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Found overnight bus from Austin to New Orleans for $19, but there's a catch I didn't see coming
I took the Megabus route from Austin to New Orleans last month for $19 each way and saved about $140 compared to flying. The trick is booking exactly 3 weeks out on a Tuesday morning, that's when the prices bottom out before jumping back to $45 or more. But the tradeoff is you arrive at 6am and the station is in a rough part of town with nothing open nearby. I ended up waiting 2 hours at a gas station until my hostel let me drop my bag. Next time I'm thinking about just paying the extra $30 for a slightly later arrival. Has anyone figured out a good way to kill time at a bus station early in the morning without just sitting on a bench?
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ryan_barnes1mo ago
Isn't it funny how the cheapest option always seems to cost you something else, just not in money? Same thing happens with budget flights, early bird deals, even cheap apartments. You save cash but pay with waiting, bad timing, or a rough location. In my experience the real trick is just deciding what your time is worth before you book, because $19 plus two hours at a gas station might really be $19 plus your whole morning. I've started asking myself that question up front now and it saves me a lot of regret later. Though sometimes the cheap version is still worth it, so your mileage may vary depending on how much you value that extra sleep.
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