I Took the Longest Bus Ride in America

There is a bus ticket that takes you all the way from New York to Los Angeles. One ride, 3,000 mi. It takes days, and most people say they wouldn't wish this trip on their worst [music] enemy, citing delays, lost luggage, no sleep, and dangerous interactions. I looked at the route, and it looks beautiful. If the reviews are true, this is a terrible idea. But there's only one way to find out. Let's get on that bus. [music] Beep. That was me. I made that noise. I didn't know how else to interrupt the song. This is our bus. It looks awesome. And now that we've boarded, let the adventure begin. I am on the cheapest available seat on this bus. And we're off. The journey across America on the longest bus ride has begun. And now here's me talking very quietly because I'm nervous to talk out loud on this [music] bus. The first leg of this trip is from New York City to St. Louis, Missouri. It's 22 hours until that stop. It's also completely silent on this bus. No one else is talking. I feel like I'm screaming at the top of my lungs. Now is probably a good time to introduce you to my secret mission, the Oceanic Exchange. Basically, I just got this cup and went to the Atlantic Ocean before I left. I filled it up with ocean water. And now I'm trying to see if I can bring this cup all the way to the other side of America so I could single-handedly unite two oceans that have been separated by thousands of miles of terrain. I just cannot spill this cup of water no matter what. I am already a little stressed out because of how bumpy the ride is. Hopefully, this is just a New York City thing. And [music] to make the oceanic exchange even more of a challenge, I removed the lid from the cup before boarding the bus. I'm basically an adrenaline junkie. I regret doing this. This is our domain for the next 22 hours. I think it's time to introduce you to our seat. This seat is so basic. That's what it's called on the ticket. It has some pretty good leg room. My backpack and stuff fit in front of me. There's a cup holder big enough to fit the Atlantic Ocean. Storage net. The ceiling has air conditioning and a personal light. Mine's not working. That's okay. I put my travel pillow in the overhead bin because I won't need it until I sleep tonight. But the best part about this seat is that it is just feet away from the bathroom. Bus bathroom tour. I'm in the bathroom on the bus. There's a toilet. That is ideal. I think my favorite part is this handlebar that you grip onto when the bus is shaking and you're peeing. It's probably dirty though. But luckily there's hand sanitizer. The next long stop is in like 5 hours. Honestly, I don't think I've spilled any of the water yet, so fingers crossed. I know we kind of just started, but I feel like this trip is going to fly by. America is a big country, though. And I don't know if you noticed this guy right here, but in my last video, I included my personal Mimmoji. But all the comments on the video were just making fun of my Mimoji. No one was even talking about the actual video. They were just commenting on my Mimmoji. So, I have a new one. I hope you like him. In other news, I forgot to pack water that I can actually drink. But luckily, we're at our first rest stop. This is a rest stop in 25 minutes. We'll be back on the bus by 2:20. >> Time to stretch our legs. Our first rest [music] stop. That's our bus. We're somewhere in Pennsylvania. I needed water. I was getting desperate. I was close. Wow. This place is awesome. This rest stop has a 7-Eleven. What? Y'all [music] already know what I'm looking for. Oh my gosh, there it is. Joy ride. That is so cool. I already got some when I was in New York City, so I don't need [music] anymore. But that is so cool. I had to put down my cup to record myself getting snacks for the ride. Also got a latte with a cup holder. And I made it back to the bus with time to spare. Few more hours until the next stop. So far so good. [music] I successfully got back on the bus and started drinking my latte when I realized I forgot to buy water. It might be a while until the next rest stop, but I'm all right. It's going to be okay. I'm still enjoying my snacks. And look at this view. As someone from Texas, being able to see snow like this feels truly magical. I watched the sunset on Pennsylvania and I even got to take some photos on my disposable camera. It is nighttime and we made it to Pittsburgh. I just didn't realize this is when things would start going wrong. This is by far the longest stop of the day. They have to service the