# I Survived the Greyhound and now I am hitchking



## Daman45

I took a Greyhound bus for a cheaper way to travel across America (Spent about $80 for around trip to Atlanta Georgia and back to West Palm Beach Florida). First time was not so bad. The second time was like being in a Third-world country.
Willing to take my chances Hitchhiking, I need some advice going across America. Anything from common sense to the Law. For I the horror's I saw on the Greyhound...

Well you got the picture.


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## EphemeralStick

Well first of all, where are you looking to go? Second, how long do you plan to be gone for?

As for general tips, remember to carry water on you, make sure you wear comfortable hiking shoes, and trust your instincts when accepting rides from people.


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## Daman45

EphemeralStick said:


> Well first of all, where are you looking to go? Second, how long do you plan to be gone for?
> 
> As for general tips, remember to carry water on you, make sure you wear comfortable hiking shoes, and trust your instincts when accepting rides from people.



Well I am planning to go to San Diego California from Florida. Plus I am planning to travel for about a month. Just to clear my head and have some fun for once.
(By the way thanks for the tips. I hope the app for this site works.)


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## EphemeralStick

Well that's easy, just take I-10 damn near all of the way. If you do, try not to get stuck in Mobile, that place is the fucking worst. If you can, try to get a ride going through it. I got stuck there for a week and the cops are the worst kind of pricks.
A month is doable but you won't have much time to smell the roses along the way.


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## Daman45

Thanks! 
Florida is long as Hell and just as nasty. Trying to be smart on my adventure.
Also is the Squat the planet up and running yet? I love your site and want to see it in a app form.


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## EphemeralStick

It sure is, check out this thread here for more information.


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## Deleted member 125

EphemeralStick said:


> Well that's easy, just take I-10 damn near all of the way. If you do, try not to get stuck in Mobile, that place is the fucking worst. If you can, try to get a ride going through it. I got stuck there for a week and the cops are the worst kind of pricks.
> A month is doable but you won't have much time to smell the roses along the way.



you aint kidding about mobile that place is hell. i dont know if the shelter that has a feed once a day called 15 place is still around but damn ive never been somewhere where the owner of a homeless shelter has so much hate towords homeless people. mobile, where the bums spange the bums.


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## Kal

I would rather hitchhike or hop a train than ride the bus.


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## Daman45

Kal said:


> I would rather hitchhike or hop a train than ride the bus.


I felt like I was in prison. Or at least a third world country on wheels. 
Avoid Greyhound. They have no respect anything.


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## Mankini

Kal said:


> I would rather hitchhike or hop a train than ride the bus.



id rather eat tha crotch out of a menstruating roadkill monkey than ride the bus

old man peed on my leg.
baby with evil, devilish eyes whackin me with cheerios then the mom said shit to me in spanish. phuq you mami i speak phuqin spanish.
guy fell asleep on my shoulder with bloody kleenex shoved up both nostrils

NO MORE.


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## Deleted member 125

last time i took greyhound i was pretty shocked at how expensive it has gotten, it used to be really cheap thats why people put up with it, but nowadays you can get a amtrak ticket for damn near the same price. i havnt rode amtrak nearly as much as ive endured greyhound as i used to take greyhound alot to visit family when i was young, but my experiences on amtrak have been pretty good. i dont know if its a official rule or anything but last time i was on amtrak i was openly drinking whiskey from the bottle half the time and no employees said anything about it. i mean they sell booze so i figured ide just bring my own.


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## Daman45

Navy SEAL drill sergeant: "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU ARE QUALIFIED FOR SEAL, BITCH!"

Me: "SIR, I RODE ON A GREYHOUND BUS, SIR!"

Navy SEAL drill sergeant: "GET OUT OF HERE SOLDIER! YOU ARE OVERQUALIFIED!"


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## Art101

I love me some Greydog.Where else does your bus run out of fuel,the replacement bus catches on fire and you sit in Amarillo for almost 18 hours.


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## SophiaII

TBH, I love greyhound. 100%, not even joking, always an adventure. I find all night trips to be the most chill. It's easy to tell when you have a new driver.

Greyhound can still be cheap as hell if you book soon enough. 8-10 bucks to go from SA to DFW... Mega bus is not so much fun, not as good to sleep on, but more reliable.


