I did a trip through Europe at the beginning of the year and had a great time
I would stay in an airbnb for a night or two and then sleep on an overnight bus between countries
Is there a way to go about this in the US?
I know FlixBus operates in the US but I've read that they're pretty shit here, is there a better service and preferably one that matches the quality of FlixBus (spacious enough to sleep, warm, quiet).
Or an easy place to arrange train rides so you could take overnight trains between states?
Greyhound is the shitty version of Flixbus but I recommend you stick with Flixbus because the absolute worst people in states take Greyhound.
>Or an easy place to arrange train rides so you could take overnight trains between states?
Amtrak does overnight sleeper cabins but it is costly. You can sleep in the economy class seats just fine and with way less money.
>You can sleep in the economy class seats just fine and with way less money.
What are the people like? I was shocked at how tame every bus I took in Europe was, at worst people had a conversation loud enough to make out but for the most part noise was easy to ignore
There's some weirdos on Amtrak for sure but nothing like the insanity you see on Greyhound. It's mostly train autists doing train travel in America for the novelty of it.
Interesting, there's definitely worse groups it could be than that. Thanks for the info.
I would also say it's mostly older folks riding Amtrak so the worst you'll deal with is annoying small talk by boomers. Maybe in the Northeast corridor you might have some sketchy types but I never had a problem on that route. Greyhound I had a literal crackhead attack me. There's no security on a Greyhound whereas Amtrak there's a bit more civility that's enforced.
I think you're misreading his last sentence about train autists as referring to Greyhound people. He was saying that those are the Amtrak people. Greyhound people are literal homeless and literal criminals. If you're still in your tough guy phase, I guess it's an option. I can't imagine, myself.
Amtrak has far better people than Greyhound for sure. They have an observation car where you can meet people and hang out if you want to. With the help of alcohol or weed, you can slump in the coach seat just fine. Don't go for a bus. I rode a 21 hour Greyhound from Miami to Atlanta to New Orleans in 2021 - never again. Black person seatmates, aggressive Black person drivers, psycho bums lurking around the stations, economy airline seats, metal chairs in the waiting room. That being said, Greyhound was much better with being on time than Amtrak was.
If you happen to take any in towns or cities with well known universities, the people become less of an issue as many of the buses are filled with students going to and from the airport or a neighboring state. Definitely do some research on the locals at each stop all the same.
I should add, this is mostly the case around the beginning and end of each term and break.
Trains are a little more expensive but doable. Honestly if you're already used to traveling a little rough it sounds like a great plan. Buses are really the only way to get between the small and medium sized towns in America, and that's where I think the country really shines.
Even the shittiest buses really aren't that bad. Worst that's ever happened is a fat black lady will take a call on speaker phone the whole ride, somebody will be transporting drugs and the cops will pull the bus over, or someone will shit in the toilet and make the bus stink. I once had a guy jump out of a moving bus on the highway because he had a warrant out for him ...
Anyway it's all part of the experience. Just bring a good pair of headphones, a comfy hoodie, and maybe some smelling salts and you'll be fine. I've met a lot of cool people traveling on buses across the country. I once met this half Japanese guy who played college baseball. I told him I was afraid of going to Japan because of earthquakes, and he said he met a guy in Japan who cured his fear of earthquakes by sticking his dick in a hole in the ground whenever the shaking started. This guy said that it made him feel like he was making love to the planet Earth and thus his phobia of earthquakes was cured. Ah, I'm starting to miss him now ...
Nice SighSee greentext about earthquakes you paraphrased there.
Back in 2014 I brought a cannabis edible on the bus from LA to Dallas.
I ate a chunk of it and got high as balls. We get to a rest stop a few hours after leaving and I realize the edible is on me as they’re having people empty their pockets out to pass security and get back on. I just shit my pants and plead with the guy so he ends up throwing it away. I pass out next to some sketchy black dude (I remember him telling me he got a BJ on the bus one time), wake up hours later and we’re crossing through El Paso where they have a dog come on to sniff for drugs. I know it’s just a single edible but times was different then.
So for another 10 hours it’s the worst boredom and lack of comfort you can imagine when traveling. You’ll be riding with dregs and vagrants. Just fly Southwest if you’re looking to go somewhere in the US.
not a big deal
Do not take the Greyhound if you can avoid it
Can you be more specific about the regions you want to explore? I've done an overnight Megabus to Chicago and New York, it was cheap and unremarkable
There's no reason to attempt a east-west trip across the US on a bus or a train. There is literally nothing in the middle of the US worth seeing. You would be much better off doing an east coast north to south trip. Do a Boston, Philly, New York, DC trip by train.
Another good option might be Las Vegas to Southern California on a shuttle bus. There are a lot of them.
Is there a reason you can't rent a car? If you could find a friend who was 25 to come with you and drive, you could rent a car and do a west coast loop. That's the best trip in the US.
What Amtrak is like
>huge delays, especially after batflu
>ride is really comfy and you will have a good time
>prices not bad either
>good chance there will be some guy on his phone the whole time but mostly quiet
>will show you some scenic locations
>goes reeeeaaaally slooooooowly
Greyhound
>mostly used by criminals, drug addicts, traveling homeless and the very poor
>despite the clientele, the ride itself is safe, yet the stations actually are dangerous
>they WILL take you into the bad side of town, the Atlanta Greyhound station is a hotbed of theft
>mexican guy at the ATL Greyhound told me one time he was at the station a gang member came in with an AK and fricking killed a guy
>if someone asks to borrow your phone at the station don't give it to them
If you go, aim for times where the fewest people will be riding.
I had a friend from the UK who did the train thing and loved it. Been watching the Downie Live channel and he is all about the trains and thinking about doing this myself. Greyhound is indeed shit having done it in Canada before they went bankrupt and stopped servicing the west. It was horrible and uncomfortable with frequent driver changes, stops for no reason in the middle of nowhere. There were also loads of drug addicts and scumbags to deal with. Some guys flipped out and beheaded someone on a bus up here as well shortly before Greyhound stopped. Train sounds way better and you can always rent a car if you need to.