10 tips before a looooong bus ride

 10 tips before a looooong bus ride

With my friend Inès, we decided that the cheapest and safest way to travel between the north of Spain and the north of France was an overnight bus with a journey of 16 hours.  Because we were together, because we both usually choose to see the positive and ignore the negative, it will still remain a fun memory to cherish.  But there are some learnings there which I would like to share which could help you to avoid a long bus ride from hell!

Buy the best ticket you can afford.  Bus hours somehow are longer than any other hours - trust me on this one!  So spend a little bit more if you can.
Buy your ticket as early possible because the best places are allocated earlier on.
Bring loads of snacks and drinks because what you will find along the way isn’t necessarily what I could call great food - or even edible food.
Thank God that we had a small blanket and quite a few layers of cloths on, because it got very cold at some point, when we had to wait for the next bus, at 4 am, while literally lying on top of our suitcases, on the pavement, for 3 hours.
We fortunately didn’t have super snorers in the bus, but still, ear plugs are very handy on buses!
We were very happy for the Kleenex packet we had, because toilet paper can be a scarce commodity on buses.
Do not lose your bagage receipt because you will need it several times.
Rather bring a sanitizer spray than gel.  
Carry Immodium just in case ;-)
Bring your sense of humour!