Coach bus rentals are an excellent way to travel with a large group of people. You can keep your group together, and get to and from your destination safely, but having someone charter the bus for you. In today's busy world, it can be tough to ensure that you find the time to travel in a safe, accommodating, and memorable way. But with a little planning, and arming the right coach bus company to help you, it's possible to make a trip go smoothly within your busy schedule!
Here are five tips to guarantee a smooth ride when traveling by renting a coach bus:
Traveling in itself can be a stressful task. Adding a large group to that can make it even tricker! With our years of expertise as coach bus rental experts, we've learned that one key aspect to ensuring a good trip, is to make sure that you are organized from the very beginning. A simple way of getting organized, is to create an itinerary that you'll want to stick with. Creating an itinerary will not only help you and your group stay together and remain on time for your trip, but it will also help ensure that your driver understands what needs to happen to give you a smooth ride! We recommend finding a quality coach bus rental company that will help you with your logistics management, which should include the development of your itinerary. Some factors that a coach bus rental company will take into consideration when developing your itinerary, are the routes that are being taken, and the distance between those routes. This will help your driver to know how many stops may be needed for gas breaks, and breaks for the passengers. This also helps you to book the right amount of time for your coach bus rental.
In addition to creating an itinerary, we also suggest putting together a checklist of items that you and your group may be needing to bring with you as well. If you're a large band, and need to book a charter bus for an overnight stay, sharing the details about the equipment and amount of luggage you may need to bring with you with your coach bus rental company will be beneficial in helping understanding load and unload times, and the size of the bus needed to carry your passengers and your belongings. This will also make sure that you know exactly what you're bringing, so when loading and unloading happens at your destination, your group is fully aware of what is needed to be brought back, giving you peace of mind.
The coach bus rental industry has peak and off-peak seasons, much like most other industries. We always recommend that you check the availability of your coach bus rental as soon as you're aware that you want to travel. By making your reservation early, you can guarantee that you lock in your coach bus rental for your dates, and you'll also help your coach bus rental company be prepared for your trip. While each coach bus rental company is different, typically you only have to pay a small deposit to secure your coach bus rental, giving you peace of mind in knowing that your transportation is taken care of for your trip!
While last-minute bookings for coach bus rentals are possible, it can be extremely difficult to achieve during peak seasons for the coach bus rental industry. So you may be asking yourself, when are the peak seasons? The truth is - because coach bus rentals serve such a wide variety of companies and people for various types of events and needs, the peak season will be specific to your industry. Are you a school, and are you looking for a coach bus rental for your sports teams? Chances are, your games are going to align with other schools in your area, and coach buses could be limited if not reserved in advance. Are you planning to book a coach bus rental for a wedding? Then spring and summer are likely going to have more limited options within your area. We can confidently say that peak seasons are throughout most of the year, with off-peak seasons tending to be in the winter time. By going into your reservation with this knowledge, you can save yourself some frustration by making sure that you try to book in advance.
How far in advance is enough in advance? That's a great question! We suggest that you try to book your coach bus rental anywhere between 1-3 months in advance, depending on the complexity and distance of your trip. For high peak seasons, such as April, May, June, and July, we recommend trying to book 3-6 months out in advance, as availability tends to be more limited. If you're having difficultly finding a coach bus rental for your trip dates, consider reaching out to a nationwide coach bus rental company to help you with sourcing a coach bus that can meet your dates. Be prepared to spend more money on last-minute bookings, if they are available as well.
Coach bus rentals are great because they allow you to personalize your trip in a way that you normally wouldn't be able to do, on, let's say, a plan, or a train. One way in which you can personalize your trip, is by bringing your own food and drinks. We always recommend checking with your coach bus rental company first, in case they do have policies around food and drinks on their coach bus, but typically, this is not an issue. By bringing your own snacks and drinks for your passengers, you can match their food preferences, and even buy in bulk in advance, saving you a bit of money. This will make the trip more enjoyable for your passengers, as the can enjoy the views, or watch a movie, or listen to music, and enjoy some snacks and quench their thirst, without having to depart from the coach bus rental. Consider planning the snacks and drinks in advance and splitting the cost amongst your passengers. By personalizing your trip in this way, you create a memorable, long-lasting experience for your passengers.
Weather can become an unknown variable when traveling, and can sometimes create delays or cause a change of plans. Regardless of how you intend to travel, we highly recommend checking the weather conditions at your starting and ending destinations. This type of preparation will give you and your passengers a heads up when deciding what clothing to bring, and what activities you may be able to do at your destination. Typically, your driver will also be prepared for the weather conditions of the journey. This will help them know how to prepare the coach bus for your trip. Should inclement weather be expected, your coach bus rental company will want to be prepared to take alternate routes, or have safe spaces to head to, so you and your group can weather the storm. By preparing for the weather, you can assure that you and your group will have a safe journey to and from your destination of choice.
You have many choices when it comes to coach bus rentals throughout the nation. We recommend that you do your research, and identify which coach bus rental company may be the best fit for you and your group. Be prepared to ask as many questions necessary to understand the cost, the policies, and what changes you may be able to make to your itinerary. Ask about any discounts they may have to offer, or check to see if they have a price match guarantee. You want to ensure that your experience for your trip is top notch - from the booking experience to the journey itself. We recommend utilizing companies free quote systems, or cost calculators to get an idea of the cost of your trip. Find out if you have an assigned travel agent that would be able to help you throughout the trip. These things are essential to ensuring that you have a smooth experience when renting a coach bus.
Coach bus rentals are the perfect way for large groups to travel through he nation. To give yourself a smooth trip, be sure to be organized and have a prepared itinerary, reserve your coach bus in advance, be prepared for inclement weather, and do your research on reliable coach bus companies in your are. If you're ready to book with us, give us a call at 1-800-439-2015, or use our free cost calculator to calculate the cost of your trip.
