Tips from a Pro: The Best Seat on the Bus!
I'm a big fan of public transportation for long trips. Trains, planes, and yes, even the occasional Greyhound are a really great way to save money and not have to be stressed about driving long distances, expecially if you can manage to have a set of seats all to yourself (how annoying is it to get stuck next to an offensive person for a long trip especially if the bus is only half full)?
Here are my travel suggestions as to get prime seating when it comes to unreserved, first-come first-serve seating (obviously, they work better if the bus is not filled close to capacity).
How to Deter Seatmates:
1. Be at the front of the line when boarding the bus so that you are guaranteed to start (for at least a minute) with a free set of seats.
2. The VERY best thing to do is to sit as close to the front of the bus as possible. I suggest rows 2-4. Why? Think about what you do when you get on a bus and you're 35th or so in line... you come up the stairs, pause for a minute at the top, and scan back through the bus looking for an empty pair of seats. At the same time, there is a line behind you, so you are slowly moving forward. By the time you realize that there is no empty pair of seats and you are forced to sit next to someone, you're already at about row #5. It's true... you're not going to turn around and sit in the front if there are empty seats further back in the bus. Basically, the aisle seats in the front are the last seats to fill for this reason -- remember it and use it!
3. Never make eye contact. Even if you are a friendly, nice person, don't look at anyone getting onto the bus. Look unfriendly. Look mean. Look undesireable. By giving the cold shoulder, they will most likely move on to a more inviting seatmate.
4. It doesn't hurt to "sit big" and make yourself look like you'd be an uncomfortable seatmate, either.
5. Doing something annoying is always a good way to keep the people away - i.e. - knitting with big, loud metal needles (which increases their chance of getting their eye poked out) or eating a tuna sub might be two strategies.
6. I am not a fan of the "sitting large luggage on the seat next to you" strategy to block/discourage potential seatmates. It's rude and oftentimes ends up backfiring on you.
Use my tips and let me know how they work for you, guys! I'm interested to know how it goes.
Here are my travel suggestions as to get prime seating when it comes to unreserved, first-come first-serve seating (obviously, they work better if the bus is not filled close to capacity).
How to Deter Seatmates:
1. Be at the front of the line when boarding the bus so that you are guaranteed to start (for at least a minute) with a free set of seats.
2. The VERY best thing to do is to sit as close to the front of the bus as possible. I suggest rows 2-4. Why? Think about what you do when you get on a bus and you're 35th or so in line... you come up the stairs, pause for a minute at the top, and scan back through the bus looking for an empty pair of seats. At the same time, there is a line behind you, so you are slowly moving forward. By the time you realize that there is no empty pair of seats and you are forced to sit next to someone, you're already at about row #5. It's true... you're not going to turn around and sit in the front if there are empty seats further back in the bus. Basically, the aisle seats in the front are the last seats to fill for this reason -- remember it and use it!
3. Never make eye contact. Even if you are a friendly, nice person, don't look at anyone getting onto the bus. Look unfriendly. Look mean. Look undesireable. By giving the cold shoulder, they will most likely move on to a more inviting seatmate.
4. It doesn't hurt to "sit big" and make yourself look like you'd be an uncomfortable seatmate, either.
5. Doing something annoying is always a good way to keep the people away - i.e. - knitting with big, loud metal needles (which increases their chance of getting their eye poked out) or eating a tuna sub might be two strategies.
6. I am not a fan of the "sitting large luggage on the seat next to you" strategy to block/discourage potential seatmates. It's rude and oftentimes ends up backfiring on you.
Use my tips and let me know how they work for you, guys! I'm interested to know how it goes.
posted by Kristina @ 12:06 PM
1 Comments:
At 10:28 AM,
Anonymous said…
You crack me up, K!
"Look unfriendly. Look mean. Look undesireable."
Also, you gave me an idea for a random ironic T-shirt: It would say "SIT BIG OR GO HOME."
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