If you’re planning to travel through Australia then hopping on the Greyhound bus might be a very good option for you. I’ve explored Australia in many ways: by plane, by car and by campervan. And since my last travels I can also say I explored Australia by bus, and I loved it.
My friends and I boarded the Greyhound in Cairns and traveled down Australia’s East Coast. Traveling by Greyhound bus was a very positive experience which I would recommend to anyone. Curious why? I’ll give you 11 reasons.
1. You don’t have to drive yourself
Road tripping is a lot of fun, and many people prefer to drive themselves. I get it. But don’t forget that Australia is big. Very big. Like, huge. The roads are long and endless and driving can become boring (and tiring) after a while.
Last year I traveled from Sydney to Noosa with my friend Esmee driving the entire trip, leaving her very tired. Because we boarded the bus this time, she could just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. She highly enjoyed the fact that she could take naps, stare out of the window and didn’t have to focus while being on the road.
2. You can book your own seat
And that’s great, especially if you like sitting in the front of the bus. Tip: don’t leave booking your seat to the last moment as the best seats might obviously be taken 😉
3. You are allowed to take 40kg luggage
If you’re backpacking through Australia I sincerely hope you don’t carry two 40kg backpacks with you 😉 But if you’re like me and you couldn’t resist visiting the cute boutiques in Byron or buying that beautiful summer dress in Bondi then you’re happy you have the option of bringing two 20kg bags with you. At no extra cost 🙂
4. They offer the best travel + accommodation packages
Traveling on the bus is great, but stopping to explore a new place is just as exciting. Good thing Greyhound has got you covered when it comes to accommodation as well, with their special accommodation packages.
Next to our 30-day Greyhound Whimit travel pass we booked the YHA Dreamcatcher pass. This pass offers you accommodation at any YHA hostel. For those who are not familiar with YHA: they’re just the best hostel group in Australia. Period.
5. Free WIFI & USB Charger
Yup – that’s right! Not only YOU can recharge while traveling – your devices can as well! Feel like surfing the web or watching your favorite Netflix show? Just plug in your phone, connect to the WiFi, put your seat back and relax. Enjoy the ride 😉
6. There’s a toilet on board
We all have that one friend who needs to go to the bathroom all. the. time. (Or maybe we are that one friend ;)) Good news: you don’t have to wait for them to say how bad they have to go until the next stop, as most Greyhound Australia buses are equipped with an on-board restroom. Perrrfect!
7. Greyhound is Australia’s largest coach network
With over 180 stops across metropolitan and rural Australia Greyhound is Australia’s largest coach network. In most places there are several buses leaving a day, making it super easy to plan your trip.
8. Free water on board
Kids, I can’t stress enough how important it is to drink plenty of water. Especially when you’re traveling through Australia, with its tropical temperatures that will make you sweat buckets guaranteed. Try to bring your own water on the bus, but don’t fear if you run out of H2O, as you can fill up on board 🙂
9. Take the night bus
Planning to travel a long distance but don’t want to waste a day traveling? Great news – you can also travel overnight by Greyhound! Not only is this great because it saves you wasting one of your travel days, it is also your accommodation for the night! It’s like two for the price of one 😉
10. Good pick up and drop off spots
Greyhounds pick up/drop off locations are great, and often only a short walk away. In Cairns you can hop on close to the lagoon, in Townsville we were dropped off right next to the ferry to Magnetic Island and in Airlie Beach we only had to walk a short 10 minutes to our YHA for the night.
11. Bus travel is a more eco friendly way of travel
Research has shown that coaches have been shown to have the lowest cost emissions per seat kilometre of all transport modes considered, with CO2 emissions of coach transport estimated as less than 1% of total tourism-related emissions (source: Peeters, van Egmond & Visser, 2004). So ditch that plane, avoid that car and hop on the bus, and reduce your carbon footprint.
I never expected to love traveling by Greyhound as much as I did. It’s a very relaxed and carefree way of traveling, leaving me with plenty of energy to do what I love doing best: exploring and enjoying new places 🙂
All pictures in this article are edited with Eef’s Presets – get yours here.
❤ Eef
Disclaimer: this article is part of an unpaid collaboration with Greyhound Australia. All opinions expressed in this article are 100% genuine and 100% mine.
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