Fear not, they’re not the worse things, but saying that, they’re not the best! So there are two types, a sleeper bus which is a bed like seat, you can stretch out, although not fully and a night bus, which is just a normal double decker bus and the seat reclines a little bit.
You may have read up some horror stories (like I foolishly did) but chances are nothing bad is going to happen. I’ve written in previous posts about having read stories about drunk bus drivers but honestly we did not encounter one, not one, of all the night buses we took. I was fearful of our first sleeper bus in Vietnam from Hanoi to Sapa, the guy was even smoking on board, I don’t even know if that’s legal, is it? I know it’s not in Ireland, but we weren’t in Ireland! And although I felt he was swerving a lot on the road, Jamie was convinced I was just imagining things!
So here goes, top tips to survive the night.
Keep Your Valuables On You
We had two a bags on us, our big backpack and a rucksack each. The small rucksack came on board with us containing our most valued possession to include; phone, money, passport and electronic devices. Basically anything you think you can’t (and don’t want to) survive without. The last thing you want is to be worrying about your valuables thrashing about in the storage underneath.
Arrive Early
Not necessarily always possible as they generally pick you up from your hotel, which is great however sometimes depending on when you get collected, first or in fact last, can work in your favour. If you’re last to be collected, you may well be the first off the mini-bus and in turn, first to board the big night bus. If possible, try to hop on the big bus first and grab a good seat, ideally a window seat and far away from the toilet (for obvious reasons!).
Travel Essentials
To include, ear plugs, neck pillow, long sleeve top and trousers (it gets bloody cold on board after a while!) although, they generally provide a blanket, and bring also a good range of music or even a podcast. Jamie’s a firm believer in podcasts!
Pay a Little Bit Extra
You’re more than likely going to get offered two options; one cheaper than the other. Although it may be tempting go for the one slightly cheaper, just splash out and buy the more expensive one! And by expensive it really is very slightly, about $4* in the difference. It isn’t going to be much to you, but $4 is huge to them. I soon realised that those few dollars could mean an awful lot in terms of the quality of the mode of transport. Go for it, spend those extra few dollars. The bus will be more comfortable and you will certainly feel more at ease.
*The reason I say dollars is because the American Dollar is accepted in Vietnam.
Motion/Travel Sickness
If you’re one to suffer from this, luckily I don’t, be sure to bring the appropriate medication. Bearing in mind some night buses can last anywhere up to 24 hours, depending of course where you start and where your destination is.
Snacks
Bring a few snacks on board and a drink. Some buses actually provided us with bottles of water but this was very rare. The bus driver may not stop also, at the most convenient of places therefore you may not be able to pick up any foods until you arrive at your destination.
Wear Your Seatbelt
Seems like an obvious one, but when lying down, or at least trying to lie down, you may forget to buckle up. You’ll soon learn they rarely slow down or yield for traffic. So much so, put the belt on just in case you take a tumble. And the last thing you want is to be falling from the top bunk. Better safe than sorry eh!
Plan Your Arrival
As you arrive in to a new town/city, there is going to be a lot of tuk tuk/taxi drives, regardless of the time of day, willing to bring you to your hotel. Little do you know, the hotel may well be located around the corner. You may not know where exactly the bus will actually stop in your destination however what I always did was input the hotel address on Google Maps, and although you more than likely will not have WiFi at this point, the little blue marker (which is your current whereabouts) will still move about as you move. And the red pointer is where your hotel is. Just walk until the blue marker meets the red marker. Often Jamie and I just walked to our hotel, saving us a cab fare!
And that’s it. How To…. Survive The Night Buses of South East Asia. I hope you enjoyed the read. Be sure and let me know if you any questions or pop me a comment below.
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