bus. First things first, stretch. Honestly, I feel a lot better. Next, Chuck and I need to find dinner. That's what I named the cup of Atlantic Ocean. Chuck the cup. Let me have this. I'm pretty sure this bus station only has vending machines, but I love vending machines. Let's go find some dinner. I opted for the oven roasted turkey sandwich. I ate it and then went up to the guy I kept making awkward eye contact with on the bus. His name is >> Mike. >> Me and Mike are on the same bus. You're going pretty far. Where are you headed? I'm going to end up in San Diego, but I'm going to Phoenix right now. I'm hoping I can get a little bit of a nap. That's for sure. >> I'm trying to pour the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean. Thoughts? >> Uh, go for it. Enjoy life while you can, cuz you may never get the chance to do it again. You never know. >> Well, if I need anyone to watch the water cup so I don't spill it, I can count on you. Huh? >> Absolutely. I'll guard it with my life. >> Okay. I couldn't tell if he was serious or not about guarding my cup with his life. But I think Mike is my first friend on this trip. I'm getting back on this bus in [music] 5 minutes, but before I do so, it's very important that I share with you my sleep plan. That's right. I have a plan for everything. We are leaving from here at 8:00 p.m. and we have stops overnight, but the big one, the most important one, is at 7:00 a.m. in St. Louis, Missouri. In St. Louis, I will have exactly 1 hour to transfer to a different bus to continue the adventure across America. Different driver, different people, same goal. Which means I cannot oversleep, but I have to sleep enough to not become delirious and spill Chuck. Oh, I'm so sleepy. Ah, that's an example of what might happen if things go wrong. So, back to the sleep plan. I have earplugs. I have the pillow in the overhead bin. I have a sleep mask. I forgot the sleep mask. So, there you have it. That's my plan. Are you ready, Chuck? He can't talk. He's a cup. Let's go night night. I didn't realize this in the moment, [music] but I was about to stumble into a very high stakes situation. >> So, this schedule will be delayed until further notice. >> We know what the problem is, >> huh? >> What's the problem? >> There's an issue with a top. So, we have to wait for a vendor to come out. >> And we don't know when they're coming. >> It said we don't have your vehicle location at the moment. Yeah, our vehicle set an idle. That's why didn't sound too hopeful that would be leaving anytime soon. >> 5 hours later at the bus station. We have a new bus. >> If you had stuff from this old bus over here, we're going to take that stuff off and bring it to the new bus. >> See this 20 last seat in the back. >> Okay. There's >> stuff from the other bus. >> Oh yes, sir. >> Not the Atlantic water. >> I know. Got to protect it. >> Thank you, Mike. >> Yeah. No problem. >> Appreciate it. Yeah. >> At this point, I'm getting ready to execute my sleep plan. By the way, no sink in the bathroom on the bus. I thought I was going to get in trouble for spitting toothpaste into the toilet, but when I walked out of the bathroom, police were literally on the bus. I heard somebody got arrested. I don't know. But the good news is we are officially back on the road. Rest up. It's 2:00 a.m. We're in Springfield, Missouri. No, Ohio. We're here for about 30 minutes. We've actually been stopping many times per hour. This video has actually been happening constantly. Forgetting my face mask seems to have been a dire mistake. Other than that, though, things are going great. I love a good travel stop. Where else can you go at 2 a.m. in search of eye masks and find some of the best merchandise this world has to [music] offer? >> Suboptimal, but I think it could work. I do think I've gotten a couple hours of sleep, which is good. I'm getting a little nervous for this bus transfer just because some of these stops are 5 minutes, some of them are off schedule from what it says on the app. My nose hairs are frozen. Just kidding. I I spilled a little when I was peeing in there. As I made my way back to my seat and got my eye mask bandana ready, I just had a good [music] feeling about the rest of this trip. >> They said it's going to be about 2 hours before they can get out here. >> All right. >> Just made my day. >> Turns out we have a flat tire. But the good news is the person who can fix it is only two hours away. [laughter] >> You're never doing this again. Absolutely not. You You couldn't get me on this if you had a pistol to my