I'm one of the people who sincerely wants to avoid TSA. So when I planned this year's vacation, I went pretty far in investigating alternatives. Originally, it was to be the Empire Builder to Seattle. Amtrak took that off the table. I then considered other destinations and driving the whole trip. Finally, I made reservations with Greyhound. What I was never explicitly told is that though you can buy a ticket for the route on Greyhound.com, Greyhound has abandoned all Montana routes. So I didn't actually get on a Greyhound-owned bus until Missoula Montana. Mostly I was riding Rimrock Trailways. And, wow, what a mess I rode 6 different buses finally. And 3 of the 6 were substitute equipment because the original bus was broken down. The state of their equipment seems to be very bad these days. A couple of the links were very late. One couple abandoned the ride in Spokane because they couldnt stand the uncertainty.

I can't say offhand that we TSA-evaders can't use bus lines. I'm told Greyhound is running newer equipment elsewhere. But it has really become case by case. I once drove my own car on this trip, so I know I'm up to it. And that could become my only real alternative

And apart from the Empire Builder, Amtrak is still a good option. But this trip has been an education about the bus option. It is cheap and worth every penny.

Wow, a multi day trip on different buses just to avoid TSA?

I concur with this sentiment. I hate TSA, but I'm not going to inconvenience myself to avoid them. Stuff like this is just crazy, and does no good whatsoever in the battle with TSA.

I'm very experienced at these trips. BUT last one I took, I got on a bus and stayed on it throughout. I'd have no complaint at all if that were still the mode of operations.

Plus of course there WAS the small matter that airlines wanted $400 bucks more to do it, with TSA thrown in as an extra "bonus".

There has been so much on the news about the safety of these buses & accidents.

I've been a frequent rider on a 24-hour each way Amtrak trip to avoid TSA. I've also cancelled at least a dozen trips that I would have taken but that can't reasonably be accomplished without flying. I drove myself on multi-day trips also.

My body is not the property of that molesting thug, John Pistole. My body is not available to strangers who want to manipulate, examine, prod, poke, and rub my labia and breasts. Like the nameplate says, my body is my own, and I'll go to extremes to protect it.

That one would actually do this to avoid dealing with airport security screening baffles me when flying or taking a train would have been quicker and safer than going by bus.

What's up with the Empire Builder; it still runs daily, no ?

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...=1241245653623

Flying would have been quicker, but I'm not sure about safer. Compare:

The OP took the bus and made it through the entire trip safely, without a scratch.

By flying, the OP would have either submitted himself to unhealthy radiation (thus increasing risk of cancer and other diseases), allowed himself to be stolen from and groped by TSA, or both.

Given this choice, I can certainly understand why the bus would be preferable. I had a trip from DC to Orlando last November... instead of flying I took Amtrak, sitting in coach the whole way. While it wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience, I can say without a single doubt or regret that it was less distasteful than dealing with thugs, sexual deviants, and molesters working for TSA.

Service has been suspended for several weeks due to flooding in North Dakota (picture is of the Amtrak station in Minot). It was to be restarted today, but that may be delayed now due to a freight train derailment in Minnesota.

Myself, I prefer to rent a car rather than take a long bus ride. But yes, when I really need to be in the US for family reasons, it now requires a complicated sequence of trains, buses, multi-day drives (not fun in the Midwest in winter) and Canadian airports. I no longer travel to the US professionally.

Some, yes. But the chance of being in an accident is still so small that you might as well ignore it or just be a little picky about which bus line.

Really, the risk of being injured or killed in an accident (or terrorist attack) on any non-stupid mode of transportation in a developed country is so low that you can just ignore it. ("Stupid" being things like drink driving, not wearing a seatbelt/helmet, hitchiking...)

I'm not OK with being sexually abused. That's not safe. It leads to sleeplessness, stress, nightmares, stomach problems, poor concentration, low productivity in my work, and makes it hard for me to contribute well in my relationships. In my experience, the risk of a sexually abusive experience flying in the US is very high.

So flying in the US is not an option. Train is generally better than bus, but trains don't go everywhere and they can have larger delays than a bus (if there are track/signal problems, the train just doesn't go anywhere till they're fixed). I choose a car over a bus for anything over a few hours, though.

But in terms of accidents, I don't think the statistical difference between them matters much - the risks are so low that you can treat them as pretty much equal and choose based on cost or convenience.

But I'm not trying to battle the TSA. I couldn't care less about the TSA or the American constitution or anything like that.

I want to avoid having any sexually abusive experience, because it is psychologically damaging and has a large negative effect on my quality of life.

And I'm perfectly willing to take responsibility for that: I avoid walking alone in dodgy areas late at night. I don't go drinking with someone I barely know. I'm assertive and professional in work interactions. I am proactive if I feel uncomfortable in some situation, etc, etc. These are just sensible and responsible choices for everybody.

An no, I shouldn't have to take crazy measures to protect myself. But in my experience, there's a pretty high risk of a bad experience dealing with TSA and it isn't possible to meaningfully protect oneself, because it's government employees who are being abusive. So no TSA and no air travel in the US.

I'm not a supporter of the current security screening processes, but you folks have lost your minds and don't even seem to realise it.

All because we assign different weights to various risks than you....and have the magic power to observe the past, extrapolate into the future, and abhor what we see coming. Have you read no science fiction in your life to exercise your imagination? It's all about CONSTANTLY going over the varieties of what happens "...if this goes on..."

What baffles me is that in a very short thread, someone could show they had failed to comprehend the situation. "taking a train" is not an option at least till August due to flood conditions. As for flying, two things. One is the disrespect of the government for basic human dignity, the second is the fact that the plane ticket was about 100 percent more. Well, add a third. Plane trips have no sightseeing value. I happen to find the Rockies more interesting to drive thru, not fly over.