Taking a Trip by Bus

Whether traveling alone or with kids--family or student--going by bus is a viable option. I have traveled by Greyhound and its associated buslines for days to get across the United States. "Why would I put myself through this torture?!" you ask. Many reasons. I do not have to worry about getting sleepy while driving. I do not have to worry about hotel rooms on the way--unless I want to. I can read and sleep and relax on the journey. I can look at the scenery as this glorious countryside passes by.

Admittedly there are some drawbacks to bus travel. It does get tiring. The layovers can be long and tedious. But I have ways to deal with these problems. Five are listed below, peppered with photos taken on some of the trips. More photos, which are used in the Template Design Sets....

First, I travel on the Ameripass/Passport ticket. This ticket is not for a destination, but for a time span. Using this pass, I can choose which bus to catch and how long to stay at a waitover on the fly. Read more...
Second, I pack a special supply kit. This kit is what this essay is about, so more about it further down.
Third, I take side trips to enjoy the areas that I travel through. Read more...
Fourth, I use special luggage that is easy to carry, versatile, and that can serve as a foot rest or seat. Rea d more.
Finally, I dress in comfortable clothes, layered, and shoes with socks. Read more...

Let's talk about the travel kit.

It didn't take but a couple of overnight bus trips to convince me that there were special supplies that I could carry on board that would make the trip much more enjoyable. Luckily, I can read in a moving vehicle, so books and other reading material became a must-have item set. A towel or small afghan worked well as a blanket and a small pillow made me much more comfortable. Cleanliness being more comfortable than not, special supplies became another priority, as do hairbrushes, pins, barrets and bands. Then came the snacks/meals and drinks because you most definitely can eat on the bus. Pen, paper, and small first aid kit for those just-in-case moments and a small camera with extra batteries. round out the carry-on supplies. If I carried my laptop with me, it, too, became part of the kit that never left my side. Photo stuff Computer stuff Office Depot andTech Depot Hot Offers

Naturally, a medium-size sports/duffle bag and a backpack are needed to carry all of this. One is allowed a purse and 2 carry-ons. Into the backpack go the items from my purse that must remain with me always. Into the duffle go the purse itself, the spares, the extra clothes, and any items that I can do without if stolen. If I had to carry the items for a child, the purse of choice would have been a large tote that would serve as a diaper/kid supply bag. The duffle is to be left on the bus at short stops, or left to reserve my chair if I walk about the bus station. The pillow and blanket in a pillowcase could be slipped under the straps of the duffel and carried as if one piece with it. IF I decide to carry a laptop, the computer goes into a computer bag with handles that can be kept by my side always. Packing the duffle lightly with clothes for padding means that the computer bag and camera bag can be placed in the duffle bag. Then the duffle bag must stay with me always. Placing these items in the backpack means that I have to remember to handle the backpack gently and not lean on it. Both the backpack and the duffle will fit under the seat--or at the floor under my feet. I often prop my feet on the duffle and hold the backpack in my lap. Bags and Cases

Some of the toiletries that I found most useful are presented below. Since cleanliness on long car trips and bus trips is a challenge, let me share my secrets to feeling fresh(er). I keep wipes and toilet paper in either the duffel or backpack. I use ziplock plastic bags to protect everything. Of course I carry toothbrush, toothpaste, deorderant, change of underwear, and an extra t-shirt, socks, hair clips, and hairbrush, also. I keep a water bottle and an extra plastic bag to serve as a sink as necessary. A great way to take a sponge bath is with Aloe Vesta Cleansing Foam, which requires no rinsing and works extremely well with a wet rag or paper toweling. Cheap bathrags from dollar stores kept in the backpack and thrown away when used are my preference. (In fact, this stuff cleans so well, that I use it to bathe when I am running late for work in the mornings.) I learned about the Aloe Vesta products from my local hospital that uses it for bedbaths.

How does one take a bath in a bus station? Well, you will see many brushing their teeth at the sink. What really surprised me was the number of people who will reach under their clothes to wipe off. I found it easy to spot clean with wipes and rag with cleanser, doing some of the bathing at the sink and some in the stall. I usually changed underwear and t-shirts in the stall; wearing t-shirts meant that my tops were wrinkle-free. Since taking off shoes and socks took too long in the stall, I would wear a minipad/

Picket Fence Friend Dog t-shirt from Valerie's Stuff at CafePress.com

panti-liner that could be changed often, and wipe the undies themselves with the wipes or cleanser. Feet could be cleaned whenever I was seated, especially if I had a row of seats to myself, or if I wanted to sit on the duffle bag somewhere by the sinks. Get t-shirts with uniques designs from CafePress.com

A Special Find: Goat's Milk Soap and Lotions

One of the big surprises to me in my stays at hotels was the wonderful moisturizing properties of soap made of goat's milk. A product line with fragrance-free and perfumed soaps is Canus Goat's Milk Soaps

Heifer International is a charitable organization that buys livestock for needy families both here in the US and abroad. Their philosophy is the same as that of if you want to feed a man, teach him to fish. In that vein, they offer poultry and livestock--including goats--to families that benefit from both eating and selling eggs, milk and meat.

What to Eat and Drink on the Bus Trip

Cereal bars and fruit jellies with vitamin C make good breakfasts and snacks and are easy to carry in a backpack. Combine these with bottled apricot juice or juice-in-a-bag. Individual flavor packets for water are good, too--you know, like those from CountryTime. I mix a plastic container of coffee creamer and instant coffee and a container of powered orange drink to carry with me. I simply add the mix to a water bottle, shake and drink. The bottle is easily rinsed at the next stop or in my portable sink mentioned above, and reused. You can even have a set of items sent to your home from Amazon, who now offer drygood groceries: Order groceries online from Amazon.com .

I find that eating one meal a day at the bus meal stop location is plenty of food when supplemented with the picnic items such as those listed in the box above. The larger cities usually have a full cafeteria and serve eggs and bacon for breakfast, hamburgers and a meat and vegetable for other meals. The smaller stops are often at either a fast-food restaurant like McDonalds or a gas station with food items.

Valerie Coskrey's Classroom Tools and Ideas

Taking a Trip by Bus

Introduction to the Travel Series