BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi
Can anyone tell me about these buses, I have found a 'go anywhere' ticket with them(have to surface NY to L.A)But dont want to do the whole trip in one go, their website doesnt say if you can hop on and off on route. Has anyone done this? you can travel over 28.000 miles for 129$ I have 9 week in USA and want to move around slowly, staying a few day at a time in places of interest on route. I will be in New york 24th June 2008, Please help

I wouldn't take Greyhound if I were you. I've ridden on those buses to many miles to count (>5,000) and for the most part, the rides are hell. If you are in the western US or the northeast I would recommend hitchhiking over Greyhound, it's probably safer, more interesting, and quicker. Most people will probably tell you how dangerous hitchhiking is, but I have had many scary encounters on Greyhound and none with hitchhiking'.

I just noticed this is in the CA board. Can a mod move this to N. America?

Greyhound is awful - avoid it if you can. If you are flexible (it sounds like you are), look into Driveaway. If you're over 23 and have a driver's license, you're eligible. What you do basically is pick up a car and deliver it. You have to pay a $350 deposit that is refunded upon arrival, and often you're given money for fuel. I've done it a couple of times - the last time I delivered a Mercedes convertible from Montreal to Miami, with a $150 gas allowance. Not bad ...

Thanks for that, yes after looking on this site I am now a bit worried about greyhound travel. I am 51 and my travel companion is my 16yr old grandaughter, Driving a car sounds good, how do I learn more about this? or should I look at car share or even change my tickets and fly straight to LA? again help folks who know it is a dilemma!

Sorry, checked driveaway website, nothing doing at present, but I will keep my eye on it
thanks

Ok. I'm going to say that Greyhound isn't the way to go if you have some extra money. As I said before, the stations they stop at are likely to be in the armpit of any city you land in, and the rides, well. They said it.

If you can't go by car, I say do the train. Amtrak has always been good for me IF I didn't have a rigid schedule. They're often late.

If you have a foriegn passport, Amtrak has a program that for about 400 dollars, you can use the trains all over the country for about a month. Does that suit your plans?

i'm actually going to defend Greyhound here (only a little mind you) just to give this a little balance...

Yes, Greyhound isnt the most pleasant, indeed its often ridden by the "not the most pleasant" too but it has its place. I persobally dont have any problem at all with shot journies on Greyhound (upto about 6hrs max). It does what it does. Its cheap, it gets you from a-b (sometimes a little later than planned of course) but generally daytime, shortish trips are pefectly ok.

Overnights? Wouldnt touch em witha barge pole.

Really, I'm not a huge Grehound fan (I think the Amtrak trains are great but teh service is so sporadic as to make it a difficult reality not to mention the cost).


The US really isnt geared for public trasnport (and I really do love travelling on your side of the pond), car hire is ultimately the best way to get around if you really want to delve a little deeper into the country.

thanks guys, but yes I am on a very tight budget, and only plan to spend a few hours at a time on the buses. I take on all your comments and am getting concerned but keep asking myself are they worse than the buses in 'India' which I have travelled on numerous occasion. also my original quetion of can you hop on and off on route with this ticket has been overlooked as there is no way at the tender age of 52 could I sit on a bus for 2 and a half days. but i cannot afford 400$ opposed to $129

There is also the idea of ride share.
Craigslist has a column in all of its sites that match up riders with drivers.

Where in Turkey do you live?

I think to do a hop on/off option you need to buy a Discovery Pass which can be a bit pricey.

click here Discovery Pass

Europeans looks differently at bus travel. It's a popular way of travelling in Europe, along with trains,. Not so in the USA. As one poster said above "The US really isnt geared for public transport".
I travelled on greyhound busses in Luisiana. I thought it was fun, just for the experience. But, I wouldn't recommend it as main means of transport for 6 weeks. The bus stations were shabby places, with junkies and drunks. At bus stops in small towns there were no time tables and nobody seemed to know the times of departures.
I suppose, car is the best way to go.

I would trek home from college via Greyhound (Albany, NY to Long Island). It was the worst travel experiences of my life (well, second to the night-train I took from Nice to Rome).

Honestly, you really can find cheap and easy travel deals on sites like Priceline. Rent a car, take a train, avoid the bus.