To make bus travel more comfortable

Night on bad roads (in some countries) are not a good thing, for most tragic accidents occur in such circumstances. It’s good to know, that usually the front seats on the chauffeur’s side are the most dangerous. Those who have trouble sleeping should not be near a TV set, for it might disturb them. If you get travelling sickness easily, you shouldn’t be near the wheels, for you’ll feel the bumps on the road more that way. It’s always advisable to have some snacks and drinks for a longer journey, and maybe a magazine or even a game. You should take care of personal comfort by wearing loose clothes and have a pillow with you to support your head for a nap. Since most buses have AC, you need to be prepared for low temperatures even in summertime, so you should have a pullover or a blanket with you.

A long drive can be tiresome both physically and mentally, so have regular breaks with stretching. It might be enough to get up and stretch your arms and legs, to get the blood circulating better. You should also try switching the sitting position and toning your leg and lower back muscles.
Always be on a lookout for petty thieves, for they are active on busses and bus stops. Never leave valuable objects without supervision. Take care of your cash and documents, that they should not be an easy grab for somebody. You might wake up to a big headache if you fall asleep with your wallet pointing out of your back-pack. 

Motion sickness

Before going on a trip, it’s advisable to eat a sliced apple, or a dry light meal. You should definitely avoid milk, yogurt, ice-cream, but also coffee, fizzed drinks and alcohol. It also helps to chew on a lemon. The stomach is more sensitive in the morning, so it’s better to go in the afternoon. If possible, we should lie down and close our eyes, for that will decrease the outside sensations. We will feel better in the front seats. If nothing of the mentioned helps, you can also take some medicine (drops or pills). We should take them some half an hour (to an hour) before taking a journey and they last some six hours. They do, however, have side effects, like dry mouth and sleepiness, so drivers should not take them. There are also patches for the ear, that have substances preventing nausea and vomiting. They are effective for three days and have lesser side effects as the pills. It’s also possible to buy metal bracelets, which stimulate the spots to regulate the balance (using the methods of acupressure) and have no side effects at all. Others again use home made medicine, such as ginger. The dust from a ginger root should be as effective as the pill.

Extra costs

Travelling long distances with a bus (if alone), is cheaper than travelling by car. Compared to train it depends from a country to a country, so we should take the costs into consideration. Regular bus lines offer the possibility of booking a seat, but that means an extra cost for reservation – and some companies also charge extra for luggage. Extra costs can be arriving in late hours and the location of the last stop (it might be far from the city centre). Some bus companies also sell weekly or monthly passes for all their lines (such as Eurolines or Greyhoud).  Purchasing such a pass is sensible only if we plan to travel a lot.