Many budget travelers are not very enthusiastic about visiting the US after exploring common backpacking routes of Asia or South America. South-East Asia, for example, does not only offer breath-taking sceneries with laid-back attitude of locals, but also extremely low prices of accommodation, food and transportation. Nevertheless, there are many unbelievably beautiful places in the US, and ways to make your trips around the US more fun and very affordable. There are even a few places where you can stay for less than $25 a day that we’ve already covered on Etramping:
- Santa Fe and its free attractions
- NYC and its less beaten paths to be explored on a budget
- A day in California for less than $25 a day.
One of these ways is to cut down on your transportation costs by discovering hidden gems of American’s regions by …. BUS.
Believe us or not, exploring the US by bus is one of the awesome things that everyone should do at least once in a lifetime. It’s a different experience that you can’t compare to taking the plane or fast trains. It’s not only a greener and more flexible way to explore this marvellous country, but definitely one of the cheapest ways to stay on the road longer. If we have not convinced you yet, how about these top 5 reasons why you should be traveling in the US by bus, forgetting the convenience of taking a plane!
1: Cost effectiveness
Taking the bus in the US is definitely less expensive than driving, taking the train or flying. You can easily make savings on the fuel. Bus tickets are at least 40% cheaper than both the train and plane, so it makes a huge difference in prices if you are planning to stay in different parts of the country for at least a month. In this way you will be left with plenty of leftover cash to be spend on sightseeing, food or maybe souvenirs for your loved ones.
Before you plan your bus trip, make sure that you know what your options are. Go online, search for different bus providers and double check bus booking sites, in order to compare prices. Many providers do discounts and ticket promotions, including last minute booking lotteries.
2: Comfort
What me and Cez hate about traveling by plane is getting to the airport at least 2-3 hours beforehand, waiting in line and worrying about our luggage being too heavy. You don’t have these problems with buses. You arrive at the bus station 5-20 minutes beforehand, have your ticket checked and here you are ready to departure. No extra security checks, nor extra luggage control.
Moreover, the majority of bus providers in the US provide their passengers with high standard services such as Wi-Fi available onboard, extra legroom, free meals and drinks, TV screens and even leather seats.
3: The view
Nothing can beat the view of mountainous panoramas, city lights and breath-taking lakes of America you can see when snagging a window seat on a bus. The view you can admire is definitely one of the most exciting things everyone looks forward to when getting on a bus in the US. Some bus routes pass by hidden gems of America that you would never have a chance to see when taking a plane or a train.
4: Accessibility
These days, not only technology advances many bus providers across the US. Flexibility and accessibility take over when it comes to bus transportation. Firstly, here are plenty of different picking and dropping points so there is no way you will not get where you want to, even if it’s a hidden countryside spot or tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere. Secondly, tickets are also very easy to access through online booking – two mouse clicks and your ticket is purchased with no extra hassle.
5: Eco-friendliness
Did you know that buses can use up to 60% less energy than other means of transportation? Did you know that one regular bus can replace at least 30 cars? Yes, these are the facts that show how eco-friendly buses are. Thus, choosing a bus as your main mean of transport in the US shows that you are not an ec0-ignorant and you do care about this planet a lot.
And you … do what would be your favorite mean of transportation when visiting the US?
