As I type, I’m sitting on the second leg of a 10+ hour Greyhound bus ride. Not really the best decision after working a 12-hour shift, but duty – aka an impromptu and mom-mandated family reunion – calls. It’s as disgusting as you all may imagine…noisy kids, generally weird people, unnecessary layovers and way too many delays for the three-figure price that I paid. I’m honestly ready to nix my luggage, hurtle through the Plexiglas window and let the Virginian mountain lions, tigers and bears have their way with me – but there’s good barbecue and conversation at stake. Oh, and you know…seeing my actual family.
Truthfully, I was a little surprised when I several sold-out trips as I tried to book a last-minute ticket. I didn’t think that anyone used buses anymore…that they were a last resort. I mean yeah, plenty of East Coast students and broke-ass twentysomethings opt for MegaBus, Bolt or those random and completely unsafe Chinatown buses if they’re traveling on a budget. But planes – and even trains – have to be the preferred method of travel. Because I wouldn’t wish this shit on my worst enemy. Still, though, there have to be other folks like me who are figuratively and literally riding the struggle bus.
[Lead image via]
7 Essentials For the Strugglistas Who Still Take Cross-Country Buses
