I took a $180 'first-class' bus from New York City to Washington, DC. Here's are 7 reasons it was totally worth it.
I rode the Jet luxury coach bus from New York City to Washington, DC, for $180 one-way.
The seats were extremely comfortable, and I almost had too much legroom to work during the ride.
The high-speed Wi-Fi, onboard attendants, and clean bathrooms were also big pluses.
I'd mentally kind of given up on any hope of a luxurious trip between my home in New York City and my family in Washington, DC. I stopped taking regular coach buses long ago in favor of quick plane rides.
But thankfully, I was proven wrong. The Jet luxury bus provides a level of care and comfort that I'd expect to get from a top-rated, first-class cabin on an international flight.
I bought a $180 one-way ticket and was pleasantly surprised by the comfort, amenities, and outstanding service. Here are seven reasons why the five-hour trip was so great.
My ticket came with drinks, and I had the option to buy some cheap snacks to munch on.
Each passenger is offered two complimentary alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, or seltzer) alongside free water bottles.
Although the snack selection probably could've been taken up a notch (or offered for free), the $1 sticker wasn't bad.
I fell in love with the futuristic-feeling seats.
According to the website, The Jet's unique memory-foam Hoverseats use "motion-canceling technology that eliminates 90% of all bumps and vibration from the road."
Sitting on them was unlike anything I've tried before. It almost replicated the comfort and calmness of sitting on your favorite chair at home but on a busy highway with stop-and-go traffic and potholes.
There was something so incredibly cool about watching the chairs subtly bop around me, absorbing any unwanted bumps or jerks.
I wish all buses, planes, and trains had this technology. Hoverseats on an airplane in turbulence could completely change how I fly.
There were onboard attendants on The Jet.
My experience with bus staff is usually just saying hello and thank you to the drivers. When I heard that every Jet bus comes with an attendant, I was immediately excited to see what kind of service we'd get.
The attendant started the trip by handing everyone warm towels and showing newcomers how the seats worked. They then served the free drink service, handed out blankets, and ensured our tray tables were always kept clean.
It turns out bus bathrooms don't have to be gross.
I've pretty much followed the unspoken rule of not using a bus bathroom unless it's an emergency. But on The Jet, I didn't have to worry about that.
The attendant maintained the bathroom throughout the ride, so it was always clean. It also had a nice backlit mirror, a full-length mirror, and a large sink.
There was so much legroom that I found it hard to concentrate on work.
As a writer, I like to keep my laptop and book accessible at all times. But the legroom on The Jet is so massive that my legs were extended and I couldn't even graze the back of the chair in front of me.
Observing some more frequent riders, they seemed to have a system of stacking their items on the floor under or by them so they could rest their legs.
The Virgo in me desperately wanted a reachable cubby or seat pocket I could use for storage, but the ability to stretch out at a 45-degree angle and lift my leg rest was a worthy trade-off.
It's possible to have quality Wi-Fi on a highway.
I get some of my best work done on travel days when there are few distractions and I'm forced to stay in my seat. But the excitement of a productive day is cut short when the Wi-Fi is choppy, limited, or not working altogether.
The Jet had fast enough Wi-Fi speeds that my fiancé could stream his favorite movies and I could work on large files without any lagging or interrupted service.
The Jet offers a discount if your bus ride runs long because of traffic.
Even though traffic is entirely out of anyone's control, it was a nice touch that we were offered a 10% discount on our next Jet trip because we ended up running a little behind schedule.
Read the original article on Insider