Wednesday, November 20th 2019

Night buses: see more, spend less

Night buses: see more, spend less

The night bus is the travel hack that pays you twice: you cover hundreds of kilometres while you sleep, and you save a night of accommodation doing it. Arrive with the sunrise, drop your bag at the luggage room, and you have a full day in a new city before check-in time.

A few lessons learned the hard way: pick a seat away from the doors and the toilet, bring a neck pillow and a thin blanket, and keep earplugs and an eye mask in your daypack, not in the hold.

Overnight routes connect most major European cities, and the longer distances are exactly where the savings stack up - the fare is often half the price of a daytime train plus a hostel night.

Night buses will never feel like a hotel bed. But waking up somewhere new, with the whole day ahead of you and money still in your pocket, is a feeling all of its own.