Announcing my new series: Day Trips for $40 or Less

My new series is all about affordable day trips for $40 or less. My strategy is simple. Find a destination that you can get to and back in one day. Then figure out how you can get there and back while staying in budget. At the end of each video I'll cover everything step-by-step, so you can learn how to do it.

Ground rules are:

• The budget has to cover everything. --This means gas, breakfast, lunch, dinner and any admission fees, snacks and souvenirs for two people. 
• To treat this like any other trip. -- This means combining with items that I may already have. Usually this means raiding the fridge and utilizing whatever gas is in the car - without making a special fill-up beforehand. Coupons and passes are okay when they're something the average person has access to. For example Smithsonian Days count, but my Tennessee Aquarium Membership won't.

You'll be able to learn from the videos to see exactly how I did each day trip. You'll also be able to see if I went over budget, how and why. This way you can replicate my success and learn from my mistakes.

Will it work? Follow my YouTube today page to find out. 

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New York City on the cheap with video

Here is the cheap NYC trip post with video that you have been asking for. This explains how a friend and I took a cheap trip to New York City for Christmas. How inexpensive was the getaway? How about around $350? Before you ask, we never felt deprived or lacked for anything on the trip. We ate fast food, toured the city and dined at the Hard Rock Cafe.

How did we do this on such a limited travel budget? The secret on how we did it is in the video.

Cheap or free in New York City

Cheap or free in New York City is a prime way to control vacation costs. Going to from Knoxville to New York City for $350 required planning, flexibility and research. Vacations don't have to be expensive. After nailing down transportation, you will want to start working activities that are cheap or free in New York City into your vacation itinerary.

Here are five things you may be interested in doing.

FIT Museum
The Megabus dropped us at the entrance to the Fashion Institute of Technology front doors. Expand your understanding of fashion by perusing the galleries. The main gallery is designed to exibitions by students and faculty. Rotating exhibits are on the second gallery.

The Fashion Institute of Technology is part of the State University of New York. Approximately 100,000 people visit the free museum each year. It's at Seventh Avenue at 27 Street, New York City 10001-5992.

The New York Public Library
Free and fun. The nation's largest library is more than a place to check out free books and media. Tourists can enjoy lots of free programs and exhibits. You can see the mascots of the library, the Library Lions, in front of the Beaux-Arts building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan.

Hot Dog vendors
Hungry? Lunch from a hot dog vendor is one cheap meal. I paid $3.00 for a hot dog and another $1.00 for a soda. Best of all, buying the cheap food didn't take up too much time. I was able to move on to other cheap or free things in New York City pretty quickly.

Hard Rock Cafe
I know what you're thinking. The truth is that you while you can spend a fortune at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, you don't have to. The Hickory-Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich entree that I ordered only set me back $15.50. Dinner and tip were just under $20.00 after the AAA discount. You can read more here about the cheap food I got at the Hard Rock Cafe. The restaurant is in Times Square at 1501 Broadway New York, NY 10036.


Tours
How would you like to tour New York City for half price? My friend and I paid $24 each for the Go NY Tours Holiday Lights Night Tour by booking online. It is not a hop on, hop off tour and the narration is recorded, but it has the advantage of being a cheap tour of New York City. Pick up and drop off points vary among the tours. Check the website for more information.


Souvenirs
There are souvenir shops all over NYC. I found t-shirts priced at for for $20.00 in the Theatre District Shopping Court. It was also a good place for postcards and other items.

Window shopping
Stores like Saks, Macy's and Lord and Taylor go all out during Christmas with massive displays. You can't walk in front of any of the stores in New York City without doing some free window shopping.

More free attractions
There is no charge to take in...
Times Square
Herald Square
Rockefeller Center
Central Park
Staten Island Ferry (good view of the Statute of Liberty)
Grand Central Partnership Walking Tours
Grand Central Station
City Parks

This list barely scratches the surface of things to do that are cheap or free in New York City. There are many more that could be listed here. Have you been to this city? What is your favorite free or cheap thing about the town? Leave us a message in the comments below.

Knoxville to New York City for less than $350

Never underestimate the potential of budget travel. My recent cheap trip from Knoxville to New York City cost less than $350. I could only be gone from work from Monday to Friday. The challenge was to go round trip  from Knoxville to New York City in a five day week and have fun, on a budget. Some people said that it couldn't be done, but I live to prove naysayers wrong. I went round trip from Knoxville to New York City on less than $350 including transportation, lodging, food and souvenirs.

