Newbie : what to do with pack on bus rides...

puliyogare

I'll be going into India for the first time sometime before or after new years...by bus from Nepal by way of Chitwan to Varanasi.
(see the "travel partners" forum if you're in Nepal and want to join me!)

My pack is fairly big, so I want to be prepared for the inevitable "please put pack on roof, sir." Personally, I don't mind having my legs cramped against it for five hours. So far in Nepal I've only ridden the tourist buses so I haven't run into this question yet.

The info on this forum is great (and entertaining - where else can one find a discussion on peeing in hotel sinks!), so I know to keep my passport, trav checks, camera, valuabls, etc in my moneybelt & daypack . While losing stuff from the big pack (or the pack itself) wouldn't be the end of the world, it would be a pain and I'd like to do what I can to minimise the risk.

So what do I do if I'm asked to put the pack on the roof? Persistently insist that I need it cramped against my legs? Offer some baksheesh to take it on board? Use my cable to lock it on the roof rack (or maybe sit up there...)?

Spine

Been travellign on public and, done one trip on a tourist bus, and the tourist bus was the worst, least room and we had to put our bags in a compartment below the bus. Whilst more importantly the public buses had more than enough room to have my legs above the bag at my feet.

and plus the public buses are way cheaper than the tourist ones

Signed,

The Spine

indiamike

Storing your pack on a bus will vary from what type of bus you are on.

A local bus (state bus) aren't usually that crowded and you can probably just bring it on board with you or jam it into the overhead racks to keep an eye on it or stash it in the side compartments like Spine said.

Tourist buses either put the bag in the back of the bus or throw it on top. Most of the time it's put in the boot and locked up there.

Inevitably your foreign face on Tourist buses will demand a few rupee fee for holding your bag. "Ten rupees sir"....while no one else pays this fee except for you.

This fee also has a two fold effect and although people will argue till there out of breath about if they should pay it or not, it sort of acts as baksheesh and a little tip goes a long way and they will keep an eye on your stuff for you.

Pros and Cons--with the roof rack you will be able to see the luggage being passed down at each stop and will be able to keep an eye on it.

With the boot (back of the bus) method you will not.
If it's a tourist bus you really won't be able to bring it on since they are usually jam packed.

Is it safe?...pretty much since people generally watch out for each other and also the size of your bag may also be a deterrent. My bag is usually around 60 pounds and nobody is picking that thing up and running down the street with it.

Should you worry about it much? Probably not, usually the bus boy will take care of it and I wouldn't go crazy with demanding it locked up or taken on board with you.

Again keep your important stuff on you.

Alan D

I'm not saying it hasn't happened before and will never happen again but I've never met anyone who has lost their pack off the top of a bus.

If I have to put it up there myself I generally tie it in with the straps to the frame of the luggage rack. Not so much to stop theft but to prevent it from falling thousands of feet into a gorge on a particularly tight corner. Generally if a bus employee is putting it up for the obligatory 10 rupees it will be roped down and I always check that this is done.

Some buses are uncomfortable enough without having your pack on the floor in front of you and your knees tucked under your chin.

You will find things vary a lot - on some buses the conductor will insist you bring it into the bus with you - on others he will insist it goes on top. On tourist buses it usually goes in a locker at the back or the side of the bus.