đ I Took Only Overnight Buses for 30 Days Straight â Hereâs What Happened
âď¸ The Itchy Idea That Became a Wild Month You know those genius travel ideas you blurt out after a couple cocktails, half-joking â and then actually follow through with? This was one of those. 30 days. 0 hotels. Nothing but overnight buses. From Moroccoâs desert highways to Croatiaâs coastlines, I skipped flights, trains, and hostels, opting instead for night buses where my bed was a semi-reclining seat and my neighbors ranged from nuns to chain-smoking backpackers. Spoiler: I survived. Barely.
Melissa Ridge
6/23/20252 min read


Disclosure: Hey travel babe â this post contains affiliate links. That means if you click and book through them, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend the stuff that keeps my budget trips bougie and my adventures unfiltered.
âď¸ The Itchy Idea That Became a Wild Month
You know those genius travel ideas you blurt out after a couple cocktails, half-joking â and then actually follow through with? This was one of those.
30 days. 0 hotels. Nothing but overnight buses.
From Moroccoâs desert highways to Croatiaâs coastlines, I skipped flights, trains, and hostels, opting instead for night buses where my bed was a semi-reclining seat and my neighbors ranged from nuns to chain-smoking backpackers.
Spoiler: I survived. Barely.
đ Why I Did It
To save a ridiculous amount of money on accommodations
To maximize my daylight hours in every city
To test my sanity and see if I could actually pull it off
Was it glamorous? No.
Did it make for legendary stories? Babe, yes.
đ 5 Things No One Tells You About Living on Night Buses
1ď¸âŁ Youâll Perfect the Art of Sleeping in Any Position
Crumpled against a window. Hugging your backpack like a lost lover. Legs propped on a strangerâs armrest (sorry, Serbia). You adapt.
Must-have: A Magic Weighted Blanket for when you finally land somewhere with a bed and need to recover from bus zombie mode.
2ď¸âŁ Youâll See the Most Unfiltered, Off-the-Grid Spots
Bus routes go where no tourist brochure dares. Remote villages at 3AM. Dusty roadside diners. Sketchy border crossings with wild views of nowhere.
Hack it: Stay connected with Airalo eSIMs so you can Google âIs this town safe?â at 2AM.
3ď¸âŁ Youâll Save Stupid Amounts of Cash
No hotels = extra money for street food, boat rides, and last-minute concert tickets you find on TicketNetwork. My daily budget dropped so low, my travel app accused me of cheating.
4ď¸âŁ The People-Watching Is Chefâs Kiss
From snoring Italian grandpas to flirtatious students to shady salesmen peddling knockoff Gucci, overnight buses are moving reality shows.
Pro tip: Book last-minute attractions with WayAway while eavesdropping on wild seatmate convos.
5ď¸âŁ Youâll Gain Mad Solo Travel Confidence
Night buses test your patience, resilience, and bladder control. Once youâve survived a border delay in a bus terminal with one flickering light and no Wi-Fi, nothing fazes you.
Cover your butt: Get VisitorsCoverage travel insurance for those moments when you definitely didnât read the fine print.
đ My Overnight Bus Survival Kit
âď¸ Airalo for reliable, cheap data in every country
âď¸ Magic Weighted Blanket to recharge when I finally hit a hotel
âď¸ Compensair in case a flight ever replaced a bus and got delayed
âď¸ Aviasales for those âI need a flight out of here NOWâ emergencies
âď¸ Hotellook for last-minute hotels when I called a bus-free night
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⨠Final Word: Would I Do It Again?
Maybe⌠after a chiropractor appointment and three consecutive naps.
But if you ever get the itch to trade hotel sheets for bus seats, do it.
Youâll come back broke, exhausted, and with stories worth retelling for the rest of your life.
Want a Pinterest pin idea bundle for this one too, babe? Say the word and Iâll serve you 25 caption-ready ideas for this bus-fueled saga. đđĽ
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