My Busabout Adventure

For the month of August I traveled around Europe with the amazing Busabout!  We got ourselves a Flexi Trip pass which allowed us to go wherever we wanted on the bus network, whenever we wanted.  If you're not familiar with Busabout, it is a hop-on, hop-off network of busses that travel to most of the major tourist cities, as well as the most beautiful smaller tourist spots.  Depending on the type of pass you purchase, there are many types of adventures to be had!



If it's your first time traveling in Europe, but you don't want to follow around a group of 40 people on a tour, Busabout is a great option to consider.  It's for travelers who like independence, but don't want to be totally clueless at the train stations.  I'm so glad I chose Busabout not only for these reasons, but because it's also an inexpensive mode of transportation.  You can choose a flexi pass like I did, and purchase the amount of segments you'd like to travel.  This allows you to use X amount of segments anywhere on the network.  Alternatively, you can buy a pass for a certain routing (loops/oneways), which will allow for unlimited use (from May-October) on that specific loop.

Busabout recommends hostels in each of the cities on the network where they pick you up and drop you off.  The hostels are carefully selected for their facilities, location and price. (To see more about the hostels I stayed at, check out my blog posting: Six Awesome Hostels in Europe).  It's incredibly convenient to have the bus show up at your door to take you to the next city, instead of having to figure out where your train is in a station filled with signs in a language you don't know.  Once you get a Busabout pass, you have access to a booking system where you reserve your hostels online.
 

 The view from our hostel in Lauterbrunnen.

There is always a 'guide' on the bus between all of the cities.  They are not at all like a guide on a group tour; they are simply there for advice, and to help you sort out hostel bookings and bus reservations.  On your way to a new city, the guides will let you know the most popular attractions to visit, which bars are popular, and which restaurants have good and inexpensive cuisine.  The guides can even sell you some attraction tickets and tours right on the bus.  Busabout has some great connections with suppliers in each city, and you can get a great rate if you'd like to do a short tour or go see a show of some sort. Additionally, particular service stops will be arranged along the way so you can get some photo ops on your way to the next city. Some of our photo stops were Orvieto, Pisa, Bruges, and Neuchwanstein.  All of these were really great places to just stop at for a few hours to walk around, get some pictures and a snack.

 Our photo stop in Pisa on the way from Florence to Nice.

The Busabout network is also a great way to meet like-minded travelers.  Most will be backpackers just like you.  On my travels, I met lots of Aussies, Kiwis and a few Canadians.  Most travelers on the network do stay at the recommended hostels, so you'll definitely see your fellow Busabout-ers at the hostel pub! We also met the Busabout Vloggers on our travels through the network.  Stefan and Louna have been posting some great videos of their travels.  If you'd like to get an idea of what Busabout is really like, check out Busabout TV!

Busabout not only offers a network, but they also have some amazing tours and festival tours which are often a perfect addition to some of the stops along the network.  I added on the three day Italian Adventure, which is one of their most popular tours.  It was the perfect amount of time to explore Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.  This particular tour was great and I'm so glad I did it, because I would have otherwise not got to see the Amalfi Coast in quite the same way.  It's not easy to drive the Amalfi Coast, and traffic can be brutal.  If you go by train, you won't be able to see all the beautiful coastal towns from Amalfi up to Rome.  We saw Positano, Ravello, and Amalfi on the drive back. This tour was definitely the highlight of the trip, never to be forgotten.

 View from the bus ride along the Amalfi Coast.  Breathtaking.

Overall, Busabout made backpacking easy! I highly recommend it for anyone who likes independent travel, but has never traveled Europe before.  I had so many great experiences, and met so many awesome people! Send me a message or come see me at the agency if you'd like to know more.