head. >> This is going to be quite the adventure. [music] Good morning. For the record, I woke up so confused. It is officially day two of the longest bus ride in America. I actually don't know when they fixed it because I was sleeping the whole time. This was a good investment. This worked really well. The only problem is right now I'm supposed to be boarding a bus to Phoenix and that bus is in St. Louis and I am not. This bus is currently delayed by like 4 hours. I'm pretty sure everyone on this bus is going to miss their next [music] departure. [snorts] So, that's not good. [music] >> Guys, you are never going to believe it, but we actually arrived to St. Louis. We've nearly crossed America. That's where we show a map and we show how I've really not we missed the next bus by a long shot. Everyone on the bus is upset. When we walked inside the bus station, we got into a line and the lady at the front desk was the one to tell us our fate. >> I I need to get to Los Angeles. I don't know if there's another option than the 120. >> Only thing I can do is give you what they have on here. >> Okay. >> All I can do is the first thing that come up on the >> What's that? >> 4:30. >> 4:30 p.m. >> Mhm. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Uhhuh. So, originally my route was going to go through Phoenix, but I guess there's no bus that can take me down that route anytime soon because they gave me a route through Denver, Vegas, and finally LA. Me and Mike are splitting up. >> What? >> Split up with >> Who's going to protect the big gold? >> I know. I got to go find him and tell him thank you for being a good friend. It's me and Mike again. Mike, you are no longer going to be continuing the trip. Is that what I hear? >> I'm I'm tapping out. I'm turning around and going home. I can't take anymore. >> Hopefully, I'll be able to get to the other side of America for you. Has anybody ever called you the goat? >> No. No. >> Well, I'll be the first to say you're the greatest of all time. >> Hey, enjoy your trip and I hope I hope it all works out for you. You got this, Ryan. >> Thanks, Mike. Mike's turning back around. I can't believe it. Since my next bus still leaves in several [music] hours, I decided to check into the nearest hotel room. Yes, to take a hot shower and make some coffee and eat some lunch and to let Chuck watch some [music] TV, but most importantly to connect to Wi-Fi and play Minecraft. If you've been living under cobblestone, I'm playing one Minecraft day every day for an entire year on my secret channel, Ryan 3000. It's a lot of fun. I upload every single day on that channel. But here's the catch. For every subscriber I have on Ryan 3000, I must also have one chicken in my world. And if I don't, when the clock strikes midnight on 2027 at the end of the year, I must delete my beloved world forever. I've always wanted to set my mind to something and stick with it every day for an entire year. My first attempt just so happens to be Minecraft. So, be sure to go subscribe to Ryan 3000, become a chicken in my world, and you can go watch the episode I just filmed while waiting for my bus in St. Louis. I do need to head to the bus station very soon. I'm not going to lie. I'm actually sad to be getting on a bus with different people. Mike, I will never forget you. There were also a few other people that I met off camera that I just felt comfortable with at this point of the ride. And because they changed my route to get to Los Angeles, we're all going our separate ways. Even though everything is changing right before our eyes, the mission stays the same. That's a That's the ocean. That's crazy. Here is our new route to Los Angeles. And without further ado, let's cross America. I thought that would land way better. I thought that would be a way cooler delivery. [music] Maybe someday I'll take the longest train in America. How bad could that be? >> Beep. >> Okay. >> Yes, ma'am. >> You're in 10. >> 10 A. Thank you. >> Oh, hey. They got me in 10 A. [music] >> The next leg of this bus ride is from St. Louis, Missouri to Denver, Colorado. That's 16 hours if everything goes to plan. I did pay a little bit extra to get the next category of seat, which is comfort. I don't think there's anything different about this seat. It's just a little bit closer to the front, I guess. In fact, this seat might actually be worse than the last one. It has the cup holder, thank goodness, but it doesn't have the storage net. It has an outlet, though. The sun is setting on day two of this adventure. Can't believe it, but we are making progress. My