Your survival guide to the Flixbus

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During the final weeks of my exchange, a friend and I decided to make our way to four different countries using the Flixbus, a German based bus company providing transit to most major as well as several smaller cities across the continent. Spending countless hours riding everywhere from the Croatian countryside to the Alps of Austria, you could say we became masters of the Flixbus after making our fair share of mistakes.

The Flixbus is great for students, with cheap fares and discounts that will allow you to make those dream destinations a reality. To avoid making the same mistakes we did, and ensuring your trip goes as smooth as possible, try following these 11 tips.

1. Download your ticket beforehand and print it out

To purchase your ticket online, go to the Flixbus website. Here, you can select the cities you will be travelling to as well as the date of departure and return. One way tickets are also an option.

While many of you may have a data plan on your phone, others of you may be solely reliant upon Wi-Fi. Be sure to check your e-mail inbox immediately upon purchasing in order to download you ticket so that you can have it ready for the bus driver to scan before boarding.

It is also not a bad idea to print out your ticket if you have access to a printer as phones often die. Without your electronic ticket, you will be left on the pavement, your sad and teary face becoming smaller and smaller in the bus drivers side mirror.

2. Make a PayPal account

For international students coming from North American countries (and possible other overseas countries), do not panic if you try to use your credit card and a web page comes up asking you to insert your bank account password, only to have this fail to be accepted.

My credit card as well as my friends from the US and Canada experienced the same thing, making for a stressful night when trying to book a bus the night before you plan on leaving to some place where you already have accommodations.

Create a PayPal account, which you can set up in a few minutes on the PayPal website. When you go back to purchase your ticket, you can then select PayPal as your method of payment, prompting you to simply enter your PayPal account password.

3. Pay attention to the 24 Hour clock

Sometimes, it can be easy to confuse the departure time of your bus as a certain time in the afternoon as opposed to the early morning. Make sure to triple check the time your bus leaves and be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early as recommended by the company, as busses have often left with 5 minutes to spare.

My friend and I made this mistake as we sat waiting on the curb at the bus depot one rainy afternoon in Ljubljana, Slovenia, wondering why we were the only people around. In viewing our ticket a second time, it suddenly dawned on us that our departure time read 1:25 not 13:25, meaning it had already left in the wee hours of the morning (don’t judge us, the 24 clock is not commonly used in Canada).

4. You must get on and off at the stop specified on your ticket

Flixbus has strict rules that you can only get on and off the bus from the exact location specified on your ticket. Be careful with this one, as larger cities, such as Paris and Prague have several stops, with stops in the city centre and at the bus station and train stations. Ensure that when you are booking your ticket that you choose the one with the most convenient location and know how to find it ahead of time. As for getting off the bus, you may not disembark at any other stop, whether it becomes before or after the one specified on your ticket.

5. Bring your passport

You must have a valid piece of ID with you. While certain bus drivers may not ask for it, many do and it is especially important to have when crossing the border. Even in the Schengen area, you may be asked, especially If crossing through Germany to present your passport at a Border control.

I have witnessed several passengers being removed from the bus as they failed to present a valid piece of ID. To avoid being taken to an unintended destination, have your passport handy!

6. Have snacks

A trip to the grocery store prior to departure is essential for making long bus rides bearable. You will make stops at gas stations, roadside restaurants and convenience stores along the way, it may be awhile so grab a few bags of chips, cookies and drinks to avoid reaching that Hangry stage.

7. Keep a sweater and pants handy

The Air Conditioning on several of the Flixbus busses I have travelled on has often times been blasting. Even though you have the option of closing the vents overhead, it can still be freezing cold, making for an especially uncomfortable overnight ride. Even if it is thirty degree outside, have a sweater and pants that can easily be slipped on in your seat as it may just feel like winter from the inside of the bus.

8. Expect delays

If you are using Flixbus as a mean for getting to the airport or somewhere important, make sure to account for possible delays when booking your time of departure. The majority of trips I have made on the Flixbus have arrived significantly later than the expected time of arrival due to border controls, with some requiring that you let them rifle through your bags. This may take a while considering the number of people they have to check.

9. Flixbus stations may be different from that of the main city bus depot

Do not assume that the Flixbus leaves from the main bus depot. Sometimes, they simply stop at a designated point on the roadside so be sure to check the exact point of departure.

10. Don’t be late coming back from a break

While the Flixbus is not entirely reliable for arriving on time, they are quite prompt when it comes to leaving whatever gas station or roadside restaurant you have stopped at. 10 minutes means 10 minutes so sprint to the bathroom, grab your snacks and get yourself back on the bus or you will be left behind.

11. Go for the interflix deal

The interflix deal is a great promotion that allows you to make five trips, anywhere that Flixbus goes in Europe for only 100 EUR. When you book, you will be sent five vouchers that are valid for three months from the time of purchase. In order to book your trip, simply book 48 hours prior to the day you want to leave using your voucher code. This being said, there are a few rules accompanying this deal. For instance, you cannot make a direct return trip on the same route. Vouchers are also only valid for direct trips. If the bus you book requires a change along the way, you will need to use two vouchers.

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