Greyhound?

[srigg009]

Never actually been on a Greyhound, but I have heard tale! haha!

Also the traveling alone thing I don't think is a big deal. I've traveled alone via bus in more "dangerous" countries and areas than Virginia and never had a problem. BUT like books said it's good to have some street smarts/traveling experience. Seeing as though you don't have a license yet I'm wondering are you younger than 16? It might be a real good idea to wait or bring a friend or something. What's the problem with trains? Take a dramamine and sleep through the whole thing!

Lately my Anxiety has just hit a high level so I worry about everything and when I think planes i think "crashes, falling out of the sky, etc" when I think trains i think "derailment, falling off bridges, etc". My mind is a bit out there. lol Im almost 21 I just never got my license because it wasn't a priority for me. I just recently got my learners permit (in va you have to have a learner's permit for 30 days before you can take the road test, even if you're over 19) but, I'm a bit afraid to try driving because I have never drove in my life. The most Ive drove is moving my moms car into the yard to wash it. lol Last time I tried to fly/take a train I had a panic attack before I ever even left my house, I almost passed out from hyperventilation, so yeah... lol

[yayagrl]

Lately my Anxiety has just hit a high level so I worry about everything and when I think planes i think "crashes, falling out of the sky, etc" when I think trains i think "derailment, falling off bridges, etc". My mind is a bit out there. lol Im almost 21 I just never got my license because it wasn't a priority for me. I just recently got my learners permit (in va you have to have a learner's permit for 30 days before you can take the road test, even if you're over 19) but, I'm a bit afraid to try driving because I have never drove in my life. The most Ive drove is moving my moms car into the yard to wash it. lol Last time I tried to fly/take a train I had a panic attack before I ever even left my house, I almost passed out from hyperventilation, so yeah... lol

Hey don't feel bad about not having your license yet. I'm 20 and don't have mine yet either. I can drive pretty well and got my learner's my senior year of high school so I just need to work on my parking and I should be able to get my license. Hopefully before I graduate in June of next year. as for greyhound I'm a big scaredy cat cause my parents kept my sister's and I sheltered our whole lives and even now my dad still freaks out about me going places, but I'm a loner and I do a good deal by myself. Greyhound just like any other form of travel that you don't control has it's snafus. Things could go well and things could go not so well. I've only ever been on greyhound once in my life because I...... well long story, but I was going from Chattanooga, TN to Atlanta and that was about 4 hours and pretty late in the evening. If you're afraid of running into any weirdos pick a trip that leaves as early in the morning as you can stand and make sure you eat, drink and tinkle or take care of whatever else before you get on the bus. I don't care for public restrooms so that's why I say handle your biz beforehand. Otherwise have a safe trip. And don't feel bad about being a girl traveling by yourself as long as you don't do anything crazy like wander around too far when you are making transfers or talk to people then you should be fine. Just keep an eye on your surroundings and do like Barney said and don't talk to strangers. You'll be fine. Hope you have a safe trip

[books]

Lately my Anxiety has just hit a high level so I worry about everything and when I think planes i think "crashes, falling out of the sky, etc" when I think trains i think "derailment, falling off bridges, etc". My mind is a bit out there. lol Im almost 21 I just never got my license because it wasn't a priority for me. I just recently got my learners permit (in va you have to have a learner's permit for 30 days before you can take the road test, even if you're over 19) but, I'm a bit afraid to try driving because I have never drove in my life. The most Ive drove is moving my moms car into the yard to wash it. lol Last time I tried to fly/take a train I had a panic attack before I ever even left my house, I almost passed out from hyperventilation, so yeah... lol

I didn't get my license until I was 22- grew up in NYC where driving is not needed and it wasn't until I moved to another state that I was pretty much forced to learn. So, if Greyhound is your only option, here's the best advice I can give you:
-Try to travel during the day as opposed to at night
-Limit your valuables...like I said keep your valuables WITH YOU. If you have a bigger bag, you will need to put that on the luggage compartment on the bus where you will not have access to it.
- At rest stops/layovers- handle your business quickly and don't wander around. Really sick but the greyhound terminals are especially known for guys who look out for young single girls who they then approach, try to befriend, etc.
- If you have questions about anything, better to ask your driver or in the terminal a Greyhound employee (they'll have desks there)

