Yesterday I decided to head to my hometown a day early because I had to take a bus home and wanted to get that over with as soon as possible. Lucky for you guys, I made lots of mistakes that you won't need to make in the future because I made them for you. You're lucky I'm here to do all that dirty work you guys!
There is a GO Station near my apartment but I decided to head downtown to Union Station instead because I was hoping I could get a more direct bus home from there. Boy was I wrong. Heading downtown was my first mistake. To get to Union Station I took one bus and two subways just to get there. Why did I choose to do this? Because I was unsure about the GO Station near me (how to use it) and was too lazy to do too much research. Yeah...learn from my mistakes...I can't stress it enough.
Once I got downtown I bought the next bus ticket home. Because I wanted to get as close to home as possible I bought a ticket that had me changing buses in Mississauga. And so my journey began:
It took me about an hour to get from the downtown core to my first bus stop in Mississauga:
In Mississauga I had to wait about 30 minutes so I ran to a nearby Whole Foods to grab a snack:
This was only good part of my journey. It rained as I was walking to my bus stop and then I had to huddle in a shelter with a bunch of strangers while hugging my macarons.
Our bus eventually came and then I could finally be on my way to my final destination while enjoying my sweet treats. In all it took me 4 hours, one bus, two subways, two Greyhound buses and one car ride from my kind grandmother to get home. It was quite the debacle for a trip that usually takes an hour at most by car.
Now that I have lived that crazy ride, I can give you some good advice for traveling far distances:
1. Do Your Research
A little more research would have done a world of difference for me. I did look into things a bit but if I would have looked a little harder I would have seen that there was definitely an easier way. If I had gone to the GO Station near me I could have taken a train and then a bus and probably gotten home in half the time.
2. Look at your price options
Traveling this way was super cheap. All it took me was one bus token (about $2.00) and one bus ticket ($14.40) This was definitely ideal for someone like myself who doesn't have a lot of cash coming in at the moment but make sure to do your research. Maybe for a few dollars extra I would have been able to get home in half the time. Weigh those options and pick what's best for you.
3. Pack Lightly
I wouldn't say I overpacked, but I did have a slightly inconvenient bag for my trip. Yes, I needed all of the things I brought, but it wasn't fun lugging all my stuff over so many different forms of public transportation. If you need to bring a lot home make sure that you take a more convenient bag or just plain pack less.
I will definitely be figuring something different out in the future for my trips home but this was a good learning experience. If yesterday brought me nothing else, it at least brought me some independence. It was nice to know that I could figure everything out on my own.
Now kids, go forth and get places (hopefully in the most convenient and easiest way possible!)
From the desk of:
Taylor Brown
Road Warrior
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