide you with a good story.

[cody.wms]

Am I the only one that thought this thread would be about the OP taking his dog to NAHBS?

[dave thompson]

Am I the only one that thought this thread would be about the OP taking his dog to NAHBS?
Yes.

[Ahneida Ride]

Give it a shot and report back! I'll bet it will provide you with a good story.

If he survives ....

[lurpy]

Long-distance bus rides are great if you're 17 years old, in the marching band, you're in the bus all night, the flute player you've been mooning after all semester has finally started to notice you....

Otherwise, not so interesting.

You got it all except she played clarinet!

[97CSI]

Give it a shot and report back! I'll bet it will provide you with a good story.Indeed. Sit closer to the front than the back. Take your carry-on with you when you go to the bathroom. Use common sense.

As an alternative, put up flyers in your LBSs asking if anyone else is going and wants to split the expenses of driving down, hotel room, etc. Does the show have a website where you can post? If so, do the same thing there. Maybe hook up with someone coming out of Chicago or Cleveland or Columbus area, etc.

[drewski]

DON'T DO IT!!!! You'd be better off walkin' down....after all, it's downhill all the way! But, seriously, don't do this, you'll be sooooo sorry!


You will be riding with who's who in mental illness. I did these
as a kid and i don't remember seeing so many wackos as they have on the bus these days.

I know you are not supposed to say never but in this case I make exceptions.

[dekindy]

Everyone's comments brings back memories of taking the city bus downtown to NAHBS when it was here in Indianapolis. I was working at the show all day and my wife and I were going to a concert that evening so it was convenient to have her pick me up and not have two cars downtown. It is like the Greyhound idea in that it seemed like a good idea at the time.

[William]

http://johnedwinmason.typepad.com/.a/6a0112791cb10528a40120a61743a7970c-500wi

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/50626960.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=E41C9FE5C4AA0A1454FCA2AB4F01C7622AD25A20B8E3B59C C5FF990C440B8154B01E70F2B3269972

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/51884685.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FDABB9B199AEAE5FB0 0BA538A59034B4FDA39DCB97F8E6E528F06BF04B24B4128C

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/51884715.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FDBE165F132C4A2864 0BA538A59034B4FD0B047E5A0FC005F7F06BF04B24B4128C

[Polyglot]

Back in the 80's, when I was at college, Greyhound Canada had a special offer of CDN$99 for as far as you wanted to go as long as you kept going in the same direction. You could also make as many stop-overs as you wanted. I rode from Toronto to Victoria BC, more than 3000 miles total... I had the time of my life, but I would limit it to somebody accustomed to student housing standards.

In Germany, there were offices called "Mitfahrzentrale" or "travel along centers" where one could list a destination one wanted to reach and then drivers could offer a ride for a fixed price (with a commission going to the center who would also keep a record of the ride, driver and passengers who all had to register and have their dientities verified). I used to drive over 50,000 miles a year and offered many passengers a ride, including from Frankfurt to Rome, Frankfurt to Madrid, many times Frankfurt to Paris and Brussels... I met some really nice people. I wonder if these centers still exist in our litigious society of today... It could be an idea for a business venture here in the US.

[slowgoing]

You will be riding with who's who in mental illness. I did these
as a kid and i don't remember seeing so many wackos as they have on the bus these days.

I know you are not supposed to say never but in this case I make exceptions.

+1

Plus it's a recipe for blood clots if you don't get up and move around regularly.

[DogpawSlim]

When I was a kid I took a Greyhound from Santa Barbara to Eugene; 16 hours (google maps says 14 hours driving time).

The next year, I took the Amtrak; 30 hours.

I remember the police were waiting at some bus stations because a child abductor was also traveling to Eugene by bus. The bus was faster, but you might be sitting next to a child abductor. The train is slower, but more comfortable. If I had to pick again today, I'd go bus.

Also, if you are over 6', take the train.

[sc53]

Did you see Midnight Cowboy? Those are the kind of people you'll find on the Silver Dog.

[Cantdog]

I've taken several long greyhound trips, and all make great stories, but are horrible travel experiences. I've been stranded in Butte, MT and slept in a field after the bus stop closed, broke down in NYC, blown tire in ID. Can't take a greyhound trip without problems.

Don't do it.

