Night buses aren’t always the most comfortable way to get around south east Asia, but they definitely are cheap and reasonably time effective.
However, there are many different standards of bus that you could get on to, some will be pretty good, allowing you to get a good nights sleep, and some, may be, well… awful. Below are a few things to consider before, during and even after you go on an overnight bus, to help you set certain expectations you should hold, and to understand what might be in store.
Asking how long your trip will take could be as simple as checking a piece of paper which states the exact time, place, bus type etc, or, it could be a lengthy process involving sketchy google translate and lots of hand gestures with someone who only speaks broken English. Obviously, the latter is where you have to be more careful, but try to be persistent at finding out when you will arrive at your destination. This may sound really trivial, but sometimes you will have to swap buses, and if the driver doesn’t speak much English, you need to know what’s going on. When you wake up (if you manage to sleep!), you’ll probably not have a clue where you are and only a few lucky travelers have data to check. So if you’ve been dropped off at another bus station at 5am (yep, literally what has happened to me this morning!) you may think you have arrived at your destination, unless of course, you know you’re only half way through your journey.
Google maps doesn’t really cut this either. For example, Hanoi –> Vientiane should take 12 hours. So, with a bit of simple maths, if your bus leaves at 7pm, you should arrive at 7am, give or take. But, at 7am you’ll still be at the boarder waiting for it to open. We waited around for 4 hours before the immigration office opened, adding time on to our journey. As a result of this, we arrived at 3pm, making our journey 20 hours… 8 more then Google’s initial suggestion.
It’s always better the be a little extra caution and to tie or lock your bag or case up. It may seem safe in the bottom of the bus, but there are numerous horror stories circuling about ‘that girl who got the iPad, camera, phone (or whatever) stolen’ or the guy that had ‘$1,000 stolen’ from his bag.
Whether or not you have valuables in your bag or case, it’s always best to secure it to ensure people can’t even rummage through.
It’s impossible to know what you’re getting yourself into until you actually see your seat or bed, but knowing how you prefer to travel will be a big help.
Sleeper buses are basically chairs that allow you to partially lie down, with your legs straight but your back at a 45 degree angle. It may not sound the most comfortable thing in the world, but if you plan it right you’ll get some sleep. You’re normally given a bottle of water, sometimes a snack, a blanket and rarely a pillow.
Hotel buses allow you to lay completely horizontal in a little booth, with a bottle of water, a snack (again, if you’re lucky) curtain, pillow and sheet. Lovely, right? Hotel buses sound much more glamours, but in my opinion, they’re not. You’re given the equivalent of a single bed to share with someone else, which I guess is fine if you know the person you’re travelling with. But, if you’re travelling on your own or with an odd number, one of you will be expected to bunk with a stranger.
This is somewhat the same with some sleeper buses, as you may find yourself in a spacious bus that is three seats wide with gaps between each, or, one that is four seats wide which has a gap separating them in to two. Either way, on the sleeper bus I felt it would be a little less daunting to share an open seat with a stranger, much like you would on a regular bus, rather than a closed little bed.
Another massive factor that makes me prefer sleeper buses is that fact that you get a seat belt, and on hotel buses you don’t. Some buses will be better than others so it’s obviously not 100% guaranteed that you will get a belt, but from personal experience, I always have. If you have a long trip that will take you both day and night, sleeper buses can be better because you can usually adjust your seat/bed, so you don’t have to lay down the whole time. On hotel buses, this is obviously not an option.
Some companies will allocate you seats (which you pretty much have to deal with) whereas others let you choose. This is a luxury, so choose wisely! If you’re particularly nervous of travelling by bus, you may or may not want to see the road. For some, seeing where you’re going is comforting, but I’m all about the ignorance is bliss lifestyle. Likewise, if you’re claustrophobic, you may not want a window seat if you’ll be laying next to someone else. This, once again, may seem trivial, but the roads in south East Asia aren’t always the smoothest, so getting a good seat can make things easier!
I always like sitting at the back because I feel you get a little extra privacy from everyone else. However, what I’ve found is that if you’re lucky enough to have a bus with a toilet, sitting at the back will means you’ll probably be unlucky enough to smell it. This isn’t too much of a problem for shorter journeys or if people are considerate enough to close the door behind them… it’s just food for thought!
