Red Eye Bus Tour to New York City: My Experience and What You Need to Know

My sister had been mentioning a bus tour to New York City for over a year. She had heard about a local person that put tour bus trips together around the holidays and one of those trips was to New York City. Finally, in 2019, I gave in and booked a trip for both me and my sister.

Now that we’ve taken a red eye bus tour to New York City, I want to share my experience and what I feel that you need to know if you decide to book your own bus trip there.

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First off, let me be honest with you. I didn’t really want to go to New York City. I wasn’t excited about the trip at all really, not until basically the night we left.

My sister and I drove to the location where the tour bus would be parked. As we pulled into the parking lot, a giant bus was parked right in the middle of the lot just waiting to carry us off into the night. My sister and I loaded onto a cramped tour bus with all the other people going on the trip. We all had a few of our belongings in hand. If you want to know what I took with me on this red eye bus trip, I’ve made a list! 

Here’s a list of some of the items I brought with me for this NYC bus tour trip:

• This travel pillow was what helped me get a bit rest on the bus ride! I’m so happy I brought it with me.
• I carried a Small, black Vera Bradley Backpack (it ended up working out great for a day pack in NYC!)
• My “Friends” Sweatshirt that is so comfy! It was perfect to wear on the bus ride. This one is very similar to mine.
• These are the Duck Boots I wore and honestly, even after walking 11+ miles, my feet didn’t hurt too bad in them!
• This is the beanie I wore all day long. It kept my head warm and was cute at the same time!
• I carried a small water bottle with me as well. Mine is similar to these. The size is great for easily carrying in a small pack all day.
• I wanted a little protection as well so I carried pepper spray too.
• This portable phone charger was a lifesaver! I have an older iPhone and I had to charge it about 4 times. I got a good 3 charges out it before having to use my sisters.

Now, that you know what I brought with me for this red eye bus trip, I want to share what the bus ride to New York City was really like.

The Bus Ride to New York City

It. Was. Awful.

Okay, so I’m being a little dramatic but the bus ride did suck. There were over 50 people (mostly women) on the bus and we all had a few things that we had packed for the trip. We were crammed in the bus. Finally, after packing some of our things into the overhead compartments, we all settled down and was ready to head to New York City.

The lady over the bus trip had put together an itinerary of our trip, which was a nice bit of information to have handy. After handing out the itinerary and making sure everyone was onboard, we were off to New York!

I Had a Plan

Now, this bus trip is a red eye trip, meaning that we were riding throughout the night to our destination. So, me being the organized and prepared person that I try to be, had a plan. Since I knew our bus wouldn’t leave until around 10pm that night, I decided that I would wake up early on the day we were to depart. I would go all day so that by the time I sat down on the bus, I would be ready to sleep through the night.

Oh, how my plan didn’t work.

You see, I don’t remember the last time I tried to sleep on a bus but it’s not easy. I did make sure I brought a travel pillow, you know, the ones that are u-shaped and support your neck and make you look funny. Well, that is one item that definitely helped me rest on the bus. Notice I said “rest”, not sleep. No, I didn’t sleep a bit. For the nine plus hours that we rode on the bus to New York City, I didn’t sleep AT ALL. And I don’t think anyone else did either.

An Important Stop

I’m not sure if it was the excitement of going somewhere new and fun or that, for most people, it’s hard to sleep sitting up. Whatever the reason, I know that we were all running on empty. We did stop at a few gas stations along the way and we ate a Cracker Barrel in New Jersey at 5:30am that morning so that helped to keep us going.

After we ate our breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, everyone had the same idea: refresh and change for New York City!

Now, I’ll mention again, most of the people on this bus trip were women and we all wanted to look nice for our day in the city. So, when I walked into that Cracker Barrel restroom, I saw hair and clothes flying. There were women crowded in front of the mirror freshening up their makeup and brushing their hair all in this tiny area. I quickly made my way to a bathroom stall, changed, and bolted out the door. I wanted to do my makeup but there was no way I was fighting for a spot in front of the bathroom mirror. Instead, my sister and I got a little creative.

We found a mirror in the gift shopping area of the Cracker Barrel and whipped out our makeup and hair brushes and got ready there! In about five minutes, our hair and face were done and we were ready to hop back on the bus and get to New York City.

So, my advice to you, if you do a red eye bus tour, is to wear comfy clothes on the bus and then change during one of the stops that I’m sure the bus will make along the way. I’m glad I did this because I did not want to try to sleep in jeans or wear the same clothing for 36 hours. Do your hair and makeup at one of the stops as well. It’s simply too cramped on the bus to do much besides sit there.

I Finally Made it to New York City!