[dekindy]

OK, I give. I remember our charter bus breaking down on our high school band trip to the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Our schedule was too tight anyway and the delay was a catastrophe.

[false_Aest]

A hiku:

pits will grow fungus
man next to you will pee
himself never again

[BengeBoy]

BTW, buses in other parts of the world can be quite nice. In Latin America, for example, the trains can be quite lousy but there are, in some countries, several classes of bus service. Traveling the "luxury" classes buses (still very reasonably priced) can be comfortable, sort of safe (at least as safe as driving) and the best way to travel long distances between cities where there is no air service.

I used to travel this way when I lived in Mexico, and have done it in Peru as well (I was there a couple of years ago and we had a perfectly nice time busing between some fairly remote places on the first class buses).

Not the same as Greyhound at all. When I first took the bus in Latin America I had a lot of misgivings because of my experiences in the US - it's one of the many things done better outside the US than in the US.

[Craig Ryan]

Dwight,
I drove for Greyhound from 1980 - 1986. The present company is not the same as what it was. At the time I drove, "most" of the passengers were pretty decent people. Some were down and out, but they were on a mission getting somewhere. I spent a lot of time on busses either padding home or away, or traveling on my company pass. Never had a problem.

It's changed, and I wouldn't go near a bus station, or Megabus either.
Everything has shifted down. Now the airlines are the new bus services of the past. Of course you could give it a shot, but I'll be flying.

1980's
air = higher social expectations if you have the $
bus = sketchy experience, but decent folk
hitchhiking = desperate or high risk people

2000's
air = sketchy experience, but decent folk
bus = desperate or high risk people
hitchhiking = ???

[BengeBoy]

2000's
air = sketchy experience, but decent folk
bus = desperate or high risk people
hitchhiking = ???

2000's
air = sketchy experience, but decent folk
bus = desperate or high risk people
hitchhiking = bicyclists who only carry C2 cartridges, instead of pumps.

[johnnymossville]

I've taken the bus, it's better than hitch hiking. It'll get you there and you might even have some great stories to tell when you survive it.

[William]

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/T/T26/T2611-72dpi.jpeg

[Ahneida Ride]

Those days ain't coming back .. :cool:

[buldogge]

In reality they never existed....

Having said that, you guys are a little over the top.

If all you can afford is the bus...then take the bus. It's long, slow, and boring...but...you'll be fine.

If for some reason I decide to drive to NAHBS, I'll let you know and you can hoof it to the STL (3 hrs.) and hitch a ride.

...but...Flights are ~$300 RT. Gas would probably run $240-250 (total)...plus a hotel room each way...makes the flight seem like a no-brainer...other than bringing a bike to ride (some people on another forum are organizing some riding I believe)!

-Mark in St. Louis

Those days ain't coming back .. :cool:

[Louis]

All of this "Don't do it, you're risking life and limb" stuff is based on what data?.

I bet that per mile traveled cycling is more dangerous than riding the bus.

[john903]

This Summer I took Greyhound from Bellingham-Seattle-Billings, MT. The price was $85.00 in advance and took 20 hours, but I was able to sleep, listen to my Ipod, and eat the food I brought from home. I had an enjoyable conversation with a fellow on our favorite books and authors in general, (C.S. Lewis, R.L. Stevenson,) and talked about the geological changes of the areas we passed through. Maybe my trip was an exception, but it wasn't too bad especially for the price.

[buldogge]

Exactly Louis... Lots of scared people in this world, it's a wonder we leave our houses sometimes...jeesh.

A lot of it reeks of classism as well. Make sure you don't live next to them, and "god" forbid you ride on the bus with them.

It's just another form of transportation...in this country, it's not the ideal...so what.

Our train system sucks as well, but I bet a large portion of people here are against "sinking FRNs into it" to improve the situation...which leaves of course, flying.

Oh yeah...I did forget the extra $50 to check your bag (unless you fly SW or are a frequent traveler/member/etc.) onthe airlines BTW. In this case, I would probably fly SW (which always had a reputation as the Greyhound of the skies until recently come to think of it...hmmm).

-Mark in St. Louis

All of this "Don't do it, you're risking life and limb" stuff is based on what data?.

I bet that per mile traveled cycling is more dangerous than riding the bus.