Edited: May 22, 2012 These tips will change your whole bus travel experience -for the better. Travel with ONE BAG only! When traveling by any bus company at all, across country or on trips longer than three hours, always bring only one carry-on bag and nothing else. If you follow this rule, you will not be stranded at empty bus stations overnight. You want to take a bus from South Carolina to North Carolina, correct? You figure, bring your baggage and arrive at the bus depot and just wait. So far, correct. I travelled cross country once. And picking up the second bus in South Carolina, Greenville, the bus pulled in. The driver got out and announced that they had no more room for baggage. So no one with baggage could get onto that bus. And the next bus coming through would be the next day. So, keeping on schedule, do not bring luggage onto busses. Luckily for me, I had one bag, a large backpack which I was able to bring onto the bus. And, yes, thanks to the kindness of one customer, --no thanks to the bus driver, another customer was able to board --he had only one bag also. As the bus pulled in and then the driver got out to announce that there was no room for luggage, some customers demanded to know why and the driver pulled the luggage compartment open --it is under the bus on one side. Driver looked, customers looked, and the driver was about to close the compartment and drive away with NO new customers. Thank God , one nice customer, told the driver, "I can make room there for some bags", and luckily the driver allowed him to do that. He took some bags out and rearranged the bags. He managed to fit one or two more bags into the compartment. So, now about two customers were able to board the bus. And I was able to board also because my small bag went with me onto the bus. But, that was a close call. I thought, 'what if I had three bags? I would have been stranded there in South Carolina until the next day, hoping that the next bus would fit my bags in. And, there was no place to stay or sleep in the bus depot in South Carolina. I can not imagine how those customers felt, seeing their bus drive away without them on it. But I was very glad that I got a seat. Whoaa, now, the seating experience. Apparently, the South Carolina stop was not the only stop where there was no room for baggage. As we boarded the bus we had to practically climb over luggage. Some man had a bag, a suitcase on wheels that seemed as large as one of those medium refrigerators. Wow, no room in the aisle of the bus and everyone climbed over this suitcase. To me, that seemed like a fire hazard. If the large suitcase was on the bus, it should have been all the way at the back of the bus, not in the middle of the bus blocking the aisles. But no one complained because everyone was so thrilled just to be able to board the bus and get on towards their destinations. LESSON? Yes, I learned a great lesson in traveling on busses. If you are going to travel on a bus ,going a short or long distance, or across country, bring only one carry-on bag. This way you will be assured that you will be able to get on your bus when you are supposed to get on it. You will save yourself an extra hotel-day and more expenses and inconveniences by traveling light with only one carryon bag. Do what you have to in order to travel with only one bag--no matter where you are going. Pack light. Wear your heavier shoes and pack your light or smaller shoes. --i.e. If you are bringing hiking boots, wear them and pack your lighters sneakers. If you are traveling with pictures, bring those pictures inside your computer instead of bringing framed ones --copy them at your destination and frame them at your destination. Bring MUSIC, and headphones, mp3, cassettes or cds: Bring headphones, mp3, and some form of electronical music for yourself just in case you end up on a bus like I ended up on, when I traveled to New Jersey. On that trip there was a poor baby who cried for almost the entire length of the trip. Just crying and crying and crying. I saw in the seat right behind them. Many customers were upset, but those with music or headphones or earplugs were the happier customers. Long trips: bring snacks and bottled water to make your ride more comfortab read more