Travel is complicated during the pandemic. So it is safe to travel by long-distance bus in Mexico? To find out, I took a multi-destination trip through central Mexico, from Mexico City to Xalapa to Puebla and back to Mexico City.
In my unfiltered, unscripted travel video, I show you what to expect while traveling in Mexico by bus, from COVID-19 travel hygiene protocols to on-board amenities. And I share my honest opinion about whether you should travel by long-distance bus in Mexico right now. If you’re considering a Mexico vacation or any kind of multi-destination Latin America travel, this video should help you to make an informed decision.
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So what is my honest opinion about long-distance bus travel during the pandemic? Bottom line: I’d recommend that you avoid it (and I’m not talking just about Mexico travel, I’m talking anywhere). I’m vaccinated so I felt relatively comfortable (although no vaccine is 100 percent foolproof, either), but here’s why I think it’s best to look into alternative forms of travel, whether it’s airline flights or a rental car:
Buses are not planes. You’ve probably heard a lot about how fresh air is constantly circulated onboard commercial airliners, making the aircraft cabin one of the safest placed to be in terms of air circulation. Well, it’s no surprise that long-distance buses don’t have such sophisticated ventilation (frequently, the overhead air vents barely make a difference), so you can be sure that the same air stays in the coach for just about the entire trip. That’s a lot of air hanging around — and it probably isn’t the best environment for traveling during a pandemic.
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You may be too close for comfort. I traveled with my high school best friend and we always had two seats together. If you’re traveling alone, you may be seated next to a stranger. And even in our case, there was often a stranger right across the aisle, or right in front or in back of us. Bus interiors and seating are far less spacious and spread out than airplane seating (unless, perhaps, you’re taking the wonderful ETN first-class bus service in Mexico), so you will likely be spending several hours near people you don’t know, in an enclosed space — not the safest situation during the pandemic.
That said, I do have to praise ADO, the bus line that we traveled on during our latest trip, as well as the overall transportation system’s adherence to pandemic safety and hygiene protocols, including:
- Masks required in the terminal and on buses at all times, except when eating or drinking.
- Temperature check and hand sanitizer offered as passengers enter the bus boarding gate waiting area.
- Fumigation of all buses when they’re sitting in the station.
- Plastic headrest dividers onboard ADO GL buses, designed to provide a bit more protection for passengers.
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There are several that you can do, too, to make the bus travel experience as safe as possible, if you have no alternative.
- Bring your own hand sanitizer (and use the stuff that’s offered to you by staff, as well)
- Bring antibacterial wipes, and clean all the high-touch points in your seating area on the bus — armrests, light and vent controls, seatbelts, etc.
- Buy your Mexico bus tickets online, either directly from the bus operator or an online service like BusBud (which I used for the first time on this trip and seemed to work well — I believe it cost a bit more, but I didn’t have the usual problem trying to use my credit card to pay, which is often an issue when I’ve used the Mexico bus company sites). At any rate, when you buy online, you can usually choose your seats in advance, and see where there may be more open seats available, so you can choose the emptier parts of the bus.
Once travel gets back to normal and the pandemic is under control, I’m a huge proponent of long-distance bus travel in Mexico. It’s affordable, it’s efficient and the first-class buses in Mexico are about 50 times more comfortable than any buses in the United States. For now, however, we need to use caution and evaluate our options.
Please feel free to share your travel experiences and questions. And follow my travels on Instagram!