Whenever I travel somewhere, I always look for a cheap way to do it. I literally (figuratively) typed on the Google bar " cheap way to get from Point A to Point B". Surprisingly enough, I live in Europe at the moment and there are many cheap ways to travel from country to country.
After doing some light research, I found out that taking a bus is cheaper than flying or taking the train. This is especially true if you're booking a trip last minute. There are many bus companies that have a wide range of destinations. There is OuiBus, Megabus, IDBus and Eurolines, just to name a few big ones.
The cheapest bus company by far was and generally is (in my opinion)- Megabus, which is why I booked my tickets through them to go from France to Spain. Based on my experience, I'd like to share some of the pros and cons to taking a bus as opposed to taking any other form of transportation.
Pros
1-The main reason I enjoy taking the bus whenever I visit a new country is because you get to see other places that you wouldn't necessarily have on your itinerary. The bus travels through the country and generally have other stops along the way, which come as a plus you don't intend to visit that particular place. While I traveled with Megabus, we made stops in Toulouse, Berga and Manresa. The last two are cities in Spain. Moreover, I had a chance to admire the more rural side of France. I witnessed miles and miles of breathtaking landscape, traditional French villages with centuries old houses, and buildings and a few vineyards. This is something you don't get to enjoy on a plane.
2- The price is great. I paid 20 euros for my trip to Barcelona and It was booked 2 weeks before leaving. I had seen it cheaper about a month earlier, but I lost the battle to procrastination. Before booking the trip with Megabus, I searched for flights and trains, but nothing was a cheap as taking the bus.
3- Another good thing about Megabus is that they make stops every few hours. My trip from Paris to Barcelona was around 10 hours yet, we made four stops along the way. 20 minute stops to stretch legs and get some to eat is always good. The breaks were factored in to the trip, so there is no further delays.
4- I think it is also beneficial to note that the bus is relatively empty, which means that you don't necessarily need to sit next to someone you don't know. Always a plus!
5- The driver was very nice and helpful. As soon as we all boarded the bus and got settled, the driver apologized for being late, and assured us we would make it back not too late. We actually arrived only 30 minutes later than the estimated arrival, even though we left almost two hours later.
Cons
There were only a handful of things I didn't like about my experience with Megabus.
1- The departure time was scheduled for 9:45 pm, but we didn't leave until a little after 11 pm. Moreover, not only were they late but no one, not even the person in charge, would give us any answers as to why our bus was late. After the bus arrived at the station, we found out the bus was coming from London, and it had been held up on the French side after crossing the English Channel.
* According to different Megabus reviews, they're hardly ever late. Hopefully this is true next time I travel with them.
2- The toilet on the bus is super tiny. I have taken long bus rides before, but I have never seen such a tiny bathroom. It is the smallest thing you have ever seen in your life.
3- Okay, I'm not sure if I should put the wifi situation under cons. To be honest, the wifi was bad; however, Facebook and other messaging apps worked just fine. I guess, don't expect to load a video or a movie on the bus and you'll be fine.
4- I won't lie, If it weren't for the fact that I love traveling and I've done long bus rides before, I would definitely complain about spending 10 hours on a bus. This bus ride could be brutal for someone who doesn't have this kind of experience.
Overall, I don't have many complains about my experience with this bus company. I enjoyed my time, so much so that I have already booked my tickets from Paris to Milan and back for my adventure in Italy. Plus, 25 euros round trip never hurt!
No comments:
Post a Comment