cup is full. It's kind of a double antandra. I don't really know what antandra means, but let's go hang out in the bus bathroom, [music] shall we? I'm in the bathroom now. It's dark outside. It's night time. [music] To pass the time, I've been watching reals about animals. But now, my phone is about to die and the outlet actually doesn't work. After all, I miss Mike. I'm really hoping to get some good sleep tonight. But at the end of the day, the good news is we are on time. We are delayed. I'm just glad we made it to Kansas City bus station. We were all worried that the bus driver was falling asleep because she kept driving on those bumpy things on the road. >> Hey, you good up there? >> I haven't been able to make a friend on the new bus yet. I'm trying. Everyone's just on their phone or upset that they're late to their destination. [music] And I don't blame them for either of those things. Since we are delayed, I'm going to use this opportunity to get ready to go night night on the bus. As I mentioned, we are in Kansas City. It feels like it's been a lifetime since we left New York City. But I just keep imagining Chuck and I making it to the Pacific Ocean and thus accomplishing our wildest dreams. So, even though there's been a little loneliness, a few delays, and some sleep deprivation, progressing towards that finish line feels so good. [music] Good morning. Gotcha. I'm trying to keep things light because I have bad news. The good news is that we made it to Denver, Colorado. The bad news is that at one point last night, I realized Chuck the Cup was no longer in the cup holder. He was on the floor. He spilled. Chuck fell through the very thing that was designed to support him. [music] That's not cool. There is an extremely small amount of water remaining in this cup. My heart is broken for Chuck. I know it was a tough night for him as well, but we can still do this, buddy. You still got enough in you. You I feel like there's still enough water to accomplish the mission. But let me be clear about something. If we lose any more water, it's uncertain that even a single molecule of Atlantic Ocean will be transferred. So, no more dillydallying. I'm going to protect Chuck with my life. It's so crazy that we left New York City 3 days ago. And to think, oh my gosh, I left Chuck. Okay, that is unacceptable. As I was [music] saying, I can't believe we left New York City 3 days ago. The days are all kind of blurring together at this point. Nights becoming morning, morning becoming night. I guess that's how days work. This is probably the coolest place that I've been to so far. Union Station, travel by train, or in my case, bus. We have a little time before I have to get on the next one. We should explore. Let's go explore. I love the state of Colorado. I got to tell somebody here why I'm doing this adventure. >> Calling it the oceanic exchange. >> Nice. >> Maybe the first person to do that. >> This is the inside of Union Station. It's so pretty. There's restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores. Shout out to Haley. And this is the main bus terminal inside. This is where we're going to get on our bus. I got myself coffee and a croissant. Life is good, y'all. Is it possible to eat a croissant without making a mess? Our next bus takes us to Las Vegas. [music] That's 14 hours right there. I'm going to enjoy my breakfast in this beautiful Union Station. And then we ride at dawn. It's not at dawn. Dang, these are nice. [music] Let's actually go. Believe it or not, this is an upgraded seat. Me and everyone else on this bus is on the way to Las Vegas. I love when it's daytime because that means I can look outside and take in the view. America has so many different landscapes. It's honestly unbelievable. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get my best photo yet. It's pretty good. I don't know. You tell me. I remember when I went to all 50 states in 50 days. One of our favorite drives of the entire trip was through Colorado. And we are taking a very similar route [music] on this bus. It is simply beautiful. This is also the first time in the entire trip that I have not seen snow, which is actually kind of nice. The only difference really about this seat is that it's way closer to the front, so I can kind of see the road as we drive. And also, there's not many stops on this route, so the bus driver is just giving out free water in the front. Let's go test it out. I feel uncomfortable coming up to grab a water bottle because no one else on board has done it yet. But I am thirsty, and [music] the