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Coach Travel Etiquette
Coach Travel Etiquette is particularly essential when your travel covers more than just one day on a coach and is with the same group of people.
We all want the best seat on the coach but need to be aware of the requirements of those who are old or frail, tall or short or have special needs through a disability that makes it difficult to board or disembark from the coach. Some coach travel requires you to place your own luggage in the luggage compartment yourself. Once again, look to see if anyone nearby requires your help. Coach Travel Etiquette on Single Trips On single trips, sit wherever you please, but, be mindful of those around you who could do with a bit of help boarding or alighting from the coach and with their baggage. Also consider the other passengers' need for peace, quiet and a smoke-free environment. Coach Travel Etiquette on Extended Tours Long coach tours with the same people require a lot more consideration for all the members of the tour group if there is to be peace and harmony within the members of the group. Each day rotate positions on the coach in a clockwise direction. By the end of the tour everybody should have had a turn to sit in the best, the mediocre and the worst seats. Ask those around you before you open or close the window blinds. You may cause discomfort by exposing someone to direct sunlight and glare or block someone’s view. Try to accommodate and compromise whenever you can. Check behind you and excuse yourself before you recline your seat. Someone may be leaning forward, working on their laptop computer or have a drink balanced precariously. So, recline your seat slooooowly. Just use courtesy and common sense.
When you stop for a comfort break and to stretch your legs the driver or tour leader will tell you when to be back on board. So take good note of what is said and comply. Do not keep everyone waiting by being late. Being late can put the coach behind schedule and may require unreasonable speed or route adjustments to meet a tight time-table or to avoid nasty traffic snarl-ups. Smokers, please take particular care to smoke down-wind of people waiting to board the coach or standing in a group listening to the tour leader at a tour site. Don’t smoke on board. Non-smokers find smoke and its smell offensive and asthmatics can have an asthmatic attack. Your ‘right to smoke’ does NOT take precedence over the rights of non-smokers to comfort and smoke-free, clean-smelling air to breathe. The fact that the air may be polluted anyway is no excuse to make it worse. For a while after smoking try to keep your distance from people, insofar as it is possible to do so. Your clothes will reek of smoke for some time to come. No amount of deodorant can mask its obnoxiousness. If you are listening to music keep the volume right down low. Even though you may be using earphones the sound will be heard by others as an irritating repetitive scratching sound. If you must keep your cell-phone on, turn the ring tone off so that it does not intrude on anyone’s sleep. Try not to make calls while in the coach, but, if you must, keep your conversation short and to the point. Keep your voice down, because sadly, nobody else is interested in your side of the conversation. You may be interested in reading up about
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Coach Travel Etiquette
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