If I can go to NYC for less than $350, you can too. This is how I did it.


Transportation is usually the most expensive part of a trip. The cheap transportation winner was Megabus. If you've not read about how I scored two spectacularly cheap tickets from Knoxville to New York City for $20 then you should read that next. Here's the link. 

The bus departure from Knoxville at 11:50 p.m. on a Monday. We arrived in New York City at 4:30 pm the next day (Tuesday). That was the only night that we needed to spend the night out. The hotel that I chose was on Long Island and near family.

My friend and I walked the three blocks to Penn Station and bought off-peak tickets for the Long Island Railroad. Since the complimentary hotel shuttle was on an "on call" system, there was no need to leave the city at a particular time. We had several hours for sightseeing (more about the sights in a minute).

We used a taxi a couple of times but mostly we hoofed it around New York City. Foot transportation isn't simply cheap, it's the best we get a city. The only times that we used a taxi was when what we wanted to see was too far to walk, or when we were under time pressure.

Sightseeing Tuesday night included Times Square, Herald Square and got lost in Macy's a few times. Please don't laugh. The store is nine stories high and takes up an entire city block. There is an elevator wall and several escalators.

An extremely helpful employee assisted us in finding a food court there in Macy's. We grabbed a cheap snack there before hoofing it over to Penn Station again. How about a bagel, cream cheese and two drinks for less than $5.00? I'm pretty sure I paid more in Knoxville, but maybe not.

The hotel we stayed in was on Long Island and close to family. What I wanted an a clean room, free transportation to and from the train depot, free breakfast and free WiFi. Ideally, the shuttle would take us somewhere besides the train station.

That's not too much to ask is it?

I found it. TownePlace Suites by Mariott on Long Island had the total package. It costs us only $189.77 with tax to get everything we needed. This price was better than or comparable to those that I looked at near Penn Station. It was relatively close to my cousins and the shuttle driver even took me to pick up takeout from a local restaurant. How's that for cool?

My cousins picked us up from the hotel the next day (Wednesday). My aunt kindly bought lunch for my friend, cousins and myself at a lovely restaurant. I hated it when we said good-bye at the train station later that afternoon. We enjoyed a beautiful day together! Hopefully we can do it again soon!

We had the cheap trip from Knoxville to New York City because of discounts and the cost and timing of the bus tickets. Discounts included 10% at the Hard Rock for AAA and finding a bus tour with an online discount of 50%.  

Despite spending so little left me feeling empowered. Not deprived. For less than $350, I saw many sights and had a good time.

Tuesday evening and all day on Wednesday were spent in New York before we had to leave very early on Thursday morning. The amount of time is similar to weekend tourists who arrive on Friday evening, spend Saturday and leave early Sunday morning.

Not only was going from Knoxville to New York City a cheap trip, but the bus didn't have any of the TSA hassles that airline travelers have to deal with. Traffic was a problem that someone else had to deal with. We just sat back, chatted about our adventure and enjoyed the ride.

Is this kind of budget travel for you? Tell me what you think by leaving a comment below.

Here is my cheap trip breakdown:

• $20 Megabus Ticket
• $190 Room
• $33.56 Meals not taken out of cash (1 lunch was a gift.) $33.56
•      Houligans $13.59
•      Hard Rock $19.97
• $11.10 Transportation not taken out of cash
• $24 One tour ticket
• $35 Gas to/from bus
• $8.00 Fees
• $100 Cash for incidentals such as:
•      Souvenirs (Cash)
•      Postcards and postage (Cash)
•      Miscellaneous snacks etc. (Cash)
• - $75 Unspent cash in pocket upon return 

• Total spent: $346.66

Note: None of the prices in the list were shared expenses. Hubby wasn't able to come, so my friend agreed took his place. It didn't seem right for her to pitch in on the room and bus tickets. I think she spent less than I did! Who goes from Knoxville to New York City on less than $350? We do!

Now that you know our secrets, you can too.

Megabus Knoxville to New York City : You won't believe the price!

You won't believe what my tickets for Megabus Knoxville to New York City cost. I am leaving to go see family there in December. NYC is an expensive place to visit and the cost has been stopping me for awhile. I always wrestle with the choice to drive or fly. The cost of the Megabus Knoxville to New York City tickets made choosing the bus a no-brainer..

