I intensely dislike how airline travel is conducted in the US. The TSA’s procedures and behaviour, add-on fees, in-flight comfort minimization… Bah.
In getting to & from PyCon 2011, I’ve decided to try traveling by Greyhound Bus.
Seattle to Atlanta round trip is $245, and 2.5 days each way. That’s about $100 cheaper, two more days each way, and 90% less of a degrading experience than traveling by air.
I’ve never travelled overnight by bus. I’m treating this as an interesting experiment. Will it be relaxing, interesting, and fascinating — or boring, claustrophobic, and tiring? Whatever it will be, I won’t have to take off my shoes and belt and be irradiated by airport non-security.
Update: I also evaluated travel by train. Amtrak would be 1 – 1.5 more days each way, and three times the cost, of Greyhound.
Seek Nuance 
Hmmmm…. it has been 30+ years since I last traveled overnight on the grey dog. If my memories are faithful to the reality, you are in for an interesting anthropological experience. Bring a paper bag to cover your bottle of mad-dog, and be ready to share.
As for the pat down, is it the reaction to the clanking noises that you object to? ;^)~~~~ .
Best of luck John.
I traveled from CT to AZ on Greyhound in 1976 – it was $76 for all you can eat (travel) for seven consecutive days. The best experience I had was when a precocious three year old stood on his seat and looked at the elderly woman sitting directly behind him. He said to her: “You look just like a cow.” I had to bite my tongue pretty hard to not burst out laughing and it was true; she had the most bovine appearance I had ever seen.
I hope you have a lot of entertainment because it’s pretty hard to sleep on a bus and I was a lot younger then than I am now (aren’t we all).
Best Regards,
Brad.
Take opoid with: They’ll take the sting out of the experience, and are oh-so shareable with the new friends you’ll surely meet. For a bus experience, try the Mexican first and executive class bus lines. Unfortunately, they run only in Mexico.
It was 1966 and I had to see my girlfriend in Texas for Christmas. I couldn’t afford the $50 airfare. I took the bus from L.A. to San Antonio. I think it took about 40 hours. Expect to stop every few hours while people “eat” and they change drivers. It was hard to sleep. It was after that trip I made the decision if I couldn’t afford to fly, I couldn’t afford to go.