How to survive a bus down...

[pixxi]

I am taking a bus with the local high school who will be performing at Disney World, the ride will be 24 hours both ways!

How on earth do I survive? I also get motion sickness. Anyone ever experienced this before? What entertainment do I bring? What to wear, do you change in the 24 hour period. We have a bathroom but we are discouraged to use it.

Any tips welcomed!

 

[North of Mouse]

I am taking a bus with the local high school who will be performing at Disney World, the ride will be 24 hours both ways!

How on earth do I survive? I also get motion sickness. Anyone ever experienced this before? What entertainment do I bring? What to wear, do you change in the 24 hour period. We have a bathroom but we are discouraged to use it.

Any tips welcomed!

No answers, but you do have my sympathy! I could never do it!

Sure hope you have more than 1 driver - that's a 'long' ride in more ways than one - be safe!

 

[jacknsally19]

I would suggest an audible book (thrillers are good for long rides) or downloading some disney related podcasts.... Wedway radio, wdwradio

Some pretzels and ginger snaps to help with the carsickness. Also sit in the front

I would probably do leggings or sweatpants & bring a change of clothes but play it by ear

Have fun!

 

[jerseygal]

I am taking a bus with the local high school who will be performing at Disney World, the ride will be 24 hours both ways!

How on earth do I survive? I also get motion sickness. Anyone ever experienced this before? What entertainment do I bring? What to wear, do you change in the 24 hour period. We have a bathroom but we are discouraged to use it.

Any tips welcomed!

WOW! TOO MUCH imo to expect of chaperones!
Maybe you are the Music Director, but NOT FUN!
What does that mean, "have a bathroom but are discouraged to use it"
Guess that means that the bus will make scheduled "bathroom stops"???
I you are a parent or chaperone, GOOD LUCK!

 

[NinaBella]

I have done several trips with school marching bands, cheerleaders, etc.

First, do you have or can you borrow noise canceling headphones? They may be the only way you can sleep with a bus full of kids.

Our buses always makes bathroom stops. Also the drivers have to switch out every 4 hours (by their rules). One sleeps in the front seat while the other drives, so they sleep/switch the entire trip.

I have been on buses where they promised wifi... but rarely does it actually work. We were on one trip where we had two buses. The bathroom worked on our bus but the light was very dim. Come to find out in the morning hours there were bugs coming out the bathroom door. Although the toilet worked the sink did not. Better than the bus behind us that the bathroom did not work at all. Even if you have a working bathroom, they discourage using it because it will stink up the bus!!! So if anyone has tummy troubles, I would hate to be sitting in the back. Try sitting as close to the front as possible.

For motion sickness there is over the counter stuff you can buy or ask your doctor for a Rx. Again, sit up front. Back of bus is bouncier. I rode buses all the time while living abroad and the back always had the most bounce. If you get motion sickness you will want to avoid reading on the bus as that makes motion sickness worse.

If you want to change clothes, change. But you will have to do so when the bus stops for a longer break like a lunch stop. Most of the kids will be wearing pajamas, leggings, sweatpants, etc. unless they are told they can't. Most will bring their own pillow and blanket to use on the bus as well.

Tell the band director not to book the least expensive bus as you will get a crap bus with problems. Trust me on this one. It's worth paying more for a nicer bus where things like the bathroom, wifi, movies, a/c, heater actually work.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I spent a lot of time on buses when I was in band! Longer trips are not fun, but can be OK. Make sure you get the first choice of seats. They usually want the adults to scatter throughout the bus to keep watch over everyone. Strange things go on in the back of the bus when the adults are all up front!

Wear very comfortable clothes. Carry a change of clothes with you and change at a rest stop if you feel like it. Also, carry a toothbrush and toothpaste, hair brush, and whatever else you need to feel clean and comfortable. Bring your own snacks, pillow, and blanket. If you're worried about motion sickness, take a Bonine (or any over-the-counter travel med. with meclizine/25mg) before the trip starts. It will make you drowsy at first, but it works for 24 hours (and being drowsy on a bus ride is not a bad thing). Noise cancelling headphones or earplugs are a good idea. For entertainment, perhaps load some movies onto a tablet. If you can't watch movies without feeling nauseous, try some audio books.

 

[SWofDisorder]

My first thought was wine but JK as it is a bus of kids and you need to set a good example.

Good luck, remain calm and do your best to keep yourself comfortable so you can help the kids when they need it.

 

[LegoMom3]

For motion sickness sit at the front with a clear view of the front window. Pack some Dramamine or Bonine (supposed to be less drowsy-inducing; I like Dramamine myself). For entertainment, I can't read in a vehicle so I rely on music; bring an MP3 player. If you can look at stuff, bring lots of good reading material!

Good luck!

.

 

[RustManFan]

thank goodness my daughter's choir flew when I went along on that trip (on my own but still on same transportation)

I was exhausted when we took the train from NYC to Orlando a number of years ago. Auto train on the other hand I love.

No bus for me though. Leg cramps would really get me as you can basically not move on a bus

 

[MamaBearJohnson]

Took several such trips in high school and it never bothered me one bit.

But then, I took one as an adult because they had extra seats and it was a super cheap guided trip to NYC. Then I ended up getting pregnant right beforehand. Had to pee constantly and had to walk over teenagers sleeping on the floor every time. I'd do it again not pregnant, but I'd plan on bringing nyquil to knock me out to sleep, travel pillow and blanket, audio books, healthy snacks, and an ipad. I'd wear yoga pants and dress in layers. HTH

 

[NotUrsula]

Wear knit clothing like workout wear, and do bring fresh undies in a baggie; being able to change those mid-trip will make you feel much cleaner even if you can't shower. Bring some bath wipes as well, so that you can freshen up a bit during bathroom stops.

With motion sickness conventional reading is probably out for you. If you don't use your local library's audiobook lending service, try it out now. At most libraries you can put at least 10 titles on your account at once, and on a trip that long you will go through a few. (Being able to get extras means that if you end up not liking a title you won't be stuck listening to it out of desperation; just switch to another one.) Many collections have video for download as well; so you can save a few programs on a tablet to watch, rather than stream, which would require too much bandwidth for any wifi that might be offered.

Apple products and most phones only handle MP3 audio with DRM, so be careful not to download WMA format from a library unless you have a player that will handle it. If you use a phone as an audio player you will run down the battery; so invest in a GOOD backup battery pack for the trip as well (and if you have a device that can switch batteries, invest in an extra so you can switch them out.) I got a power pack from Amazon that doubles as a flashlight; it can charge a tablet up to four times on one backup charge.