Generally, driving a family car is often easier on the budget than flying. Four in a car can hit the road for the same gas. Flying means four tickets, airline hassle and dealing with TSA regulations. The driveway to destination time is about the same for where I live. Drive time, flight, two hours, early baggage etc.

However, this trip is just me an another person and that makes Megabus an option. We are leaving the first week of December to go to New York City  from Knoxville and back on Megabus. It'll cost me $15 bucks to leave my car in the parking garage and about $25 round trip to get to the transit center and back from where I live - which is less than what I paid for two round trip tickets on the bus. Not kidding.

My cost for two tickets to take the Megabus Knoxville to New York City bus is $20.00. Yes, you read that right. Add in booking and other fees and the total cost comes to about $28.00.

This is a budget operation. There is wifi and bathrooms, but not many other amenities. Riders should read my article about what to expect. If you enjoy cheap travel, then the bus may be an option to consider.

Right now, I'm loving the Megabus. I'll be blogging the trip so don't forget to subscribe to my You Tube channel if you've not already done so at www.youtube.com/youvebeenreviewed. You can also sign up on the blog to get email updates about my trip from Knoxville to New York City and other posts.

Now I need to look for lunch coupons. Got any suggestions? Leave them in the comments below.

Recycling on vacation saves money

To me, recycling on vacation is as important as recycling at home. It also saves money. Committing to reduce, reuse and recycle may seem easier for campers than for hotel travelers, however, it works there too. Until our road trip to Alaska, I never knew how easy it is to recycle on vacation - and save money! A look at our travel supplies and habits showed room for improvement. A few changes were all that we needed to make recycling on vacation work for us.

Plastic bottles
Get a good reusable water bottle and dump the disposables. Hubby's Contigo bottle cost about the same as a single case of water. Washing it was easy since the wide mouth let me reach to the bottom. We refilled it from a glass jar that we keep in the van, but a five gallon beverage cooler works.

You can get free water just about anywhere. Campgrounds, national parks and rest areas all have water. Changing things up is as simple as tossing cold brew tea bags into the glass jar and steeping as directed. Free tea in minutes.

Free ice
Did you know that truck stops and some convenience stores offer free ice? Many Flying J and Pilot let you get free ice from the soda fountains if you have your own cup. To save more money, I put the free ice into the Quantum Cooler that we already had. A small cooler like this one is okay for short trips, but the Quantum holds ice longer. Having ice, reusable cups and sun tea lowered the temptation to buy iced drinks on the road, so we could put those vacation dollars to use elsewhere.

Picnic
We only used a pack and a half of disposable plates on our month-long trip to Alaska and no plastic tablecloths. I brought what we needed from home and washed as necessary. It was a cheap way to reuse what we already had.

Reusable tote bags
I love my reusable grocery sacks. You can stuff them full and still have space leftover. Although the reusable grocery sacks didn't completely get us away from plastic, they made a huge difference. The few bags that we ended up with from stores were reused for trash, the dog or for wrapping souvenirs.

I'm glad that we did the recycling on vacation. Saving money is great! But, keeping plastics out of landfills and saving money is even better. That's cash in our pockets that we can use for other things - like a bigger memory cards for the road trip.

What Megabus riders can expect at boarding and on the bus

We looked at some of what Megabus riders can expect in an earlier article. Here, I cover a few more topics. The earlier article and be found here and will open in another window. I have found that Megabus can be a convenient way to travel, if you know what to expect.

Boarding
Simply show your reservation number as you board and take your seat. The reservation number can be hand written on a piece of paper, printed from your home computer or shown to the driver on your cell phone.

Self-sufficiency
Unless disabled, riders should be able to stand for 30-45 minutes at the bus stop. Megabus riders have to stow luggage under the bus. Carry-ons go the overhead bin (when available) or under the seat.

Parking

Don't expect stops on a Megabus route to be near coffee shops, restaurants or rest rooms. Bathrooms are available on the bus but you may not want to use them. Beverages will need to be consumed before boarding. However; snacks are usually permitted.

The coach bus
Double decker buses have good views from the top and a table downstairs. This photo shows the Megabus interior on a standard coach bus. Pull down shades are on the windows and there are overhead lights. The seats are fairly comfortable if firm.Some of the standard buses may have small overhead compartments, but most do not. Stow your bag under the seat or hold it for your trip.

