road travel Archives - Mom's Guide To Travel

I rode the Megabus from Baltimore to New York and survived!

Okay okay I’m totally being dramatic. Of course I was fine riding the Megabus. Before Thursday (or rather before Thursday morning when I saw a fat $280 round trip Amtrak ticket staring me in the face) I would’ve said you can lock me up in the trunk of a car before I travel by bus.

Know what type of traveler you are.

I’m just not a bus kinda girl.

Why? Well, we’re all different kinds of travelers and I’m one who happens to prefer cars and planes, ships and trains. Buses rarely come in to play unless I’m in a foreign country.

I don’t particularly care for buses because they tend to be slower; are usually filled with “interesting” characters; and the journey can be a different kind of uncomfortable. After riding the Megabus last week, I’ll say that this particular journey wasn’t that bad.

Here’s why:

1. The price was nice! I can’t say anything about the price. At all. I made a super last minute travel decision to go to New York for an event. It would’ve cost me over $250. The Megabus from Baltimore to New York cost me $56 and according to my girl Tonia who loves taking the bus from DC to NY, even that’s on the “high” side. For a quick turnaround trip that you book less than 2 hours from your departure time, that price is AWESOME!

2. I was able to book a reserved seat. I like guarantees so I’m all for paying an extra few bucks to know exactly where I’m sitting. If you’re rolling with the kids you’ll want to consider this unless you’re down for lining up early. I’m not. I’m an impatient soul. I wanna roll up and roll out.

Megabus from Baltimore to NY — Short line (reserved seats) vs. long line ( unreserved seats)

If you have a reserved seat, you usually board first. Even if you don’t board first, you won’t be scrambling trying to find an optimal seat because you would’ve already secured one. You’ll get exactly what you paid for.

Let me forewarn you, the seats are pleather and kinda slippery which you’ll have to deal with on those bumpy bouncy roadways like parts of the NJ turnpike. Avoid wearing rayon pants or the like – you’ll be sliding all over the place.

The bus tries it’s best to leave on time. It was fairly prompt when I traveled. I’ve heard that it can be painstakingly late at times. This is one of the biggest trade offs between its price and convenience.

Even with Megabus’ suspect punctuality, I’d say play it safe and be there 15 minutes before departure as the website recommends. If you have a reserved seat, you can probably cut it closer but don’t be late.

Bare essentials

Don’t expect pretzels or nuts when you get on the bus. Don’t expect help with your luggage either. I had a day bag with me so I was fine. You’ll see plenty of people traveling with luggage. An older woman carrying a suitcase received no assistance. She was simply directed to the storage bay.

Hey, you can’t complain when you’re not paying much for a service.

3. Wifi service on the bus. WiFi is great when it works for you. With so many people on the network and the bus moving along spotty reception areas of the turnpike, it’s hard to get consistent service. I just switched back to my 3G when I really needed it.

Best seats in the house

What I liked a lot was having outlets to plug my devices!! That’s super important for me as much as I’m online. Several seats have outlets under the seat but not all of them.

The front row top deck seats have four outlets, one for each passenger sitting in that row. Seat 9, where I sat on the journey going up from Baltimore to New York did not.

I’ll say, although I liked having the bus-driver style view in seat 3, as well as the outlets, seat 9 was more comfortable. Sitting in the aisle seat I had more space to stretch my legs forward. In the front row, there’s nowhere to stretch your legs out.

It’s those little nuances that make you wiser for the next time. And that’s why I chose different reserved seats for the round trip ticket – so that I can compare and share.

Did she just say “next time?”

Why yes, yes I did. I won’t be taking the kids on the bus – it’s much easier and more comfortable for me to take them by car. However, IF I have a last-minute trip to Manhattan again, I won’t count this bus out as an option for myself.

Thankfully the ride wasn’t that bad and there are no additional stops on the Megabus from Baltimore to New York.

Travel hack

Another passenger told me how he’s ridden the bus for $5.00 without even having a ticket!

Essentially he said that he rides standby, using one of his old reservation numbers which he writes down on a piece of paper, He tells the bus attendant that he missed his earlier bus. If they have room, he just has to pay the $5.

It’s risky if you have somewhere to be but some people don’t mind chancing it to save a few bucks.

Final tip for riding the Megabus from Baltimore to New York

If you plan on parking, be sure to print out your parking pass which will be a link in your confirmation email. The skimmer that I am, I didn’t notice this until I was in route to catch the bus. So, I ripped a white sheet of paper from my son’s story book and made it look like the pass I saw in another car. I also wrote my reservation number – just in case.

Thankfully I didn’t get ticketed or towed from the White Marsh stop. It was a long shot (and a risk) but thought I’d better give it a try. Do as I say, not as I do: Be sure to print out your parking pass before you park and ride.

What do you think about buses? Like ’em, hate ’em? Would rather do a death march before you step on one? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.

If you’re not flying to see family or friends for Thanksgiving, chances are you’re doing your fair share of driving. With gas prices averaging about 58 cents more this year than they did last year, every penny of gas you can save surely counts.

MyrtleRoad — Image courtesy of T. Browne Smith

Here are 9 ways to save on gas prices and consumption:

1. Use supermarket reward points to take some change off of your per gallon price. Every time I shop at my local supermarket and use my rewards card, I earn points that can be used towards the price of my gas at their pump. So, for every $100 (easy!) I spend on groceries, I save 10 cents per gallon and the price I pay for gas ends up being lower than what I pay at the pump of my wholesale membership club.

2. Car maintenance is key to fuel efficiency. Oil changes and properly inflated tires are the more obvious maintenance tasks but are you checking your car’s hoses, air filters, wires, antifreeze, coolant, and other fluids, to make sure that they’re in tip-top shape?

3. Keep the car light. The heavier the vehicle, the more load on the tires. And the more load on the tires, the more fuel the car uses. Get rid of the excess items in and on the car such as racks, clothing donations, and whatever else hides in the recess of our vehicles.

4. Close the windows while driving on the highway. Driving with open windows and sun roofs at high speeds add drag to the car and decrease fuel efficiency. Although the air conditioner increases fuel consumption, it’s still a better option on the highway than open windows.

5. Plan your travel time. Stop and go traffic is the anti-god to fuel efficiency so be strategic about the time of day you choose to get on the road.

6. Slow down and follow the printed speed signs. According to the EPA, gas mileage improves 10-15% by driving at 55 mph vs. 65 mph.

7. Keep it moving. Don’t let your vehicle idle for more than 30 seconds unless you’re in traffic or allowing a cold engine to warm up. And even in that case, the car shouldn’t idle for more than 1 to 2 minutes during winter conditions.

8. Tighten up. Make sure your gas cap is tightened. You can usually ensure this by turning it 2 clicks. Loose gas caps cause gas to evaporate.

9. Disconnect and turn off power-consuming accessories before you turn off your car. Anything that you plug into the cigarette lighter for power can force the alternator to work harder to provide said needed power. This increased work on the alternatior adds extra work (load) to the engine, which, in turn increases fuel usage.

Regardless of the increased prices for gasoline, road travel tends to be the more viable option for many families traveling for Thanksgiving. Do you count yourself as one of them? Hopefully these tips will help you keep more money in your pocket so you can put more turkey in your stomach.

How To Ride The Megabus From Baltimore To New York