Buses - Motion Sickness

On several tours I've been on, both Rick Steves and Road Scholar, there were several people who got motion sickness. They generally sat right up front behind the driver and were OK. I wold talk to your guide after the first meet up and tell them your issues. Which tour are you going on?

Have you tried the Sea-bands for motion sickness? I get seasick really easily so I've started taking them just as a matter of course when I travel. I also found out accidentally that they decrease anxiety when I'm wearing them. I'm not normally an anxious person but honestly they really calm me down.

There is also a gadget that is popping up on my FB frequently over the last month or so called ReliefBand that goes on an Apple Watch to prevent motion sickness. I do not have any experience with it but thought I'd throw it in. I think it works on the same principle as the Sea Bands, activating the wrist accupressure point.

Have you tried Bonine or the less-drowsy version of Dramamine? Those both contain meclizine instead of dimenhydrinate, so less likely to make you drowsy.

There's also ginger https://www.dramamine.com/products/motion-sickness-medicine/dramamine-non-drowsy

Hello fellow motion sick sufferer. The only time I was really concerned about it on the buses was on the Switzerland tour. I informed the tour guide and requested sitting in the front of the bus. Nobody had a problem with that and a couple of tour members offered me ginger candy which was so nice. I didn't take any dramamine at all. I just kept looking out the window which was pretty easy to do with such incredible scenery. I had zero issues. The buses are newer, very clean and smooth riding. I didn't notice any bus fumes. On other tours, I sat in the back several times and had no problems at all. The one thing I knew I couldn't do was use the bathroom on the bus. But they stop for bathroom breaks so that wasn't a problem either. You might consider taking Bonine which causes less drowsiness, just to see how it goes. Good luck!

The buses sat up high and were nice and comfortable on every RS tour we've been on. We definitely never smelled fumes and were not aware of any noticeable uncomfortable rocking motion. On one tour, our guide did mention that one of our tour mates was susceptible to motion sickness, and asked that we leave a front row seat open for her, so that she could always have the same seat on the tour.

And they discourage anyone from using the bathrooms on the buses except under emergency. They stop for breaks every couple of hours.

Discovered on my first RS tour (Heart of Italy) that my motion sickness from childhood was still there. What I have learned (the hard way): sitting in the middle of the bus works better for me, children’s dramamine doesn’t zonk me out and still takes care of the problem,and I carry a ziploc or motion sickness bag in my purse.

Hi,

I get very motion sick myself. I used Bonine on bus days just as a precaution and I was fine. I was not drowsy. I did not need scopolamine for the bus rides. If you do use scopolamine be aware that it can sometimes have a rebound effect after you remove it. I have not had this happen but someone I was with in Antarctica suffered the rebound effect. She was quite ill. The sea bands may work for some people but they do not work for me. I consider myself a hard case who can get sick in a rowboat on a glassy lake. I think they are for people who get mildly sick or maybe there is a placebo effect. Who knows. Just use the Bonine on bus days and you’ll be fine.

Ask your health care provider about a prescription for Zofran. It's a non-drowsy anti-nausea med that works great at stopping a problem quickly.

What American buses are you used to? These are long-distance coaches, like Greyhounds, not like a school bus or city bus. I recognize that some Americans have not had the experience of being on a Greyhound-type coach.

But mention it to your tour leader at the first meet-up so they know ahead of time. There may be multiple people with the same request.

I have motion sickness and have been on 4 RS tours. Dramamine doesn't need to conk you out, get the non-drowsy stuff. Sit near the front of the bus so you can see out the windshield and I use seabands on my wrist. The combination seems to work for me.

Thank you all for your the guidance. I haven’t been on a bus for years, so fingers crossed, I may not even have an issue!! (I’m that special type of gal they take fishing, and end up hanging my head over the back of the boat chumming up the water lol)
Wristbands don’t work for me. I will try the herbal patches (no meds in these ones), and feel out our first ride. I also found a ginger gum that is supposed to help if needed and I’ll get Bonine as backup.
Cheers!

I get motion sickness, but had no problem on the RS tour bus. I made sure to sit toward the front where I could see out the windshield. I did use a scopolamine patch for the day we were both driving a twisty road into the Dolomites and taking a vaporetto in Venice.

Now I've "aged out of" scopolamine (my doctor showed me a warning for those of us over 64), but find that on airplanes and twisty car trips, non-drowsy Dramamine and Bonine both work well for me. I did take Zofran along when we took a river cruise a couple years ago, and it did stop the nausea that came on when the ship first started moving, so you might want to have some as a back-up.

I’ve traveled on twenty tours with RS. With their varied types of bus transportation I’ve never experienced a problem with fumes. I have a very sensitive nose. The vehicles that they use tend to be top notch.

I sat over or between the wheels and took non drowsy dramamine on curvy or hilly roads.

I tried sitting at the front of the tour bus for a few hours and hated it up there because I was seeing the traffic and tight turns and limited spaces our driver had to deal with. It was stressing me out just seeing it through the front windshield.

I moved back and enjoyed the view out the enormous side windows much more than the driving stress out the front.

I get horrible motion sickness—bus, car, plane, boat, probably train too. Dramamine is my best traveling buddy. I also wear motion sickness wrist bands. https://blisslets.com/ look better than the cheap ones on Amazon or at CVS. I also sit towards the front of the bus. Just mention it to your tour guide if it becomes an issue which it shouldn’t.

Horsewoofie, I relate! I often say how grateful I am to whoever invented Dramamine. I wouldn't be able to travel without it.

As noted, just tell your RS guide about your motion sickness. Do know that the guides often suggest that people rotate seats on the bus so everyone gets a chance to use the front seats because the views out of the giant front windows are amazing. So if that is where you need to sit, make sure you let your tourmates know so they are aware and not irritated you're always in front. I've been on five tours and every single one had someone with motion sickness. Most people were very kind and accommodating (and who really wants to be on a bus with someone hurling...not me!). And some people actually couldn't sit in the front seats because there is so much of a view and even more motion with traffic and curvy roads. For them, sitting a couple seats behind the driver worked better. Best of luck!

Carry ginger candy with you, it really helps.