bus driver said we were allowed to. This is a very long ride, so I would be more cautious to drink water if we didn't have a bathroom on board the bus. [music] [laughter] >> Nice. You guys know I've been looking for a new friend since we lost Mike. I met a guy named Mike. He turned around back [music] to Connecticut. It's a long story, but I'm here with >> Emily. >> Emily, you are also kind of traversing America right now. Where did you start and where are you going? >> I started in Worcester, Ohio, and I'm going all the way to San Diego, California, but it's dropping me off in La Hoya. >> How has your bus ride experience been thus far? >> You know, delays, the different types of bus drivers, the different type of people you run into. It's [laughter] it's it's been an experience for sure. Sure. And I was in the military, so like I've been around people from all walks of life. >> Thank you for your service. >> Well, thank you. I appreciate that. >> So, what are you going to be doing in San Diego? >> Um, I'm a electrical engineer, so I build ships. So, that's what I'm going down there to do. >> New friend unlocked. It may not seem like much, but making a friend on an adventure of this scale is a good feeling. Almost as good as it'll feel to finally make it to the Pacific Ocean on the other side of the country. But for now, I'm encapsulated by this view. It's Chuck's first time seeing the Rocky Mountains. He's freaking out right now. Because this route has only one rest stop. The bus driver parked the bus for a proper bathroom break, but only for a few minutes. We kept driving and eventually drove through a ski town. Look at all these people skiing. I'm not good at skiing, so I get frustrated when I try to do it. But I'm happy for these people. They all look like they're having fun. We are inching closer and closer to our final destination. And at this point, I'm honestly going a little stir crazy. We left Denver several hours ago, and I'm doing anything I can to pass the time [music] until we get to a rest stop. We are getting fairly close to finishing the longest bus ride in America. Chuck is doing okay, I guess. This is our first stop all day. I am in dire need of a snack and beverage. But there's something I just realized. Every single state that we have driven through so far has Joyide on the shelf somewhere in that state. Even this Love's Travel Stop has Joyide. I've been munching on Cherry Berry Ropes this whole trip. And my dream for Joyide is to make it the next great American candy. No fake dyes, no junk ingredients, way less sugar than the other candies, but still so scrumptious. Don't believe me? Let's see what some fellow passengers have to say. Those >> are really good. >> These are really good. >> Oh my god, these are good. >> Delicious. >> I'm so glad they like it because I recently launched the 50 states challenge. If you want to help Joyide climb the rankings in your state, take a photo with your Joyide just like this and tag your state on Instagram like this. So many of you are already helping your state climb the candy rankings. Shout out to all the Joyide runners. And here's a list of stores you can find Joyide in. And we just launched in Publix, which means if you live in these states, you can now find Joyide at your local Publix. I'm still in Colorado, so I just helped their rankings. I should go get some more food cuz I'm going to be munching all night. The bus is going to leave soon. I ran inside to Lo's and got myself a protein shake, water, a protein bar, and grapes. Of course, of course I got grapes. We boarded the bus to Las Vegas after [music] a muchneeded break. I ate my snacks. I didn't realize how desperately I was craving snacks because I I love snacking. I even had a little bit of ocean water. I'm [music] joking. I'm just joking. I can't afford to lose any more of the water in this cup. As the sun sets somewhere in Utah, I played a little Minecraft [music] to pass the time. But before long, we got some bad news. >> Another bus is broken. >> Apparently, the passengers getting on the bus right now have been stuck in a random town in Utah for the past day and a half. That sounds like a nightmare. On that note, we had to get off the bus because suddenly our bus wouldn't start. It's getting maintenanced over there. At this point, I am content because I know nothing is in my [music] control. Okay, our bus is working. All right, we all got on and rode through the night. Our next bus departs at 2:30 a.m. from Las Vegas. And now I'm just praying that we make it there on time because that