Tips for Surviving Overnight Sleeper Buses

One of the most exciting, and terrifying, things about traveling through Southeast Asia is the sleeper bus. These big behemoths are designed to carry you through the jungles between cities while allowing you to get a good night’s rest. They don’t always deliver on the rest part, as many backpackers can attest. Here are some tips for making your night on a sleeper bus a little more pleasant.

Lose Your Comfort Zone

It’s a sad reality you’ll likely get squeezed into a bed with a stranger if you’re traveling alone. These buses are always packed and you have to learn not to be offended if your neighbor bumps shoulders in the middle of the night. Just learn to laugh about it and you might make a new friend.

Lock Your Bags

Overnight sleepers are notoriously the targets of thieves. Your bags will be stored under the bus and when you stop there’s a chance locals might try and dig through your stuff. Lock them up tight and keep any valuables, like laptops and money, with you on the bus.

Use the Bathroom Beforehand

Good God the bathrooms on these buses are the stuff of nightmares. Use the toilet before getting on the bus and when it stops for food in the night. Trust us, people don’t aim well when squatting over a toilet on a moving bus and you don’t want to go in there if you don’t have to. Also, bring nose plugs.

Shower

Southeast Asia is hot and humid and when you pack a bunch of people on a bus that may or may not have working AC it can lead to some smelly situations. Please, for your own good and that of those around you, shower before getting on the bus. You’ll feel better and your bunkmate will like you more.