Free Travel and Vacation Information

So you are finally going to get your chance to travel in Europe and you've decided that after you get off the plane that you are going to be taking a bus tour of Europe. Whether it's for one week or three weeks you are going to plan for the idea that there simply is not going to be much room and that means you had better plan for that when it comes to packing.

Below are tips on what to do when touring on a bus while taking your holidays to Europe.

It's really important that the piece of luggage you pick is going to be something that is going to be easy for you to manage and that it can be carried easily and can be left on the bus with ease as well. An oversized backpack or a smaller suitcase that is on wheels should work very nicely.

You need to research the places that you will be visiting and make sure that you know what the weather is generally like at all of your destinations during the time of year that you will be traveling there. This is really important so that you know what kind of clothing you should be packing.

To begin with start with the basics and pack two T-shirts a long with two of your most comfortable pairs of pants. Make sure that you have a couple of different thickness of materials when choosing your clothes so that you will be able to adjust to the different weather. Also, make sure that the material that you choose is made of material that will dry fast.

After you have the two T-shirts and pants then add a couple of wrinkle proof tops or shirts a long with a skirt and a nice pair of pants as well as a dress if you are a woman. For men make sure there are a couple of nicer shirts and dress pants. You don't always want to wear T-shirts and jeans. Dressing in other types of clothing will help you look less the tourist anyway.

You should also add some sort of raincoat or a lighter coat for inclement weather. It wouldn't hurt to include an umbrella either and a sweater and scarf in case you run into places that have some cold evenings.

You should wear one pair of comfortable shoes or sandals and have one other pair in your suitcase, two at the most, one a walking pair the other a pair of dress shoes if you plan on going somewhere nice during one of your stops.

When you are packing your underwear and other person hygiene items make sure you base this on what kind of travel time you will be experiencing in between the different hotels you'll be staying at. If the journeys will be long distances then pack according to that however; if they are shorter journeys you will be able to buy things you need and will have the opportunity to wash your things during your stays.

Items that you should have handy and not packed away when traveling on the bus would be books, your MP3 or iPods and especially your camera. Make sure that you have this at your dispose so you can capture some of the incredible sights you will see while riding on the bus.

Final notes: Make sure that you pack an adapter for any electric items you have brought and also include a small clock, something to write on and write with, sunglasses and plenty of minutes on your phone if you are bringing your cell phone.  

Planning a trip to a major city and you really don't want to spend the money and time driving yourself? Then you might want to consider taking the bus. There are some advantages for travel in a bus that includes the amount of money you will spend and the variety of locations that they go to. But there are a few things you should know in order for you to enjoy your bus trip and get to you final destination in a safe manner.

When you are ready to board the bus, it is very important that you have your ticket in your hand. If you happen to not have it ready for the person checking the ticket, they may make you go to the back of the line or step to the side while you look for your ticket. They are not going to wait for you to find it and hold up the line behind you.

You will more than likely be allowed to take one bag on the bus with you, no different than on a plane because they also have compartments overhead. But, if you happen to have several bags to take with you make sure you keep a close eye on the bags that you have checked in. When you are waiting in line to board the bus keep an eye on when they are packing the bags on the side of the bus. Try and make sure that you see your bags. They often can get mixed up when they are on the luggage racks and get put on a different bus. Also make sure that your tags match your ticket when you get to your destination as well.

It's probably a better idea to go to the bathroom at the different rest stops that the bus makes. Buses generally will try to make rest stops every twenty to fifty miles. So if you can hold it while traveling it will probably better. The reason for this is that the bathrooms on buses are not always the cleanest.

Even though most buses claim that you can't eat or drink while you travel in the bus, these rules are hardly ever enforced by the bus driver. It does depend upon the driver but generally they won't say a thing about it so consider bringing your own snacks and beverages with you, just don't make a mess. This will save you a lot of money when it comes to eating at the rest stops.

The most important thing you should remember is once you are at a rest stop pay close attention to the time and the time the bus driver has indicated that the bus will be leaving. It is vitally important that you return to the bus on time. A lot of drivers simply will not wait for you and will leave you behind. This happens often. Even if you are right outside of the bus when it's time for the bus to leave he actually has no obligation to let you back on the bus. So always make sure that you consider returning to the bus about five minutes before it's departure time.

If your bus trip is going to be a long one it's a good idea to bring yourself some sort of entertainment. Have some sort of music to listen to and if you have a portable DVD player make sure to bring that with you. This will definitely help pass the hours since travel in a bus can seem endless sometimes.

If you don't want to get into any legal problems while riding the bus, whatever you do don't bring any king of drugs or alcohol onto the bus. If you have been drinking and the driver can smell it or suspects you have by your behavior, they have the right to tell you to get off the bus.

Make sure to keep your purse or wallet with you always. Never let them out of your sight, in fact make sure that you can feel it at all times. With all the different people getting on and off the bus at various different stops you are exposing yourself to the easy possibility of theft. So be smart and make sure your money is close to you at all times.