would be the last bus we get on to finish this adventure. We are approaching 4 days straight of being on this bus. And it feels like we are so close. Las Vegas. We made it to Las Vegas with time to spare. Next stop, LA. Woo! >> It is currently 2:00 a.m. I'm hanging out with my friends in the bus [music] station. We're all going to Los Angeles. I cannot believe we did it. We made it to Las Vegas. >> We're here in Las Vegas. My first time in Las Vegas >> party. Emily and I have one more bus to get on before we get to Actually, you're going to San Diego. >> One more. But yeah, I have like four more stops. But I mean, still, we're we're almost to California. That's what matters. >> That's right. We're almost to California. We were talking on the bus and you told me that you had this idea for an adventure. So, Route 66 [music] over the past, I would say like 15 years or so, people have been going in and buying like all of the abandoned hotels, gas stations, and restaurants. [music] And they've been turning them into these amazing modern spectacles. And I so badly want to start from like the beginning of Route 66 and make my way all the way across the country. >> That would be such a fun adventure someday. You got to do it. >> That would be really cool to do. >> All right. Hey, well, it looks like our bus is boarding, so we should go. >> Yeah. >> I walk up to my stuff and I realize someone has accidentally spilled Chuck. This is the worst case scenario. I'll have to check on the bus if there's any water left. This is our last bus. I cannot miss boarding. Luckily, we have the best seat in the house on this bus. I can't wait to tell you what they call this seat. As with every bus change, we also have a new bus driver. >> No smoking, no drinking, no vaping on this bus. >> The last leg of Crossing America on the longest bus ride. This seat that I'm in is essentially the first class of Greyhound. The seat is called Panorama. I'm pretty sure it's because you have a great view of the windshield. It honestly is a much nicer experience. As for the seat, yeah, it's pretty much the same. There's the outlet. Let's be honest, Chuck is hanging on by a thread. It is sad at best. I tried filming at 3:30 in the morning, but you couldn't see me that good, so I can't really record right now. Everyone is exhausted. We are 4 days into this trip and I've officially lost the entire concept of a sleeping schedule. I've been surviving on 30inut naps and somehow I feel great. The past few days have been a blur, yes, but they've been an epic blur. When I decided to do this trip, all I could think about was how [music] cool it would be to ride a bus across all of America. Not to mention the oceanic exchange. Come on, that's sick. But I had no idea that along the way I would [music] meet so many cool people. And I don't know if it's coming through in the video, but I feel like all the obstacles we're facing, delays, flat tires, sleep deprivation, all of it is giving us fellow [music] passengers a shared experience that I feel like has truly made us bond. And with that said, look at the map. Look how far we traveled on this bus. The Mimmoji never lies. It's true. We have just crossed into Los Angeles. Shout out to Key for recording this video of me getting off the bus for the last time. We made it to Los Angeles. >> Before heading to the beach, I [clears throat and music] dropped my disposable camera off to get the pictures developed. And before long, Chuck and I reached our final destination, the Pacific Ocean. Look at Chuck. He's freaking out. He's like, "There's another ocean." What? Anyway, [music] it's time for the oceanic exchange. So long, my old friend. Well, the oceanic exchange is complete. It took a few long days of waiting, but I finally got my photos back. This bus right here took me on quite the adventure. Some photos turned out better than others, that's for sure. I also sent Emily a care [music] package for her future adventure on Route 66. I gave her a photo album of these photos as well. But I think my favorite picture of all is this one because as the saying goes, it is not about the destination. [music] It is truly about the journey and the people on it with you. Shout out to all the Joy Ride runners representing their state. If you want to be at the end of the next video, be sure to tag me just like these guys. And YouTube thinks you will love the video on screen. They think you're just going to have so much fun watching it. You should click it. Be kind to people. You never know what they're going through. Love you. Bye. >> [music]