if any of the following sounds familiar:
Have you ever had to grit your teeth and impatiently tap your heel till the next stop, because you realized your bus had no bathroom?
Have you ever pulled out your laptop to get some work done on a train, only to find out there was no Wi-Fi?
Have you ever drained your phone battery watching Season 1 of “The Mandalorian,” only to discover the plane had no power outlets?
While price, duration and departure time may be the most important factors you consider when booking travel, the amenities your transportation carrier provides (or doesn’t) are a bigger deal than you may realize.
That’s why here at Wanderu — where you can easily compare buses, trains and flights all in the same search — we make it easy to filter your results by the available amenities. In the filters section of the Wanderu search results, simply click the amenities you’d like to filter by.
While reviewing different travel options, you can see what amenities are included on the ride by clicking “Details” and then tapping on “See More.”
There are a number of different amenities you can sort by, each with a distinct icon. In the table below, we list all the amenities available, and provide a short description about what exactly they entail.
Icon | Description | |
---|---|---|
Air Conditioning. Trips with this icon offer A/C through a ventilation system that sends cold air throughout the bus, train, ferry or plane. If your trip takes you through Florida, Texas or Arizona, this amenity is a must. | ||
Attendant. If you’ve ever been on a plane, you’ve probably seen the people who bring around the beverage cart and demo how to buckle the seatbelt. Those folks are attendants (flight attendants, in that case, though other travel modes can have an attendant, too), and they’re present on any trip that has this icon attached to ensure your journey goes silky smooth. | ||
Bathroom. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go … and if your bus/train/ferry/plane has a bathroom on it — which it does if you see this icon — then your next few hours will be way more pleasant, even after chugging that coffee. | ||
Extra Legroom. Space to stretch out your legs is clutch. This icon means there’s some extra legroom between your seat and the one in front of it (as well as the one behind it) — the perfect defense mechanism against kiddos who like to kick seats. Not that we’re speaking from experience or anything. | ||
Free Water. We’ve all had that Uber driver who goes the extra mile for a 5-star rating. Whether it’s water bottles, phone chargers or jumping out to open the door, they really make you feel special. Trips with free water offerings give you some of that special feeling without the awkward small talk. | ||
Games. “Hey, you got games on your phone?” If you have nieces, nephews or little cousins, you’ve heard that one before. Luckily, trips with this logo offer games either on the back of seats or through an in-trip app, making it incredibly easy to keep yourself — or your little rascals — entertained. | ||
Green Certified. Being Green Certified is a designation that means a particular company has expressed commitment to eco-friendly travel efforts. While we know that buses are the most environmentally sustainable way to travel, some companies have gone the extra mile to make sure their vehicles are as eco-friendly as possible. | ||
Loyalty Reward. Airline miles, credit card points, “Buy 10 Coffees, Get One Free” punch cards — all of these are examples of loyalty rewards. Essentially, the more you buy, the more benefits you receive. For Wanderu’s purposes, that means if you book a trip with a company like Amtrak, you can earn points toward future Guest Rewards. | ||
Meal. Childish Gambino once rapped, “Breakfast, lunch and dinner’s for beginners,” but on trips with the meal icon you won’t have to worry about going hungry. Whether the food is included with your ticket or offered for sale, there’s something available to put in your belly. | ||
Movie. Hello Hollywood, cuz this trip has movies. On routes with this icon, either one film will be broadcast to all passengers (which is the case on some bus rides), or the carrier has an in-transit entertainment app where you can watch a movie on your own device. | ||
Newspaper/Magazine. Extra, extra! Read all about it … on trips with newspaper and magazine offerings. Stay up to date on the news with the latest editions of your favorite periodicals. A few articles in and you’ll be wondering where the time went. | ||
Power Outlet. When it comes to your phone, laptop or tablet, there’s a good chance it’ll run out of battery on a long trip. And while we for better battery standards in the future, life in the present necessitates power outlets. Follow this icon for the opportunity to charge up. | ||
Snacks. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, people gotta eat. Trips with the snack icon offer munchies like cookies, chips or pretzels (for free or for a small fee) to prevent you from getting hangry on the roads, rails and beyond. | ||
Satellite TV. Sure, the Black Eyed Peas line goes, “Here we go, here we go, satellite radio,” but trips with satellite TV offerings will have you ready to leave the radio behind. Stay up to date on all your favorite live shows and sports, thanks to companies like LimoLiner whose vehicles come equipped with sat TV. | ||
USB Power. Keep losing that little charging brick that plugs into the wall? Well, with USB outlets, who needs ‘em? Trips with this icon mean the vehicle is equipped with USB ports, so you can say so-long to those two-pronged dinosaurs. | ||
Wi-Fi. You’re on the road but you still want to stay connected — we get it. And even if your phone has service, maybe you don’t want to blow all that precious data, or maybe you realize typing work emails on your laptop is way better than punching in passive-aggressive follow-ups with your thumbs. Sure, it’s not 5G, but trips with this icon will allow you to get the job done. |
So what are you waiting for? With Wanderu, you’ve got the power to get power (🔌). Just visit Wanderu.com or download the Wanderu app, and make sure you factor those amenities in to whatever trip you choose.
Want even more help finding the carrier that has the right benefits for you? Check out our bus luggage guide to see which companies let you bring the most bags for free, or review our mobile boarding guide to see which buses let you on without that pesky paper ticket.