Travelling via Greyhound

Here's some advice: If there's any way you can avoid doing it, don't do it.

I took a trip on Greyhound from NJ to Florida in '97, because I was too poor to afford flying at the time. That doesn't mean the ticket was exactly cheap. It was $139. (A plane ticket at the time would have been about $100 more.) I got stuck overnight in their Fayetteville, NC terminal because they overbooked the bus that was going to take us from there to Florida.

The "compensation" for our trouble was a $3 voucher to use in the bus depot cafeteria.

The next morning, when we finally managed to get on a bus packed to the gills, one of the guys I was stuck with overnight asked the bus driver if he could let him off somewhere in Georgia because his father had just died and he needed to get to the funeral (or something like that). At first the bus driver said OK, but when we got there, he wouldn't let the guy off. The guy made a big fuss, and the driver kicked him off the bus.

The guy then grabbed onto the side of the bus, while the bus driver started driving. The guy held on for a good couple hundred feet or so, with his sneakers smoking, and then he finally he lost his grip.

It took me almost 36 hours to get from NJ to FL - what would have been a two hour flight. I stumbled off the bus in Florida to meet my parents, and the first words out of my mouth were, "Never again."

It's a horrible company, with horrible service, taking advantage of a group of people whom they know doesn't have the resources to demand better service and treatment.

I cannot not recommend them enough.

Quote from frogstar : taking greyhound is slightly less pleasant than being kidnapped by the mob and stuffed in the trunk of a 1964 cadillac that's already got a corpse in it.

ftfy.

Quote from TigerStar :

Don't worry, we'll see the OP again! maybe.

Quote from Deusxmachina : Don't worry, we'll see the OP again! maybe.

There is a good chance it will make the national news.

As an aside, has anyone seen those deals they offer were you pay like $300 bucks and can ride any Greyhound bus anywhere for like two weeks?

Quote from LoveSweepstakes : As an aside, has anyone seen those deals they offer were you pay like $300 bucks and can ride any Greyhound bus anywhere for like two weeks?

I think that was originally going to be the premise of Survivor reality show. It was rejected as being too unbelievable that anyone could stay alive that long on a Greyhound bus.

(slow at first and then gaining speed...)

It all depends on the driver.. I was so broke in college, I did Greyhound quite a bit.
Some drivers will let you out at a traffic light that's closer to your destination than an official stop.
I think the OP's 14 hour drive is about the limit I would want to do though.. I did a 32 hour one.. I agree, that was hell. I also did a few that were only 5-6 hours.. They were actually pretty fun. I've met interesting people on every trip I've been on.

So, what kind of luggage can I use for my carry on? Backpack work? Duffel bag? What are the size limits besides 25 lbs?

Quote from mystery250 : So, what kind of luggage can I use for my carry on? Backpack work? Duffel bag? What are the size limits besides 25 lbs?

It's been a long time since I rode one.. I had no carryons.. I would just stick with a small backpack that I could put on my lap.. You don't want to be lugging a big duffel bag every time you change busses. You want something easy to carry into the bathroom with you.
It's not like airplanes.. they aren't going to lose your luggage.

Quote from mystery250 : So, what kind of luggage can I use for my carry on? Backpack work? Duffel bag? What are the size limits besides 25 lbs?

European carryall.

Quote from veritableqndry : European carryall.

It's a purse, dude. It's a purse.

Quote from mystery250 : So, what kind of luggage can I use for my carry on? Backpack work? Duffel bag? What are the size limits besides 25 lbs?

something big enough for your handgun and taser, Epi pen incase someone overdoses, respirator for the smell(s), snacks if you can stand to eat over said smells, headphones, and maybe a recent copy of your will