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Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller

Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus is an excellent option for tourists to see the major attractions of a city in a day or two, but travellers usually don’t opt for them. Therefore, I have created a list of some very useful tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller.

You can follow my tips that I have bundled up from my experiences and mistakes :

Use as your transport:

Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller
Bus stops are right in front of the attractions which saves time in a tight schedule of exploration. If you are anything like me who cries if a place is missed to see, then you want to hop on a hop-on hop-off bus.

Also, in cases when:

  • subway is not your choice of transport because you want to see the city and not tunnels,
  • cabs are expensive,
  • walking is off-the-limits at some point because city is big & wide,
  • local transport seems complicated due to foreign language and shortage of time

you might want to opt for this bus as your transport system.

Do nothing, just observe:

tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a travellerThis is my favourite pass time. After I am done exploring the city on my own, what I do is, hop on a bus, catch the top seat with open view and just watch the world pass by. I don’t only travel to explore places, I travel also in the search of humanity. I love watching people living their day to day life so I do that from the bus until it finishes a full round and then hop off from where I started.

β€œAs I always say, don’t just travel to have fun, travel to educate yourself, feed your thoughts with positivity and let the world come and hug you.”

Photography:

You must be thinking that I am crazy, telling you to take pictures from a moving bus, but this one of all tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller, will change your views about it. If you grab the front seat of the upper deck, you will get a fantastic low flight bird’s view. Great pictures of streets or buildings can be captured from here. You can also take your own pretty pictures and just have fun living your life and breathing the foreign air. Here are some of them I have captured from the hop-on hop-off bus.

Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller
New York City
Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller
Empire State Building

Shopping:

Oh yes, you read it right. Don’t forget, these bus drives through the most popular areas of the city and you can stop by anywhere you want plus you will not have to walk with those heavy shopping bags. My mom have this travel tradition of her own; wherever we go, we have to go to at least one shopping street and she has to buy something for the house, either a cutlery or furnishing item. We can have our very own unique travel museum at our house with a chopping board from the U.K., a kitchen towel from Finland and even a sieve from Australia. I do love her for this though. She makes our trips memorable and the memories are enliven when we see those things.

This is going to be your favourite of all tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller.

Because, there is a great benefit with these hop-on hop-off bus passes. In most cities, you also get a free booklet of amazing discount coupons with the bus passes. You can make the most of their collaborations and get discount on your favourite items. Isn’t that cool?

Eat/Drink:

This is one of my most favourite tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller.

And, yes, you guessed it right. That booklet of discount coupons also gives you some great restaurant deals and you can choose according to your likes. Moreover, some eateries generously offers free ice-cream and drinks. Also, how will you get there from where you are or from your stay, of course by hopping on a hop-on hop-off bus. Who wants to let go off a free perk, right?

Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller
My free drink at a bar in NYC
Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller
That’s me: Enjoying my free milkshake and ticking off places in the booklet

They also allow you to eat and drink on the bus. So you can also browse through some places of your choice, grab a take-out and enjoy your meal, again from the top seat, I suggest, and be entertained with those great views of the city passing by. After all life is a holiday and you have to have a great time living it.


Lastly, I want to add up one important thing:

To take advantage of those discount coupons’ booklet, you will have to book your passes online in advance or buy from the main office of the city. There will be many other small booths around the bus stops which lets you buy passes on the spot and on last minute but minus the coupons. So check it online on this website https://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/ Β before reaching to your destination and try to make most of those passes.

I hope you enjoyed my article and found my list of tips effective. If you have any other handy tips on how we can use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller, which I might have missed, do comment in the box below. I would love to hear from you.

Also, please feel free to react and share.

Happy Hopping, you guys! Good Luck πŸ™‚

 

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28 responses to “Tips to use hop-on hop-off bus as a traveller”

  1. Sonia Avatar

    Hiya, I love your post about the on-off bus. I love using them on my first or second day in a new city. I love just setting back and making a list of places I want to visit so the second time around, I then get on and off. I also love how many of the tickets can stretch over a 24 to 48 hour period. Thanks for the extra tips about the discounts and shopping – I never thought about that… Love your post… xxxx

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar
      Hiral Pandya

      Thank you so much. I’m glad you loved it. Yes the service is great but most people think that only tourists take it, so I thought of writing points on how travellers can also use this amazing service. πŸ™‚

  2. Shae Avatar

    This is an awesome post! I’m not one for buses on the whole, but we did LOVE hop-on-off bus in Bath, England and have thought about it in other cities. I love the creativity you’re using it with! Definitely a new way of looking at it and making the most of a city! Thank you!!!

