Budget Travel

Bus Stories: Travel Hacks from Fellow Travellers, South America Edition

These days, reviews are everything. Most foodies would check out the reviews of a restaurant before making a reservation, while glancing at Amazon reviews can change one’s mind about buying a certain item or not. If you’re a backpacker looking for a hostel with a good atmosphere and friendly staff, online reviews will give you useful and honest information. While it’s a great way to help customers pick the best option out there, it also rewards companies and service providers who go the extra mile: a true win-win situation.  

When you’re purchasing a service or item that you’re familiar with, you may rely on past experiences, or word of mouth advice from family and friends. When you’re halfway around the world, or you’re using a service for the first time, that may not be an option. The latest feature we’ve developed is the ultimate travel hack: thousands of travel reviews from other travellers who’ve travelled with the same bus company, on the same route.

For this article, we’d like to introduce you to the fascinating world of first class bus travel in South America, at a fraction of the cost of flying!

We took a look at some of the comments that Busbud users had about their bus trips in South America, and these themes kept coming up: excellent service, equivalent to first class on a plane, great food and entertainment as well as safe.

Busbud likes to keep it real, so we decided to share some featured reviews with you.

 

☆☆☆☆ – Felt like first class on a plane! Comfortable seats, Friendly staff, good service on the bus and good food!! Would definitely travel with this company again.”

Kine Marie L, on Pluma from Sao Paolo to Foz do Iguazu

 

☆☆☆☆☆ – “Decent snacks… get to see more than a plane.. cheap too. Save money for souvenirs and take the bus”

Matthew C., on Civa from Lima to Cusco

 

☆☆☆☆☆ – This was my third trip with Flechabus and all were excellent. Quality of bus, driving performance and attention of the on-board host were first class. Food was better than many airlines too. A very happy customer who will use your services again.”

Russell H., on Flecha Bus from Mendoza to Buenos Aires

 

☆☆☆☆☆ – I booked the executive seat on this bus and it was excellent. I had no idea that they would serve so much food it was like being on a plane. The seat was very spacious and comfortable and the staff were all lovely . I had a great experience totally worth the extra money”

Susan B., on Via Tac from Buenos Aires to Mendoza

 

☆☆☆☆☆ – The bus was extremely clean and fancy, the seats were very comfortable and I fell asleep quickly. I loved the Havanna alfajores that were passed out!! It felt like an airplane.”

Zahava V., on El Aguila from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata

 

☆☆☆☆☆ – Travelling cama on Via Bariloche was excellent. Very comfortable seats, a movie, a nice attendant, decent food, and even mini bottle of wine!”

James G., on Via Bariloche from Puerto Iguazu to Buenos Aires

 

☆☆☆☆☆ – “Best coach so far in south America, clean, comfy, very secure and wide variety of movies to watch, like on a plane,without disturbing those others sleeping.

Rebecca M., on Cruz del Sur from Puno to Cusco

 

☆☆☆☆☆ – “This was the best bus ride ever! Super friendly staff, very punctual and the food was great too. The seats were really comfortable and they offered a huge variety of movies to watch. Would totally do it again!.

Saskia D., on Cruz del Sur from Lima to Paracas

 

Bus vs Plane

Still not 100% convinced? Check out how much money you could save by taking the bus instead of the plane:

Prices retrieved from busbud.com and expedia.com in August 2018*
Prices retrieved from busbud.com and expedia.com in August 2018*

Busbud was created with the international traveller in mind, the kind of person who isn’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone to truly experience the destination of their choice. We’ve worked hard to make bus tickets from companies all over the world accessible to travellers, through a variety of payment methods and currencies, a website in a dozen of languages, and an incredibly complete, yet simple, user experience. Our customer support team responds to requests in any language, 24/7, 365 days a year. Now with over 113,00 travel reviews across all of our routes, we hope to provide the most comprehensive and innovative bus travel booking experience in 75 countries.

 

Some reviews have been edited for clarity purposes.

*Prices are subject to change