Though not as quick as air travel or train travel, bus travel has its charm. I didn't always think so. When I was a kid, bus travel was nothing to get delirious over for the following reasons -
- It meant a cramped sitting arrangement, where you couldn't stretch your legs without the auntie or uncle ahead turning about to glare at you or, if they were in an especially bad mood, to tell your Ma what they thought of her child-rearing methods.
- It meant a bone-rattling experience every time you went over the potholes at high speed, and this was often. We always got the drivers who knew a thing or two about Formula I racing and engineers who didn't know much about road building.
- It meant ruining your eyesight trying to watch the 'moving' movie as the bus rumbled and tumbled through the night.
- It meant a totally bored experience if you didn't get the window seat.
- It meant an irritating experience if you did get a window seat and the people in the back objected to your keeping the window open.
- It meant summoning up all your self-control until the next toilet stop. Or getting your Ma to plead with the conductor and then trying to find a tree or a bush to duck behind while all the other passengers craned their heads out the windows to follow your progress.
- They are usually cheaper in comparison to air and train travel.
- They are convenient for short distance travel and useful too for long distance trips.
- They usually don't make a great big fuss - at least here in India - if you bring your puppy along for the trip. I once traveled 22 hours from Siliguri to Howrah with my Lhasa Apso, and 10 hours from Gorakhpur on the Nepal border to Barabanki near Lucknow with my Bhutia. Both trips were interesting, not the least because on the latter trip the Bhutia had the same self-control problems I had as a kid and the conductor wouldn't stop the bus.
- They offer an interesting view of the countryside you are passing through. Since I traveled around Uttar Pradesh by bus I've come to appreciate it as a land of scenic beauty - especially in the winter - rather than just a land of thugs and goons.
- They often offer you the chance to observe characters from different sections of society.
Obviously, if you are going to travel from Point A to Point B by bus, you will need to get a bus ticket. How you get your bus ticket depends upon what kind of travel - local or long distance - you are doing and what part of the world you are currently in.
You either -
- Go to the bus station and buy your ticket.
- Go to the bus stop and buy your ticket from a ticket vending machine before boarding the bus.
- Get on the bus and buy your ticket from the conductor.
- Go to a tourist office and buy a season bus ticket that allows you to travel on buses in a certain area for a certain duration.
- Call up a travel agency and get them to buy bus tickets for you.
- Log onto the Internet and buy tickets directly from the bus company.
Some Safety Factors to Keep in Mind During Bus Travel:
- Put your luggage in the bus hold or where you can keep an eye on it.
- Keep a tight grip on your wallet or purse. Or at least don't make it easy for pickpockets to steal them.
- Similarly, keep an eye on valuables like jewelry, cameras, phones and so on.
- Stick to well-lit, people-filled areas at the bus station if you are traveling late at night.
- If you are arriving late at night at your destination, try to have someone meet you if that is possible.
- Talk to strangers, but don't give them the complete A to Z on your life story, banking history and travel plans.
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