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar
      Hiral Pandya

      Absolutely, we as travellers can think beyond and make the most of the service that comes with many benefits. I am ecstatic that you liked it. Thank you so much. πŸ™‚

  3. Yogita Avatar

    I am in love with the hop on hop off bus; I use them in every city I go to. I agree with all your recommendation; they make fantastic transport, great for sightseen as much as possible in a short amount of time

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      So glad you liked the post. Thanks πŸ™‚

  4. Natascha (WESTWARDS) Avatar

    A lot of good reasons to take a Hop-on-hop-off bus. We only took a sightseeing bus once in Insbruck/ Austria and this was work-related. Most of the time the information is via earphone, which I do not like. But Hop-on-hop-off buses are definitely a good way to get a first impression of a new place!

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      That’s true! We can use those as per our convenience. πŸ™‚

  5. Jyoti Avatar

    Reading your blog, I feel I should start using hop on hop off buses, which I otherwise do very rarely. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      Awesome! Super glad you found it useful πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

  6. Sulie Loves You Avatar

    I love the post. Actually, I have never used these as I always think that they must just take you around and waste time. But now after reading your post, I realise they might actually save time!

    How much does it usually cost for a pass on one of these?

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      The cost usually differs for every city and amount of days. You must check out the website. πŸ™‚ Thank you so much, so glad you loved it. <3

  7. Rasha Akar Avatar

    I love hop-on hop-off buses, they are the perfect way to explore a city! And as you mentioned, you can just use them as public transport as they go through all the main areas, that’s what we did in Barcelona.

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      Exactly! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. πŸ™‚

  8. Hayley Avatar

    Cool post. I have to admit, we don’t usually use these buses when travelling but after reading this, I’ll suggest to my wife that we give it a go. Especially if you get discount/free stuff from other places too, that’s always a bonus when on a budget.

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      Yes! That’s a huge bonus. Coupons are so helpful while on a budget. But make sure to book them ahead. And, thanks a lot for your kind words. πŸ™‚

  9. Marvi Avatar

    I love hop on and hop off buses! I personally think they are a great way to explore cities especially if you’re on a limited time.. πŸ™‚ I didn’t check out the booklet though for coupons. Maybe next time I’ll see if how we can take advantage of those!

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      You’re right! They are time-saver and yes, do check out the coupons. I find food coupons very helpful. πŸ™‚

  10. Luis Enrique Avatar

    I must say that I’ve never used a hop on, hop off tourist bus. I’ve always had it in my mind that they’re a bit of an overpriced, isolation tourist trap, when you can board on public transport, conduct unconscious ethnographic work as you take in the sounds, faces, interactions etc. Though I completely understand that transport systems can be complicated. I think, in part, we owe it to our locations and to ourselves to make the effort.

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      I totally agree with what you are saying. I experiment every thing while travelling. Totally depends on time and cost.

  11. Ritika Avatar

    wow..thats very informative post..i use hop on hop off buses when is pend just liek 2, 3 days in a city…thanks for ur tips on discounts we get..i didnt know that..luv ur pictures too

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      You’re welcome πŸ™‚ Super glad you loved it.

  12. Alex Avatar

    I think these type of busses are amazing and let you enjoy the city your are visiting. I’ve only used hop-on hop-off twice-once in Washington D.C and Boston, MA. Love it. Thanks for the love!

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      True! They have amazing benefits. Thank you for such sweet comment, Alex. πŸ™‚ <3

  13. Arnav Mathur Avatar

    Those are some really compelling reasons for hopping on a hop on hop off bus. Have seen so many, in cities around her, but always shrugged it off, coz it was a bit costly, but now am going to check it out for sure in Rome. Definitely grabbing that top first seat to get the great shots.

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      Yes, you need to check out the deals first. Booking prior or may be last minute can turn tables. They are quite helpful, though, I feel. πŸ™‚

  14. Constance Avatar
    Constance

    I’m usually not the hugest fan of the hop on/off buses since I find them to be very touristy, which they are. But you’ve brought up many good points for them and they definitely give a different vantage point when traveling and I am able to see that in your photos. I would definitely consider taking one in the future after reading this!

    1. Hiral Pandya Avatar

      I totally understand what you are saying. I felt the same but after some experiences, I thought they can be used for several purposes. Glad you liked the points I shared. Thank you for such sweet comment. πŸ™‚

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