The art of bus travel according to me.

To travel on the cheap you find yourself on A Lot of buses.  Some are quite fancy - like the one I am on now...VIP apparently with cushy seats, tv (usually showing movies from the country of travel...hilarious), and a toilet. Some are dreadfully crowded, uncomfortable and usually make for the best stories because fellow passengers can include chickens, bee hives, goats, etc.  I once travelled on a bus in Kenya where I had to crouch down and close the blinds because on that stretch of road rebels were known to shoot at the busses.  And in Nepal I was riding on the roof with a small Nepalese child on my lap when the bus started to slide off the side of the road and everyone jumped off the top. I would have had to throw the child, and chose to instead stay put and hope the bus didn't in fact go off the cliff...it didn't. And so, through extensive experience, I would like to believe that buses are an area of expertise for me.  Making the long often terrible rides more bearable is key and requires more than the obvious snacks, tunes, and solid reading material.  During the day it is naturally a great time to gaze out the window and ponder the area you travel in....what would it be like to live there, what do people do for money, how do they entertain themselves...etc.  I have also done some serious personal life coaching during these idle hours. Also, a great place to meet and chat with a local - even in broken English they can be a wealth of knowledge about a region.   Overnight buses are where the biggest challenge lies.  Night buses are great for budgets because you get hotel and transport in one...but can be killer if you can't sleep.  Here are my tips:

1) bring a sarong, blanket or sleeping bag on board - if you are in a warm country the bus will be frigid.  

2) use your travel partner - the double head lean is a very comfortable way to sleep (especially if you have  pillow or bunched sarong)

3) no shame- getting sleep is number one priority for me no matter how I get it.  A great way I have found is to let one person lie across the seat while the other goes on the floor in front (where your feet normally goes) - people might stare for awhile but once you are snoring and sleeping like a baby they will be jealous.   Obviously snagging 2extra seats to lie across is a bonus.

4) watch your backpack. Night buses (and trains) are notorious for thieves.  I suggest either padlocking bag to your chair, putting your leg through the arm strap or using it as a pillow.  On a train from France to Italy I had my bag stolen right from under my legs.  

5) pack your own t.p. when going to toilet at rest stops - often squat toilets or regular toilets with no seats, often sketchy and rarely providing t.p.

17 hours into our trip....and honestly despite using all of my tips my sleep last night sucked.  But, started the morning on KhoSan road with a coffee and street pad thai at 6am!  I have been talking about Bangkok street pad thai for 10 years! Matt finally got to experience the deliciousness for 30B = $1.