Travel · 90 min
Ride the bus to the end of the line
Get on a local bus you have never taken and stay on until it stops. A window seat, a new part of town, and home again for the price of a fare.
Local buses go to places you have never been, for very little, and nobody minds if you simply sit and look. Riding one route to its last stop and back is the cheapest day out there is: a slow tour of your own area, a different neighbourhood at the end, and a seat all the way.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
Look at the routes that pass near you and choose one whose far end you have never seen. Check how often it runs and when the last one comes back.
Pick a quiet time, after the morning rush and before the school run, and bring a drink, a snack and a travel pass or the right fare.
Take a window seat and watch: the shops change, the houses change, the people getting on and off change. Notice one thing you would come back to see properly.
At the end of the line, get off for a little while if there is somewhere to sit or a café, then ride back, or take a different route home.
The reason
Why it helps
A change of scene is good for the mind, and it does not have to be far away or expensive to count. Being carried, with nothing to decide, is restful in a way that driving is not. Seeing the whole route also makes your own area feel larger and more familiar at the same time.
A gentle variation
If a whole route is too long, ride three or four stops further than you usually would and come back. If you cannot get out, trace a route on a map and look up the places at the far end.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
Take a child, who will often love the front seat, or an older relative who no longer drives. Many places offer free or reduced bus travel for older people and for the person travelling with someone who needs help; ask at a bus station or look it up before you go.
Try it today
This week, choose one local bus route you have never ridden, check when it runs, and plan to ride it to the end and back.
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