Taking the Bus or Cab While on Vacation: Tips for Travelers

Imagine this, you arrive in a new city, maybe the trip was not to your liking, its night and you are tired, and all you want to do is check into your hotel room. You leave the bus, airport or train terminal and what awaits you, cabs. Bless it be, no fuss and no muss and so convenient, and for many travelers cabs are an expensive and necessity evil, but if a person really were to consider their options, may not be all that necessary. I spent one-hundred and thirty dollars on cab fare alone while I was visiting three different cities a few weeks ago. There are few people who can easily afford to part with one-hundred and thirty dollars and I am not one of them. Five tips for saying no to cabs and yes, to a bus and saving yourself a few extra dollars on your next trip.

Tip #1 Pack Light

Packing light is easier said than done, believe you me I know, but learning to travel light can be the difference between taking a cab instead of a bus. I have to confess one of the reasons I usually opt for taking a cab is because I have no interest in hauling three or four bags of luggage on and off a bus, so instead I decide to take a cab and spend the extra money. My first tip, choose frugalness by packing light.

Tip #2 Schedule to Arrive in a City During The Midday or Late Afternoon

In my experience I know I am more likely to take a cab if I arrive in a new city at night; not knowing a city's bus schedule and the lateness of an hour increases the possibility of me doing so. My second tip, try arranging to arrive at your destination during midday or late in the afternoon, I predict that you will less likely find it such as much a hassle to take bus to your hotel during that time then at night.

Tip#3 Don't Take The Desk Clerk Word about Bus Service, Ask Locals

Arriving in Niagara Falls, New York, I asked the desk clerk at my motel about the city's local bus service. I was told that busses ran few and far between, if at all, and I would be better served if I took a cab to and from Niagara Falls.