Most sleeper and hotel buses aren’t too generous with the space they leave you for your belongings. They normally expect you to or them by your feet, which is okay for a midget like me, but anyone over 5ft 6 will probably struggle. This gives you three options:
1- Pack light so your bag is small and won’t get in the way too much (or just take a small bag). Just be mindful of what you might need to take to make your journey more bearable.
(Check out my other post to see what you might need…)
2- More often than not, at the back of the bus there are extra places to keep your bags. This may be under the last row of seats or behind them. These are pretty good places because not too many people (even the locals) seem to know about them. Just remember that you are leaving your bags unattended, and therefore they will be at higher risk of theft.
3- Get (a little) creative and use it as a pillow or a foot stall. Not really the best option, but there aren’t too many options and it might be better than having cramped feet for 20 hours.
I wouldn’t even advice keeping them in a bag because I have heard of people that have had either their whole bag taken, or someone has managed to go through their bag whilst they slept. Bumbags aren’t the coolest things in the world, but you can get them for quite cheap on market stalls or at shops. They allow you to keep your closet possessions pretty much as close to you as you can get, and of course you can tuck them out of sight under clothing.
Try to do this as little as possible for obvious reasons. Sometimes, however, you need to give it to a driver or tour operator so they can clear you through the boarder. Ensure that the person is who they say they are, (checking they are in a standard uniform, their ID badge, etc). Yet in true Asian style, this isn’t always the case, so keep an eye on who has your passport, where they’re going and what they’re doing.
Certain countries will require you to have a visa that you’ll have to pay for, so make sure you know how much you should pay and in what currency. Most places have exchange desks, but not everywhere has an ATM. This is what caught my boyfriend out on the Vietnam-Laos boarder. Previous boarders had ATM’s, so he was thought it was pretty much a given. We had no money and we were 8 hours away from our previous hostel in Hanoi. Luckily, 3 very kind Thai girls lent us the money, but needless to say, not everyone would have been quite so lucky. I think it is useful to always have too much money, obviously within reason. The only downfall is that you’re more at risk of losing what you have (unless you get a bumbag!!).
These can be either your best friend or your worst enemy. Sleeping aids can make long bus journeys more bearable by actually allowing you to get some rest, or they can work too well, and make you drowsy and sluggish. If you are going to take sleeping aids, ensure that you know exactly when you’re getting to your destination and how long they last for… you don’t want to arrive in a new city and be completely knocked out!
These buses can be soooo long, so to help them go that little bit quicker, make sure you’re well prepared.
(Check out my other blog post on travel essentials!)
Okay, so most overnight buses I have been fine with. The first one I went on, which was a hotel bus, took a little getting use to but after a little while you just get use to it.
Like o said earlier, sometime you will be lucky and have a completely smooth journey, and there times it might be a bit of a nightmare.
Once, we had a driver who constantly picked up new passengers, so much so that there were 12 people sitting in the isle. There was also 9 or 10 bags of rice in the isle (the people had to lay on these), which meant getting out at the back was a nightmare. It’s quite freaky because you get the feeling that you’re stuck and if you need to get out in an emergency, you can’t.
Another time we had maniac driver who was going so fast and swinging the bus around corners.
In these situations there isn’t much you can do other that get off the bus (probably not going to happen) or just stay calm. I do think it is better to know what you might be getting yourself in for though rather than going in blind as you may know that although it’s not necessarily the safest feeling, it’s probably normal for them (I realise that doesn’t make things too much better).
Some drivers remove your bags or cases from the coach the minute the park up. If you’ve just woken up and are feeling a little slow, your bags are just laying on the floor, surrounded by locals and unprotected. Make sure you get them back as soon as possible to prevent them from being tampered with or stolen.
Sometimes people are unlucky enough to get their bags damaged or items stolen. If you locked your bags you should be fine unless the lock or tie has been tampered with. Likewise, if you haven’t secured your luggage, you may want to check that everything is in tact and that any valuables are still there.
If anything has gone wrong, it’s better to talk to the bus company and police straight away.
I always find it useful to have 1 million screenshots of written directions, a picture off google maps, a photo of what the hostel looks like on the outside, and of course, the written address. Most tuktuk/taxi drivers will be aware of most hostels or guesthouses, but in the unlikely (but possible) situation where they don’t, an area map is always useful.
Wanderlust Lucy 