Go Greyhound

When was the last time you rode a Greyhound bus?

For me it has been way too long. The last time I was on a Greyhound Bus was back when Houston Rockets were winning the NBA Championships. Wow! That was a long time ago. I was on a speaking tour and I rode the bus from Philadelphia, PA to Richmond, VA and back to Philly with a one day stop over in Harrisburg PA.

So why am I talking about it now?

Because… well, I have always enjoyed traveling at the ground level, and I love the fact that I don’t have to drive. Also, I am planning a seven day trip towards the end of July.

I recently learned about the Travel Blog Exchange 09 conference, being held in Chicago on July 26th, and the location where the conference is being held is within a mile of the Greyhound terminal in Chicago. How cool is that?

The beauty of traveling by Greyhound is that you can take a break in between your trip, and then continue on. When I was living in Chicago, I took a trip to LA to meet up with my cousin. On my way there, I stopped in Oklahoma City for a couple of days to meet and spend time with some friends from the days when I lived in OKC. On the way back, I stopped in Flagstaff, AZ and took a side trip to visit Grand Canyon. The whole trip lasted a week, costed a couple of hundred dollars, and I had the time of my life.

This time around, I think I’ll buy a discovery pass, which gives me more flexibility to choose my routes. I plan on visiting a friend who lives in the Northern Georgia, take in a day of adventure and hiking in the mountains, and then head on to Chicago to arrive there early Sunday morning, attend the conference and catch the bus back to Houston (maybe some side trips, if time permits).

I like traveling by bus because people I am travelling with are very much like me. They are laid back, slow paced folks who enjoy life in the present moment. In addition, you get to know the people more intimately since you are with them for a few hours at the least, and sometimes even for a day or so. I bet you can come up with some interesting posts or a song or two.

I think traveling by bus is probably the most enjoyable way to travel, and since my goal is travel itself, and I am in no hurry to get anywhere in particular, and that suits my nomadic lifestyle just fine.

Have you had any experience traveling by bus? Good or bad, share it in the comments below.

Visit Travel Blog Exchange