After a few more hours on the bus, the sun rose and we were approaching New York City!

By the time we made it to New York City however, I had been up for 24 hours. There was no way I could keep going. I just knew I would be too tired to really do much in the city.

I was wrong.

New York City has an energy about it that just keeps you going and I believe that’s what kept my sister and I going all day long. And wow, did we go!

Must See All The Things!

When you step off the bus, you’re on your own, at least, that’s how it worked for this bus trip. My sister and I decided to get with a small group of ladies though, when we left the bus. One of the ladies in the group had been to New York City before and we felt safer going with someone who know where and how to go.

With the group, I rode the subway…for the first time ever! That was how we went to see the 9/11 Memorial. Then, we all went to Chinatown and to Little Italy. We then rode the subway back to Times Square.

Although we had fun with the group of ladies that we were with, my sister and I eventually felt comfortable enough to go on our own. So, once we were back and to Times Square, my sister and I decided to separate from the group and do our own thing.

We didn’t want to do a lot of shopping because we didn’t want to spend a lot of money or carry a lot of things around all day. I mean, of course, I had to buy an “I Love NYC” t-shirt and a souvenir mug but that was basically it. Instead we just saw as much of New York City as possible in 12 hours!

After experiencing Times Square, we made our way to Central Park.

We then walked some more and ended up getting to look around at Tiffany and Co., went into Trump Towers, and saw the Empire State Building.

We also looked around inside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. My sister and I even went to Grand Central Station, explored Rockefeller Center, and more! 

All in just in one day!

Time to Go Home

Finally, it was time to meet back at the location where the bus would be picking us up that night. Slowly, those who had went their own ways or with other small groups all gathered together to wait on the bus. The driver eventually showed up (late) and we all quickly piled into the bus and were headed back to Virginia. We made a few more stops this time and I was able to change back into some comfy clothes for the bus ride home.

By the time I made it back onto the bus to go home, I had been up for about 40 hours! Finally, for the first time since Thursday night (it was Saturday night/early Sunday morning), I slept. It was on the bus, but I slept, at least for a few hours. 

Thoughts About New York City

This one bus trip changed my mind about New York City.

I had never really cared if I went to New York City. And even after booking the red eye bus tour there, I still wasn’t that thrilled about the thought of being in New York City. The people were going to be rude. I just knew it. I thought I would be overwhelmed by the tall buildings, people everywhere, and all of the traffic. How could a small-town girl that had never been in a huge city like New York ever feel comfortable there? 

Sometimes that picture you’ve created in your mind is inaccurate. And sometimes what you keep telling yourself isn’t true. Before you can really understand a place, you have to experience it firsthand. And I’m so glad I experienced New York City, despite the pictures I had painted in my head of it and what I thought the people would be like.

New York City is full of chaos, it’s true. However, I quickly learned to just embrace that chaotic lifestyle the day I visited and I actually enjoyed it. Oddly enough, I also quickly learned to go with the flow, literally. You have to go with flow of the people or you get run over!

Jokes aside, I was too quick to judge New York and the people who call it home.

The people who live there were nice to us. They helped us when we were lost or didn’t know what to do. I mean, we were tourists in their city and definitely stuck out but the locals knew that and were willing to help us out anyways. Quick shout out to the random girl in the subway and to Angel, from Brooklyn, for helping me with my metro card and for helping us navigate the New York City subway system!

Aside from them helping us, we also danced with New Yorkers on the street and bought food from the locals and they were all friendly to us. So, I was too quick to judge New York City and its people and now I know the truth.

What started out as a trip I wasn’t thrilled about ended up being one of the most memorable and favorite trips of my life. And now I want to go back to New York City so badly!

Now that you’ve read about my experience with a red eye tour bus trip to New York City, I hope you’ve learned a few things from it. However, I want to give you a few last tips for your red eye bus trip in case you want to know more.

A Few More Tips:

• Check out the items on my list above to see what to bring with you
• Wear comfy clothes on the bus
• Bring extra clothes for the actual day
• Don’t pack too much. It’s just one day!
• Fix your hair and makeup during one of the buses stops
• Don’t shop a lot unless you don’t mind carrying bags all day
• It can be hard to find a restroom while in New York City. There’s one at the Old Navy in Times Square! Go to the back of the second floor and they’ll let you in.
• There is also benches and large windows in that Old Navy so you can rest and people watch at the same time.
• Rest when you need to.
• There’s a light show on the building at Sak’s Fifth Avenue at night during the holiday season. Don’t miss it!
• Be smart and keep up with your money while in the city.
• Don’t be afraid to ask a local for help. The New Yorkers we came into contact with, were friendly!

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