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## Daman45

SophiaII said:


> TBH, I love greyhound. 100%, not even joking, always an adventure. I find all night trips to be the most chill. It's easy to tell when you have a new driver.
> 
> Greyhound can still be cheap as hell if you book soon enough. 8-10 bucks to go from SA to DFW... Mega bus is not so much fun, not as good to sleep on, but more reliable.



With all due respect but did you pay for a premium Greyhound? Because the one I went on was like Abu Ghraib and getting raped by Bill and Hillary Clinton.


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## Mankini

Daman45 said:


> With all due respect but did you pay for a premium Greyhound? Because the one I went on was like Abu Ghraib and getting raped by Bill and Hillary Clinton.




Kinds of people you meet on the greyhound: 

1. The Cowboy


2. The Spleen

3. The Sperminator

4. Mothers Little Helper

5. The Urban Guerrilla


















http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2...ook_at_america_on_a_greyhound_bus_photos.html


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## Daman45

Mankini said:


> Kinds of people you meet on the greyhound:
> 
> 1. The Cowboy
> 2. The Spleen
> 3. The Sperminator
> 4. Mothers Little Helper
> 5. The Urban Guerrilla
> 
> http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2...ook_at_america_on_a_greyhound_bus_photos.html



The Type of people I met on a Greyhound:
1. Junkies
2. Gang members
3. fat women
4. poor people
5. old people.
And they are the best to hang out with.

The worst are the employees. They treat us like shit and are assholes to the max.


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## SophiaII

Daman45 said:


> With all due respect but did you pay for a premium Greyhound? Because the one I went on was like Abu Ghraib and getting raped by Bill and Hillary Clinton.



Is there such a thing as a premium greyhound?!? I pick my greyhound like this: first, cheapest trips, which means tues, weds, thurs. Second, ones leaving either very early or very late (10pm-6am). Third, all things being the same, I'll take the longer bus, so take the 27hr one over the 23 hr one.

Better drivers, imo, on the schedules that start at night. Most of my drivers have done the same routes for 6+ years. They're usually a bit of an ass, but if you don't bother them, usually chill enough.

Of course, might differ by region. Almost all my greyhound experience has been in the South.

I find the stations to be way more fucking sketch than the bus.


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## Desert

A month to go from Florida to California and back? By way of thumb? Sure, it may be doable but would it be worth the stress is questionable to me. It would be well worth it to take the trip and give it a shot but I would put aside 2-3 months for a good quality adventure. When you're in a hurry, sitting on the ramp for a day can really kill morale.

Taking I-10 all the way would work but you're going to have to be very careful about where you get dropped off. Going through big cities like Mobile, Houston, El Paso, Phoenix, etc can sometimes take a few days a piece to get through. There are also hundreds of miles of nothingness going through Texas and Arizona; rugged and very dry nothingness. A couple long rides are gonna be key to making it in such a short time. 

With a vehicle, gas jugging and sign flying the entire way, my best time one way (Sacramento to St. Augustine) was close to three weeks; rushed but not stressed. I've done SF to NOLA in about a week by thumb but I was pretty fucking tired and hungry when I got there. Obviously, there are people who have done it quicker but a lot of it is going to depend on luck and the resources you have to bring with you.


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## Daman45

Desert said:


> A month to go from Florida to California and back? By way of thumb? Sure, it may be doable but would it be worth the stress is questionable to me. It would be well worth it to take the trip and give it a shot but I would put aside 2-3 months for a good quality adventure. When you're in a hurry, sitting on the ramp for a day can really kill morale.
> 
> Taking I-10 all the way would work but you're going to have to be very careful about where you get dropped off. Going through big cities like Mobile, Houston, El Paso, Phoenix, etc can sometimes take a few days a piece to get through. There are also hundreds of miles of nothingness going through Texas and Arizona; rugged and very dry nothingness. A couple long rides are gonna be key to making it in such a short time.
> 
> With a vehicle, gas jugging and sign flying the entire way, my best time one way (Sacramento to St. Augustine) was close to three weeks; rushed but not stressed. I've done SF to NOLA in about a week by thumb but I was pretty fucking tired and hungry when I got there. Obviously, there are people who have done it quicker but a lot of it is going to depend on luck and the resources you have to bring with you.



How about ride share on Craiglist? How will that work out?


