360DigitalInfluence

In light of the fact that travel trends seem to revolve solely around the recession these days, I wanted to explore a new travel theme appearing in the news quite often – bus tours. Bus tours are popping up with new deals every day and new companies such as Boltbus and Megabus are competing with more established companies like Greyhound and Trailways. Prices are usually one way and recent deals from these companies include $5 trips, $2 trips and $1 trips! Also, sites like BusJunction now exist to help travelers find the best deal with a reputable company.

As travelers are looking to save money and more often choosing locations closer to home, buses seem to be a more relevant option. But one question remains in my mind…Why take a bus instead of driving? Since I’ve never gone on a bus tour and haven’t been on anything other than a city bus since high school, I created a list below of what I think the pros and cons of bus travel would be:

Pros:

• You can sit back and relax instead of having to navigate and keep your eyes on the road…read a book or take a nap. This is a big pro.
• It doesn’t matter how much gas costs per gallon…because you’re not paying.
• Less hassle and less security than an airport
• Wi-fi! – Much more likely that your bus will have wi-fi than your plane.

Cons:

• One of the great things about road trips is stopping wherever you want, and I’m guessing this isn’t an option on a bus tour. What if you see the world’s largest ball of twine and want to stop and take a picture?
• A bus isn’t as glamorous or fast as a plane. I would say they’re probably only relevant for trips that are three hours or less

Has anyone gone on a bus tour, instead of driving on a road trip or flying somewhere? What are your opinions?