Seating tip
A tip that one of the drivers gave me is that people with disabilities should ask for a front seat. If needed, it's easier to get the driver's attention. I was told that the drivers on most Megabus routes will put their personal gear in the front seats. People with disabilities should expect to ask Megabus drivers to be able to get these seats.

Scheduling
Late buses are another thing to expect on Megabus routes. Traffic, weather, road delays and new drivers can affect schedules. The routes have the same risks that all drivers face. Riders who are making connections will need to allow for extra time.

Customer service
I've come to expect Megabus to have unreliable customer service overall. Calling the customer service line at 1.877.GO2MEGA can mean a long wait. Representatives may not be able to help. Some drivers are rude.

Last word
The best answer for what to expect on Megabus routes is to remember that this is budget travel. You get what you pay for. Rider expect Megabus routes to transport you from point A to point B safely. Just don't expect much else.
http://us.megabus.com/faq.aspx

See fall foliage by traveling on a shoestring

A sluggish economy doesn't have to derail your fall break or fall foliage vacation this year. You can travel on a shoestring and enjoy a fun filled autumn getaway. The AAA automobile club is projecting that fewer travelers hit the road in 2013. Travelers on fall break or drivers looking to view fall foliage may be able to take advantage of special deals and incentives that make a vacation affordable.

My family has successfully traveled on a dime for years without sacrificing fun. (Actually, it's the only way that we can afford to leave town.) Shoestring travel is about choosing your destination and spending wisely without sacrificing fun.

Most of us know that sites like Hotels.com can help you get good deals. But, did you know that restaurant coupons

Travel article migration

I will be migrating travel articles here from another site over the next few months. No journey is quick and this is no exception. If you are used to seeing my reviews or road trip articles on the other site, then please bear with me. Transferring all the travel articles over may even take a year or more.

A little spit and polish will get the old pieces road worthy once again. We'll be creating playlists for cross country travel, pick up hot tips on surviving road trips with kids (or grandparents) and putting together some great itineraries.

It won't happen overnight.

My reviews and travel pieces from the Yahoo Contributor Network will be here on You've Been Reviewed as soon as they are relevant.

No one wants to read about fall foliage road trips in the spring or about snow skiing in the summer. Similarly, articles on kids and summer vacations aren't going to be relevant during the Christmas travel season.Travel articles will migrate as they become seasonally relevant.


Life is about change and this a small detour around a rough road. Let's face it. There's no way to know where the road will carry us. A blog is created by traveling one mile at a time. Thanks for going on the trip with me. Sit down and buckle up. The next leg of our adventure is upon us! I look forward to taking this new journey together.

PT Cruiser has 300,000 miles on it and counting

My PT Cruiser has 300,000 miles on it - and counting! The odometer rolled over night before last. Attached is a photo of the odometer reading. It's real folks! With proper car and maintenance your car can last this long and longer.

PT Cruiser 300,000 miles

Yes, I travel. Yes, I love it.

We previously racked up miles in our Ford Windstar. It hit 329,000 on the original engine before it just gave out. In a 48 hour period the ABS system sensor went bad, the electric window stopped working, we lost the air conditioning condenser and something went badly wrong with the radiator. That's when we hit the dealership.

I looked at a PT Cruiser but discarded the thought

Budget summer vacations for college students

The two facts about college students are that they're always broke and they need a break after the semester. These budget summer vacations for college studying will have you recharging your batteries in no time. Each of the ideas is designed to be easy on the budget. Share your ideas by singing out in the comments below.

Stay with a friend
Who better to chill out with than your best friend? Watch videos, have a DIY spa party or go fishing. Laugh and relax. Spend part of the week at your house and the other part at your friend's house. The more the merrier so negotiate about inviting friends. This is one of the budget summer vacations for college students that's guaranteed to be a blast.

Pitch in for a hotel room - my favorite

How to pack light for a vacation

Packing light for a vacation means different things to different people. Taking a road trip with children requires more items. From dealing with the TSA to checked baggage fees, flying brings on its own challenges. Airline customers can have an easier time navigating lightweight bags through airports than heavier ones. Students and backpackers have to pack light for a vacation because of size limitations.

The good news is that you don't have to be overwhelmed. No matter what your destination or circumstance, these tips can help you pack light for a vacation.

Not an example of packing light.

Make a list
And check it twice. This will help you eliminate unnecessary items and pack light for your vacation.

