Summer break is around the corner, and it is soon time to leave Lund. Although many of us have been dreaming of the season’s adventures, most budgets remain small, with low-paying summer jobs and few coins saved from CSN. How do you manage to see the world with a student’s wallet?

Year after year, I have found myself with the same answer: FlixBus. When your travels are still far away, trading comfort for possibility is easy. As the travel day approaches, concerns increase, and your fears usually start piling up in front you. Why did you do this to yourself?

After having made more than ten different 20+ hour trips by bus, I have had time to figure a couple of things out. Sitting up straight for twenty hours is never enjoyable, but you are only young once. With a few tricks and mind games, the trip will turn out alright. 

Hour by hour:

1st hour: 

You are filled with energy, you still have not reached the worst songs of your playlist, and the view out the window looks beautiful. You usually do not have anything to worry about, except for the occasional intrusive thought: Am I really doing this for another 19 hours?

Do: Enjoy the ride!

Don’t: Drink too much water.

3rd hour: 

During your third hour, doubts will start setting in. You are already bored, your body hurts, and you are getting hungry. The third hour is critical. Three hours on a bus will feel like a long time – to imagine another 17 can feel almost unbearable. At this time, it is important to keep yourself distracted.

Do: Eat your first round of snacks.

Don’t: Think.

6th hour:

The sixth hour is different depending on who you are. For the people obsessed with getting eight hours of sleep a night, this time will be among the worst. You will have tried to fall asleep, and failed repetitively, for an hour. The rest, however, are usually enjoying a calm evening, getting busy listening to music, catching up on work, or talking. 

Do: Try to sleep.

Don’t: Panic if you do not fall asleep.

10th hour:

By the tenth hour, most people have accepted their faith. Dinner has been eaten, every car game has been played, and the only thing really missing is sleeping away your last ten hours. The tenth hour is a calm time – the boring ride and the bus’ repetitive noises are soon to put even the most energized passenger to sleep.

Do: Put on noise-canceling headphones.

Don’t: Work.

13th hour:

By the thirteenth hour, you should be sleeping. Even if the bus leaves early in the morning, thirteen hours on a bus is tiring. However, if you have not succeeded in doing so, this hour will remind you of an evening when you were young, having stayed up past your bed time, trying to not let anyone notice you being awake. It is not a time for worry – pick up a nice TV show, listen to a podcast, or simply let your thoughts run loose.

Do: Take a deep breath.

Don’t: Disturb your neighbours.

16th hour:

Have you still not fallen asleep? Then the 16th hour is usually the time to give up. Enjoy a few snacks, and find the others who are still awake. If it did not before, your body will definitely have started hurting by now. Worry does not take you far in a confined space – if it gets too bad, simply put your legs up for 15 minutes.

Do: Find your friends.

Don’t: Contemplate life.

19th hour:

The 19th hour is a time of bliss, for most. A few people will have lost the fight, ending up with a neck sprain or swollen ankles. However, for most, the 19th hour means watching your final destination through the windows, enjoying the fact that you are almost done, and finally getting to eat the snacks you have been saving for this very moment.

Do: Enjoy your snacks.

Don’t: Lose confidence.

Final hour:

The goal is almost within walking distance! Make sure you have not forgotten anything, enjoy the beginning (or end) of your trip, and reminisce over the travels with your neighbour.

Do: Get excited!

Don’t: Complain (the end is here).

General tips and tricks:

• The trip you are on is more mental than it is physical. Try not to spiral, and keep yourself distracted by talking to your friends or seat neighbours.
• Choosing the right snacks is of the essence! Bring something filling, something sweet, something salty, and something refreshing. When this is done, you can choose the rest of the snacks based on what you are feeling like at the moment.
• On a FlixBus, most rules do not apply. Breaking the usual social codes is okay!
• Long buses follow the same daily rhythm as the rest of the world. Do not recline your seat while it is still light out. When the night has begun, however, you are always free to do so! This is one of the few times you might have to stand your ground, confronting angry seat neighbours behind you. Do not worry! Soon, also they will see that 90% of the bus have fallen asleep on reclined seats.
• Bring a lot of water. While the buses usually do make quick stops along the way, finding drinkable water will prove difficult.
• Respect your surroundings! Bus culture differs between countries and continents. Stay humble, and try to make friends wherever you go – together, most problems can be solved. 
• Do not lose your luggage. You will not get it back.

What to pack

• Phone charger
• Passport (free movement within the EU currently seems like a thing of the past)
• Snacks
• Multiple thicker shirts/jackets (you will use these as pillows, blankets, extra shirts, etc.)
• Toothbrush
• A lot of water