Chewy
As travellers we know sometime sleep comes at a premium and finding a place to catch a bit of shuteye often requires a bit of imagination and flexibility. If you’re the kind of person who needs to have a fixed amount of sleep, in your bed and with just the perfect climate and pillow conditions, you may be extremely tired on a hectic backpacking trip – so maybe it’s not for you.
For everyone else though, we have our own dream scenarios for getting some sleep while moving. After all, sleeping on your transportation not only helps you feel refreshed upon arrival but also saves you a wasted night in a hostel – important for time and money! Here are my picks of best to worst modes of transportation to sleep in:
You can’t get much better than a train’s sleeper car for travelling long distances because, well, they’re the closest thing to a bed you can get! Sure, they are a bit more money but not as much as you might think and perfect for those night time trips from one town to the next.
Boat
Sleeping at sea can be calming for some or excruciating depending on how you feel about motion sickness. Let’s say though that you aren’t overly queasy, a boat generally has more space than any other form of transportation, making it perfect for stretching out on. The only downside is you’re generally paying more to travel by boat and the shorter ferries may not offer the most ideal sleeping conditions.
Car
Now, this only works if you’re not the one driving, but if you can sleep as a passenger on a road trip it can save you from having to stop. The downside though is you do not have much space to move around in and you generally want to stay awake to prevent the driver from dosing off.
Airplane
I really hate long flights because I just can’t sleep on them. I can’t. I don’t know how others do it and manage to not hate themselves and everyone else upon arriving, because the 3 degrees of seat adjustment you’re allowed isn’t enough to properly nod off… and forget about it if the guy ahead of you decides he’s sleeping. No, airplanes are the worst.
Bus
I had a hard time deciding what should be the worst because in reality, I hate planes and buses for sleeping equally, but I opted for buses as the grand losers as they tend to have all the frustration of an airplane but with the added joy of being less smooth. Plus they’re lower class… and I’m all about travelling in style! Also, at least with an airplane there’s the engine white noise to silence out all the other passengers that you don’t get on a bus.
