Took a 24h bus ride once, definitely would not recommend.

2 hours by bus is already pushing it. I couldn’t image 36

The two times I’ve done it were overnight trips, leaving at about 9 and getting in about 7am. They were fine I suppose, I listened to music for a while then had a sleep. It was cheaper than a flight and as I lived nowhere near an airport was probably not much longer.

I agree that this is a bad idea. Bus travel sucks. It has basically all of the downsides of air travel with basically none of the upsides, minus cost obviously. Without knowing what countries you’re going to be going through it’s harder to say. Bus stations in my experience can be difficult to navigate in my language, in a language I don’t know I’d be even more concerned. Usually you can eat food, but like airplanes try to be considerate about what you have. Avoid fish, common allergens, smelly food, etc.

Finally consider that over those 36 hours you’re going to have to either bring food, or buy it, you’re losing time wherever you’re transit, and are at the mercy of the bus time tables instead of waiting on a single flight

So this a video about a young couple traveling across the United States on Greyhound.

https://youtu.be/fTpt4tMnDT0

That being said, the only reasons to pick a bus over a plane is due to cost or the inability to drive.

I traveled 730ish miles by bus, and I wouldn’t recommend it. You can bring food on busses. I strongly recommend making sure you have a change of socks and maybe slippers. In every other way, prepare like you might be getting on a plane.

I’ve never done this and would never do it, for all the reasons people have already described.

I would, however, choose a 6-hour train over a 2-hour flight, as long as I traveled in (European) first/business class with a seat reservation.

There is almost no amount of money that could convince me to travel 36 hours by bus if I could instead spend 5-6 hours going through airports and only one flight. If I literally didn’t have the money to fly, I would spend all my energy figuring out how not to go at all.

Can you do trains instead? Having ridden thousands of miles in busses I can tell you it gets extremely cramped and uncomfortable, and this gets worse the longer you’re on it. Sleeper trains in the US and Canada are really nice. Not sure about Europe.

I have a friend who’s taken the bus cross country a few times. He just loads up his laptop with movies, books and games and catches up on his “me time.”

Although, having layovers in a country where I don’t speak the language would definitely be a deal breaker for me.

I went from Atlanta Georgia to Detroit Michigan once. It was supposed to be 14 hours. It was 28. I didn’t sleep at all during the trip and crashed for half the day afterwards.

I vowed never to take Greyhound long distance again and never did.

It really depends on the kind of buses I think.

I did a lot of traveling in South America and it was a great way to see different countries. A lot of the buses were pretty luxurious with 180 degree reclining seats, meals and bus attendants to give your blankets and things. You could rest comfortably during the night trips. I also met some interesting people along the way. Some trips were horrible too, but at least I have the stories.

I probably wouldn’t do it in the US. Don’t know about other countries.

Can you actually extend the trip and stay at some hotels/hostels or something along the way? If the buses are comfortable, and you have the time and budget, i think it would be great to visit three different countries, enjoy the foods and sites, meet people along the way, and have that time by yourself to do whatever you want.

No. I took a bus from NYC back to California and it fucking suuuuuucked! Take a train or a plane instead.

I traveled a thousand miles by bus but it was direct with only one “rest” stop and it was also overnight. Went to sleep on my way out of one city, woke up on my way into another.

I’ve also done longer trips with multiple stops and changing busses. I brought a book. It was fine.

When you’ve got less money and more time, it’s a good option to have.

Travelling 1600km by bus is… urgh, a bit painful. Even if you get a nice bus, where you can comfortably sleep, with plenty stops, lacking annoying loud people, you’ll probably feel glad once you hop off. Doubly true when returning home.

If you’re still doing it: a book, a fully charged phone and/or laptop (remember earplugs!), comfy clothes makes it more bearable. Don’t assume the person next seat wants to chitchat, or can chitchat about interesting topics.

It’s a good idea to have a water bottle and something to snack on, even if you can stop midway to buy food. My go-to snack was nutrient bars - they take almost no space, they’re discreet¹ and filling enough.

so I assume young people and public facing employees at the bus exchanges to speak some of it…

Don’t assume; look for that info. Preferably on a city level if possible/available, but if you can’t find it at least on country level.

Also take in mind that plenty people don’t feel morally obligated to shift languages based on outsiders’ convenience, even if they do speak it².

1. A big “fuck you” to the muppet on a 600km bus travel that I did, who decided to eat pork rinds while in the bus. That “CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH” was aggravating.
2. I’ve seen this two times. In two different countries. I’ve seen the opposite too, people going the extra length to help you out, so don’t take it as a general rule, just keep it in mind.

I haven’t tried going that far in one run. But I’ve used buses fairly often to get to other cities.

changing buses 2 times in 2 different non English speaking countries

That alone would make me not want to do it, unless you were in a country like Japan or the Netherlands with decent pubic transit and quality google maps support.

are travelers allowed to eat in the bus? Am I allowed to bring my own food?

You’re not supposed to eat meals on the bus. It doesn’t stop it from happening. It depends on the temperament of the driver. But don’t do it, the other passengers don’t wanna be suffering w/e smell on a long trip. But you can pack food and eat it at rest points. (if your route has them)

but did you ever do something like this? Any regrets?

My first time in a major city, I was too scared to ride the subway. So I took the city buses everywhere, I regret that. Changing buses in the rain, and discovering my ticket was non-transferable was a huge drag.

Just know if you do, the local scammers know the stops and will try shenanigans. Don’t fall for the guy having a heart attack trick like I did. Pay attention to how the locals and fellow travelers are behaving.