Toiletries
Pack medications first and then everything else comes second. Does your family of four really need four bottles of shampoo? Take a small bottle or sample sizes. The same goes for body wash, lotion or other personal items. Follow the TSA rules when flying and plan similarly for road trips.

Choose wisely

Warriors Path State Park; Why we camped elsewhere

It was a beautiful sunny day when my fammily headed to Warriors Path State Park in Tennessee. The reviews were intriguing, it has a campground and we had vacation time. That sounded like a winning combination. So, we loaded up the camper and took the road trip to Warriors Path State Park.

The park was easy to find from Knoxville. We took I-40 to I-81 to at exit 59. Then we took Route 36 (N) and followed the signs through Kingsport. My family arrived at the park a short while later.

Warriors Path State Park

The first thing we did was drive around Warrior Path State Park to get a feel for the place. Although it is on a lake shore, it is more commercialized than most Tennessee state parks and wasn't what we wanted.

What we hoped to find was a quiet place where we could connect with nature. Our plans were to hike, birdwatch and camp. Warriors Path is a Tennessee park with a a lot going for it. However; it was abuzz with activity and was fairly crowded. 

Warriors Path State Park is the first state park in the country to build a Darrell's Dream Boundless Playground. All children can play here regardless of what the physical challenges might be. The playground was packed even though we were there on a Thursday afternoon in mid-May.

Warriors Path Visitor Center

Camping is what we were interested in the most at Warriors Path State Park. They have 134 campsites in all. Each one has a grill and picnic table.Water and electric hook-ups are available on 94 sites. Tent campers may be unhappy.

Roan Mountain State Park Campground is a great camping trip

Roan Mountain State Park Campground in Tennessee is one of the better state park campgrounds that we have stayed in so far. A clean, well maintained camping area is important but so is friendly staff. Roan Mountain State Park campground has the power packed combination of both.

We got there by taking I-26 to Johnson City. From there, you go through town and take the Elizabethton / Roan Mountain State Park exit onto Hwy. 67.

Roan Mountain State Park sign

From there it was just a matter of following the signs. The campground is at the base of the mountain and within an easy drive of Elizabethton and Carver's Gap.

The 87 RV sites have electric and water hook-ups. Every site has a grill and a picnic table. They are available on a first come, first served basis. My family was there during the week in late May and we had no problems finding a well shaded, quiet site on a loop.


Our nearest neighbors came in on Friday night. They were several sites away and downhill from us. Until then, we had the entire half loop to ourselves. Roan Mountain State Park campground also has tent sites. They do not have electricity but there are shared water spigots.

Roan Mountain State Park has inviting cabins with wide front porches. We may try one of those next time. Depending on which you want, you can book 

Megabus articles Tops on Youve Been Reviewed for 2012

This year, the top Youve Been Reviewed blog posts for 2012 are all about the Megabus. The hot new budget travel bus line has revolutionized bus travel in a whole new way. Dirty, smelly buses are a thing of the past. Today's Megabus models are often double decker buses.

Megabus, Union Station, D.C.

And why not? All buses have seat that begin as low as $1.00 (plus a .50 booking fee). Like myself, many leisure, business travelers and students are finding that the cheap seats, electricity and free Wi-Fi to be too good to pass up. It's no wonder that (other than our title page) our top blog articles for 2012 are all about the Megabus.

Here is the list of top articles for 2012.I've broken the list into two sections to make it easier to read.

Entry Page for You've Been Reviewed.net (You are probably here).

Megabus has two stops in Orlando

Blogging from a double-decker Megabus out of Knoxville

Megabus Nashville stop at Ramada

More about my trip on Megabus

Two other articles that made the cut were the title page and Shadracks Winter Wonderland. Most people enter through the title page so it's a nature on the top list. As far as Shadracks goes, well that speaks for itself. It is the largest and most elaborate Christmas light display that I know about.

Yet, despite all of the articles on Youve Been Reviewed, Megabus clearly claims the designation of Top Articles of 2012 at this blog.

Given that I'll be traveling more I'm thinking of developing a hashtag to help in branding. I'm thinking of #bebodacious. Let me know what you think. 

Knoxville bus station for Megabus

Megabus has two stops in Orlando

Shadracks Winter Wonderland

Megabus Orlando,Florida stop has moved

How to get to Disney from Megabus

I appreciate your faith in my blog. As most of you know, this isn't run by myself. This is a compilation of my experiences that is brought to you. Thank you for traveling with me. I can't wait to see where we go in 2013.