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## iflewoverthecuckoosnest

Bring a water jug.  An empty Arizona Tea jug is the best I've ever had.
If you have a smart phone, get one of those satellite map apps, they come in handy.
Have a backpack with a good frame! I crossed the country with a shit backpack and my back hates me for it. Getting a new one as soon as I hunker down for the winter 
When you get into a car, sit with your stuff next to/on your lap. Though it's never happened to me, some people are absolute ass hats and they will drive off with your stuff when you are getting out. Don't give them that opportunity. 
Also, from my experience, cities in general are an absolute bitch to make your way out of, so you might want to avoid them. That's just my take on cities, though. Who knows? You might love them. 
Other than that, have fun, trust your gut, doesn't hurt to bring some pepper spray or a knife, and be really cool to everybody . You'd be surprised just how far honesty and kindness can get you with folks. 
Good luck!


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## Desert

Daman45 said:


> How about ride share on Craiglist? How will that work out?



Sure. I used craigslist all the way from Albuquerque to Portland and have used it on a couple smaller trips. It works if you have gas money to give the driver, otherwise it might be tough. It might be difficult to work around their departure dates as well; hitchhiking can be unpredictable and timeframes have never worked for me. With a little planning and some patience you could probably make it a pretty quick and easy trip, assuming you have the funds.


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## Hobo Mud

Daman45 said:


> I took a Greyhound bus for a cheaper way to travel across America (Spent about $80 for around trip to Atlanta Georgia and back to West Palm Beach Florida). First time was not so bad. The second time was like being in a Third-world country.
> Willing to take my chances Hitchhiking, I need some advice going across America. Anything from common sense to the Law. For I the horror's I saw on the Greyhound...
> 
> Well you got the picture.




Welcome to the wonderful world of grey hound! Lol!


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## Deleted member 14481

Greyhound and Megabus are great when everything works and nothing goes wrong. When something goes wrong, everything else will have a tendency to fall apart with it. I don't blame you for wanting to hitchhike after having such experiences.

Everyone's already given you the good basic advice about where to find water. You can dumpster dive for food, and never underestimate having a reliable pair of hiking boots. Two, if you have the space. An issue for me is finding Wi-Fi in places where I don't have to buy something. Not every place has a central Walmart or Target located conveniently somewhere. Other good places to get Wi-Fi without having to buy something can be Starbucks, depending on how the building is designed. Any place with an upstairs where you can sneak past the cash register, but not a local place, where you would have to ask for the password still. Some places have readily available place Wi-Fi. Public libraries are default. Neighborhoods, public city Wi-Fi, bus stations and City public transportation in places that are more expensive to live. 

Good luck out there!


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## Kuchi Kopi

so, I'll share my hitch out of FL. I took a bus to the park n' ride in Tampa where you have access to I-75. I ate some Wendy's. Then I walked to the on ramp of I-75 and stuck my thumb out (other extremities may work, it's FL so go nuts). Then I got off at the San Antonio exit which features a Flying J I think. I ate Denny's. Then I stood at the trucker exit with my thumb out and took a truck hitch to Georgia. So, my advice would be to get out of FL immediately. There are truck stops on I-10 but IMO it's easier to catch a ride west from anywhere but FL. A lot of drivers go north to south not east to west but there are tons of truckers heading to TX all the time. I hitch trucks since I like the option to go long distances and because I like the Love's logo. If I were trying to get to CA I'd aim for Washington state then hitch down but, I hate I- 10. Hitching is easy. Hope this helped in someway.


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## Coywolf

Man, greyhound is, and forever will be, the worst form of travel monopoly in the world. I HATE greyhound. I was refused a ride in Amarillo, after a 5 hour layover, and forced to wait 3 days for the next bus, after the driver said "I smelled like alcohol".

Fucking ass holes. I fought it, it's not in their rules, and and not in their policy. Threatened to sue them.

They don't give a shot about you. Will kick you off in the middle of nowhere.

I have seen old people beaten, foreign tourist robbed, and people openly smoking meth on Greyhoud. Fuck them. 

They make a KILLING on tickets, and don't forward any of that money to the service they provide. Not to mention the are a total monopoly.

They take advantage of the disenfrachised.

So. Fuck Greyhound. I would rather hop or hitch any day, but sometimes taking the bus is unavoidable.

That being said, I've met some bad ass peo0le on the bus. It's fun to strike up conversations with the hardest looking motherfuckers (I'm white with long hair) and end up becoming friends after talk8ng about hardcore shit for an hour, haha.


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## ironman

I take tornado bus line . it get you cross country . faster and very respectful drivers


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