[srigg009]

Thanks everyone I will definitely do my best to get an early trip, but the trip would be about a day so I can't really avoid being on the bus at night. I can avoid late night transfers though. I've flown alone to NYC before all of this anxiety kicked in and had no problems, even met this really nice girl on the plane who I became friends with. When I went on a train to WI, I was with my Grandmother and this one woman apparently trusted us enough to leave her baby with us while she made a phone call and picked up her luggage. It was strange, but it also taught me that not everyone is as crazy as we make them out to be, there is a such things as nice strangers but you have to be very careful with your judging.

[kat4301]

Richmond terminal is not as great as you might hope, can you be in Richmond during the day? I wouldn't plan on leaving the terminal at all, its not the best neighborhood, but I went through Richmond by myself and didn't have any trouble.

[halliekins]

I just took the Greyhound from Toledo Ohio, to Regina, Saskatchewan. It was 2 days and 7 hours one way and my first time taking Greyhound--so I can understand all the questions you have because I was nervous about all the same things!

--My first word of advice is to take advantage of buying your ticket in advance--it cut my costs in half If you're worried about getting a good seat, you can pay an extra $5 for a reserved seat and you'll get to board first. When you get your ticket, don't tear it apart xD The drivers will do that when you hand it to them. I sat towards the front most times, because I was travelling alone and wanted to stay near the driver.

--Transfers are nothing to worry about It's just like when you board the bus for your first departure. Just make sure you get in line for your connecting bus early, because some can get quite long half an hour before the bus is scheduled to leave. If you're unsure of what gate to get on at, just ask customer service or look for signs or monitors listing the schedules and gates. I just asked because I didn't trust my reading skills xD hahaha

--You don't have to get off at all rest stops, but some stops requires everyone get off so the bus can be cleaned. You can just leave what you have on your seat in those cases and if you have luggage stored underneath, it will remain on the bus during this time. (After the bus gets cleaned, passengers who were already on board are given priority to reboard and reclaim their seats) I recommend stopping off every once in a while. I didn't get off at rest stops on my way there, but on the way back, it was definitely nice to stretch my legs and to get a coffee every now and then. If it's a short stop, obviously don't wander too far from the bus, since they could leave you behind.

--I was worried about losing baggage due to all the horror stories I'd heard, so I packed everything into a carry on. As long as it fits under the seat or in the overhead compartments, you're good. I didn't notice too many problems with people storing luggage underneath, so long as it was properly tagged. One woman had her luggage stolen by another woman, but that wasn't really Greyhound's fault xD

--My ride was super long! Make sure you have something to do--you could always sleep, but the seats are so uncomfortable that you will hardly feel rested. Even with pillows and blankets--IT SUCKS. But, the small price of comfort is well worth it when you make it to your SO! You can rest up with him hehe

--I did have one bus that was late 2 hours due to maintenance, but the drivers were very good about getting back on schedule and simply shortened the length of rest stops to make up for lost time. In the end I made it there safe and sound. There are some strange ones that board the buses, but for the most part it seems those headed in the same direction tend to look out for each other and even become friends in a way. It's up to you whether or not you want to open up to others, but most people try to make conversation as a way to pass the time :P

Hope this helps some, I know it's really long xD Um..I dunno if I can help more, I'd love to

[DemonxOisin]

I concur, there ARE some strange ones... I went from Kelowna, BC to Calgary, Alberta this summer, about a 10 hour drive. This was around stampede time, and oooh boy, we had some cowboys on there! (pun intended). And the driver was literally sucking a tobacco pipe the whole way there :/ Itīs hard to fall asleep on the seats, and it was the longest drive ever :/ But it was cheap, and I had no problems with it. But if a flight is only a little bit more, take the flight.