What to Pack for a Long Bus Trip: My Greyhound-Tested List

I’ve taken the bus across some strange stretches of this country. When I went from Chicago to Louisville, I opted not to fly and spent 7 hours on a Greyhound through Indiana. I’ve even crossed international borders, like when I went to Montreal. I’ve taken buses to Philadelphia and back to New York after a concert that ended at 10:30 at night.

Bus travel in the U.S. has a terrible reputation. It’s a synonym, in many respects, for inner-city poverty and urban neglect. This reputation is worse than it deserves, and I write a bit more about what to expect in my article on tips to thrive on the Greyhound bus (yes, thrive).

But today, we’re talking specifically about what to pack.

The stations (or parking lots) are often the roughest part, and a few small items in your bag are what separate a long, miserable day from one you barely think about. After years of this, here’s exactly what I bring.

I keep a separate packing list for the train, since the two overlap but the bus has its own quirks. This list leans into those.

Start With the Travel Pillow (It Does Double Duty)

If you take one thing from this list, take a travel pillow. Mine is strapped to my backpack on every trip so I can’t leave without it.

On a bus it earns its spot twice over. Most buses have no tray tables. So when I want to work, I set the travel pillow on my lap and use it as a desk for my laptop. I work remotely, and on that seven-hour Chicago run I got a solid four or five hours of work done with the pillow as my desk. I wrote more about that setup in my guide to working remotely on transit.

When I want to sleep and I don’t have a row to myself, I put the pillow on the seatback in front of me and rest my forehead on it.

Water, and Then More Water

This matters more than the snacks, so I’m putting it near the top. Bring a full water bottle, and bring a backup.

On a long bus you stop at gas stations and the occasional bus station, and you can’t count on the water being any good.

I once tried to refill at the Indianapolis station, fancy filtered filler and all, and it still tasted like swamp water. Maybe I just wasn’t used to their tap water. So now I board with a full bottle and a can or carton of water as backup. (I try to avoid single-use plastic, so I go for canned or boxed when I can.)

Dehydration and motion sickness feed each other, and a hot bus makes both worse. Staying ahead on water is the cheapest way to feel fine when you step off.

Snacks, Because the Stops Are Gas Stations

The bus will stop, usually at a gas station, sometimes more than once on a long route. That’s good for stretching your legs, but middle-America gas stations aren’t known for healthy food. So I pack my own.

My go-tos are simple. A protein bar, fruit, some nuts. Enough to keep my energy steady without weighing me down. My rule is think of this like you’re hiking. Portable, nutrient-dense snacks like trail mix will save you.

Caffeine, Packed Before You Leave

I learned this one the hard way. On my on bus trip in California, I didn’t grab anything caffeinated before boarding, and I regretted it for hours. The station vending machines didn’t take cards, and the next real stop was a long way off.

Now I bring my caffeine with me, whether that’s a coffee to go or whatever you prefer. A long bus ride and no caffeine don’t mix if you’re a regular caffeine drinker.

Charge Everything Beforehand

Buses advertise outlets but they only sometimes work. This is unscientific and based on my experience, but there’s about a one-in-three chance that the outlets won’t work.

That’s decent odds, but not odds I’ll trust with a dead phone seven hours from home.

So I charge everything to full before I leave, and I bring a battery pack as insurance. The wifi is the same story. It’s fine for browsing and email, but I wouldn’t plan a video call on it. I download my shows, podcasts, and maps ahead of time and treat the onboard wifi as a bonus rather than a plan.

Hand Sanitizer (The Bathroom Has No Sink)

The bus bathroom is a porta-potty setup. There’s no running water, so you’re left with hand sanitizer, and sometimes there isn’t any on board. So I bring my own small bottle. It’s a tiny thing that makes the whole day feel cleaner, and I use it before snacks too.

Earplugs and Something to Cover Your Eyes

These take up almost no space, so bring them. I like the silicone earplugs, but to each their own. You never know when somebody will be talking on the phone, and if you want to sleep, the earplugs are key.

For sleep, I bring a beanie I can pull down over my eyes or a proper eye mask.

Dress Down and Keep Your Valuables Close

I wear casual street clothes on the bus. Soft layers for comfort, nothing flashy. Part of that is comfort over a long ride, and part of it is that almost all U.S. bus stations sit in “rough parts of town,” and I’d rather not stand out.

I keep my head down, move with purpose through the station, and keep my bag close rather than out of reach.

Your big bag goes underneath the bus for free, so there’s no reason to wrestle a suitcase into the cabin. But I keep my valuables, like my phone, wallet, charger, and headphones, in a small daypack that stays with me the whole time. If it’s an overnight bus, I sleep with it next to me and don’t put any valuables in the overhead compartment.

Get Your Ticket on Your Phone

Before I leave the house, I load my ticket into Apple Wallet. Even the older bus companies support it now. It saves me from digging through my email at the curb while a line forms behind me. I also screenshot it in case I lose signal.

My Long-Distance Bus Packing List, in Short

Screenshot this before your next trip.

• Travel pillow (doubles as a lap desk and a sleep prop)
• A full water bottle plus a canned or boxed backup
• Snacks like a protein bar, an apple, and nuts
• Caffeine, packed before you leave
• Charger and a battery pack
• Downloaded shows, podcasts, and maps
• Hand sanitizer or wipes
• Earplugs and a beanie or eye mask
• Casual, comfortable layers
• A small daypack for valuables
• Your ticket in Apple Wallet

That’s the whole kit, and none of it is expensive. The bus will never be as comfortable as the train, and I’m honest about that in my Greyhound tips and my reviews of Peter Pan and Flix. But for a lot of trips, it’s cheaper, it runs when the train doesn’t, and it’s far better for the planet than flying or driving. Hooray for mass transit. Pack this bag, find your route on a tool like BusBud, and the ride takes care of itself.

If you’re trying to ditch the car for good, first off, hell yes, and second off, that’s a bigger conversation that I get into in how I live without a car in the U.S.