Got any travel or review ideas? I'm all ears. Leave your suggestions in the comments section below. I'll see what I can do to make most of them a 2013 reality. See you on the road! :-)

My overnight Megabus ride

My overnight Megabus ride went smoothly. This marks the first time that I have taken the overnight run in or out of out Knoxville to/from Washington, D.C. All of my preconceived notions proved to be wrong. My daughter speaks well of her overnight Megabus trips and I can now see why.

Here are a few of my misconceptions that the overnight Megabus ride cleared up.

Waiting at the Megabus deck in DC 11pm

Loud passengers
My kids were both in the high school marching band so I know how loud a bus can be. No worries here. This run didn't make the cut. Passengers were quiet and respectful. Cell phone conversations, giggles and computer volume were all low. Most leaned over on jackets and slept.

Grumpy drivers
A friend cautioned about riding any bus line overnight. She said that her experience with night time drivers had never been good. I thought the Megabus drivers on the overnight trip were were as courteous as the  daytime drivers for this company.

Personal safety
Most of the passengers were college students who were homeward bound. They talked for a few minutes but most fell asleep after the bus got on the road. People were also on board who were traveling on business and some of us were (young) middle-aged women.

No empty seats
The empty lot in the photo didn't last long. I was the third person in line at 45 minutes before departure. The place was packed by twenty minutes before departure. If you want extra space, then you had better buy a second seat. These overnight Megabus routes were at or near capacity.

Last Megabus out of DC before Hurricane Sandy

We were able to get my daughter on the last Megabus out of D.C. before Hurricane Sandy Struck. Or so we thought. Hubby and I felt the need to get our daughter out of D.C. before Hurricane Sandy came roaring in. The big question was how to do it. Flights were filling up and others were canceling left and right. We also thought about a rental car or trying to drive my car to D.C. before Hurricane Sandy could make landfall.

Enter Megabus! My daughter and I have used the service several times before and liked it. We hurriedly booked a seat for the midnight bus out of DC to Knoxville.

I can't tell you what a relief it was to have a plan in place. The weight of the world didn't exactly lift from my shoulders but it came close. My daughter would be coming home before Hurricane Sandy could do her worst.

It was time to relax and leave the travel worries to someone else. Or so I thought...

Frugal living helps me travel more often

Frugal living does not mean that you can't have road trip fun. It means that you are taking money away from the mundane and using it in other areas. In my case, we are trying to live frugally so I can get back to traveling.

The news that I need a new engine came out of nowhere. Thinking about a new car and sky high payments puts me into a tailspin. How am I supposed to go camping or on vacation and have tons of debt? Plus, how wise is it to pay out $16,000 for a new car when the repair is only $3,500?

To me, it isn't smart at all and will only add to my debt load. I'd rather spend money by touring the country instead of paying a loan. I think that it's safe to say that living frugally makes my vacations possible.

Here are three money saving tips that are working for me:

Hurricane Isaac and Megabus schedule changes; forces cancellations

Hurricane Isaac is changing Megabus schedules and forcing cancellations. Riders in Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Atlanta and Montgomery need to double check their Megabus plans asap. Changes were just announced on the company website and impact multiple days, times and cities.

As Hurricane Isaac changes its path or strength, it may force other route cancellations and other route changes. Bus route information and schedule changes can be found on the Megabus website. Customers would do well to check their email frequently and to monitor the bus line website to stay abreast about any schedule alterations.

No one can predict what any hurricane will do with 100% certainty. Riders who are in or going to one of the affected cities may want to tune in to the local news media there. State or local governments may broadcast emergency news that Megabus customers will need to know about.

Megabus crash underscores my need to wear seat belts

For over a year, I have discussed tips on getting the most out of Megabus travel. Seat belt usage has been an unintentional oversight. The recent Megabus crash underscores my need to wear seat belts when the vehicle is in motion. I'm more than a little frustrated with myself for not being more aware of the need to wear them until now.

Here's the thing about my Megabus travels. When I'm on vacation, then I'm focused on leaving town. I cheerfully check in with the driver, stow the bag under the bus and hop on without a second thought.

Megabus tickets are cheap and riding is easy. In a few hours, I will be relaxing with friends and family. Thoughts of regular vehicle safety isn't on the front of my mind and this needs to change.

Think of it in terms of the family road trip.