3 Things NOT To Do On Long Journeys

Bus or Train?
That always seems to be a dilemma when deciding between what mode of transport you would want to take from city to city.
Most of the time, the bus is cheaper, however, you spend longer hours on the journey. Typically, i'll choose train over bus if a) The bus takes way longer or b) the price difference between both options relatively alright. Also partly because I have a railcard, so that gives me good discounts.
But a bus ride to Manchester cost me only 8 pounds whilst a train ride while a train ticket was over 20 pounds. So, I decided to take the 6 hours bus ride to Manchester (well it turned out to be 7.5 hours due to traffic). As this was the first time i've taken such a long bus ride (previous trips were not more than 3 hours per seating) I did some silly things, that resulted in self-inflicted PAIN. Literal pain.

Here are 3 things I think you should NOT do on long bus journeys - y'know, save yourself the agony:

1. Do NOT Bring Your Luggage Up The Bus
It doesn't matter if its small, if its your hand luggage, even if the bus driver tells you "It should fit."
If its bigger than a backpack, LEAVE IT in the luggage compartment of the bus.

Before boarding the bus, I asked the bus driver "Can I bring my luggage up the bus?" and he said, "Yeah it should fit." Well turns out, it didn't fit the over head compartment. I left it on the seat beside me, when right before the bus moved off, 3 guys came up, and most of the seats on the bus were filled. I thought my hand luggage would fit below the seat in front of me, turns out, nope! not quite.  So the whole 7.5 hours journey my leg was tugged behind the luggage in front of me. After the 5-hour mark, toes were numb, knees were aching, and by the time I arrived to Manchester, I had to be one of the last to get off the bus because I couldn't straighten my legs.

The reason why I wanted to bring my luggage up the bus, was because I didn't bring another bag. I left my computer (for whatever reason I thought I would need it during the journey), and my food - which I finished 10mins into the journey.

Turns out, I had knee cramps and numb legs, all for nothing. I was hating on myself for not using my brain, and thinking that the bus seats were as wide as those on trains and planes.

The guy sitting beside me had a huge bag that didn't fit in the overhead compartment as well. And seeing that he had much longer legs than me, I doubt he had a comfortable journey. He kept stretching is his legs out to the aisle during the ride.

So heads up to those who will be taking long bus rides anytime soon: ALWAYS bring a small bag pack on board, and LEAVE your bigger haversacks and luggage in the luggage compartment (or in the overhead compartment if it fits) of the bus!

2. Do NOT Forget Entertainment
I know I was thinking, "Damn, I shouldn't have brought my luggage up on the bus!" BUT, the good thing that came out of that was that I had access to my book (yes, i know, i should have brought a small bag pack and put my book inside). I thought i'd spent my 6 hours alternating between sleeping and listening to my Audiobook on Audible, but after having earphones plugged into my ear for 2-3 hours, and after my 1 hour nap (I don't usually take naps, so 1 hour is really long), my ears were hurting slightly, and the seat was too uncomfortable for me to take another nap (I have a weird habit of only being able to sleep lying down or curled up) I was so glad to be able to have access to my book, which I read half of during the rest of the journey!

So, yes I agree - pack light, but make sure you have more than one form of entertainment. Unless, you can play candy crush or whatever iPhone game you like for 7 hours straight.
I don't enjoy playing games on my phone, and I get bored pretty easily, if you're anything like me, remember to bring more than one form of entertainment!

3. Do NOT Forget Food
If you never get hungry... ok no. Don't kid yourself. If its more than a 5 hour journey, you're bound to get hungry somewhere somehow! I mean I can even get hungry out of boredom!

In point 1, I mentioned that I finished my food 10 minutes into the bus ride. Yes. That was all the food I brought - 3 slices of pizza, sufficient for lunch.
This was my reasoning: Lunch at 1, Dinner at 6 (the estimated arrival at my destination), latest 6.30. I'll be fine. Unfortunately, No. I was not fine.
I started getting hungry at about 5.30pm, well technically, if the bus were to arrive at 6, i'd still be fine. But that ignorant assumption that the bus would be on time, was a pretty senseless one. I do not know whatever came over me, that I forgot to take into consideration the fact that rush hour traffic = DELAYS.
Needless to say, my stomach was growling and I was on the brink of starving when the bus finally arrived at 7.30pm. I rushed to grab myself some extra hot Nandos wings!

Sometimes, there will be pitstops along the way to your destination. In order not to spend unnecessary cash whilst traveling, its best to pack your own food, and pack SUFFICIENT. That way, you don't have to suffer from gastric pangs every 10 minutes while everyone around you is snacking away.

I think the 3 main issues resulted from my lack of foresight. So here's another do not. Do NOT Assume That There Will Be No Delays. Busses are NOT trains. Even trains have delays, but road traffic means delays could go up to 2-3 hours long.
There you have it, my lessons learned from a 7.5 hours long bus journey!

Do you agree with these tips, leave your suggestions in the comment box below!

Photos from out and about in Manchester, UK.