With rising bills and the cost of living crisis at the heart of discussion in pubs, offices, and even the Conservative leadership race, it's no wonder that savvy Brits are searching for new ways of saving money. Whether it be changing supermarkets, your bank account or even your commute to work, it's apparent more than ever that the average person in the UK is struggling to make ends meet.
It's been a while since I've seen my family up in Scotland, so I was excited to pay them a visit and flee city life for a few days. But my plans were put to a sudden halt when I opened the Trainline app, only to find that tickets started at around £120 for a return, with four days notice of my trip.
So I instead decided to catch the trusty overnight Megabus - priced at £15 a ticket - from London Victoria Coach Station up to Edinburgh, on the scenic 418 mile journey up the west coast of England before heading through rural southern Scotland. From barely catching a wink of sleep to finding myself sat next to the cramped and overused toilet, I can honestly say that the trip was somehow worse than expected.
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Let me quickly add that I'm no stranger to the Megabus. I used it regularly as a skint student but that was usually with a group of friends and some cans - and we were normally travelling somewhere exciting like a music festival. It's an incredibly different vibe catching it on your own, completely sober and exhausted after a long day at work.
My journey didn't start particularly well, either. Arriving at the station at 11.15pm with 15 minutes to spare before departure, I suddenly realised that I had an empty stomach. Searching around for places to eat, to my horror, everywhere seemed to be closed. There were staff milling around at small sandwich shops but none of them appeared keen to make eye contact and sell one last item before heading home for the night. And I don't blame them.
Moments later as I was approaching platform 16, I was relieved to see a small corner shop - simply called 'Treats' - which has apparently been serving hungry bus passengers 'hand made fresh food since 1979'. The shop owner looked livid when I walked inside, sweating buckets, as he was evidently about to shut up shop.
I got the picture when he yelled 'no more customers' as two or three more people filtered in, and he constructed a makeshift barrier made out of sweetie shelves and a trolley to stop hungry Londoners in their tracks. Panicking, I quickly grabbed a random array of snacks, ending up with two bottles of water, a Kinder Bueno, a packet of McCoy's BBQ crisps and - last but most definitely least - a 'Gourmet' chicken burger.
Beggars can't be choosers, after all. I just counted myself lucky that I would no longer be spending the next eight hours or so in a peckish state. Being a Monday night, I didn't expect many people to be braving the Megabus for such a long journey, but it was in fact completely full.
I think there was one, maybe two spare seats. Another rookie error on my part was that I didn't turn up early enough, and so found myself at the back of the queue while boarding the bus. This meant - you've guessed it - that I ended up sitting right next to the loo. I was also pleasantly surprised to notice that branded Megabus vehicles have names. There was a 'Tom Cruiser' heading to Newcastle as well as a 'Great Buscape' heading to the Welsh cities of Cardiff and Swansea.
While strangers made conversations with each other as we headed down Buckingham Palace Road, I tucked into the most expensive meal deal I've ever bought - with all my bits and bobs adding up to a whopping £8. Remembering how much I had saved on taking the bus in the first place, though, I decided not to dwell on it. Although the 'Gourmet' burger left a hell of a lot to be desired with cold chicken, lumpy mayo and a sad, solitary tomato, I was fed and watered and ready for the long journey ahead. Or so I thought.
I was envious of the woman sitting next to me, who fell asleep immediately and did not seem to open her eyes until 8.30am the following morning. I, on the other hand, barely caught a wink and was kept awake by the loud snores and cries of my fellow passengers.
Around 10 or 12 people had used the toilet I was sitting next to by the time I decided that, as we passed Birmingham, I wanted to get changed in to my shorts and T-shirt, as it appeared we were running out of oxygen inside the bus. Hot and sweaty, with no room for a 6 foot 2 man to stand up straight, I climbed on in.
I was shocked to discover the toilet seat up when I entered with a toilet almost overflowing with urine. Trying not to throw up, I desperately pressed the button to realise that it all flushed away instantly. It was quite the relief, but I have no idea what my fellow passengers were thinking. Anyway, moving swiftly on, it wasn't long before we arrived at Sandbach Services, where some people got off for a cigarette break while others grabbed a McDonald's.
As the hours passed, I perhaps dozed off for 10 minutes or so at a time, but I was getting restless. It was very hot, and a little cramped, but luckily I had an aisle seat so I could stretch out my legs, when someone wasn't climbing over me to get to the loo. As night turned to day and the sun shone over the M6, in unison we all awoke as the bus came to a sudden halt. All we could see in front of us was a humongous queue of traffic.
After what felt like an eternity but was only actually 30 minute, we were soon on our way again. We later found out that the delay was due to a crash south of Carlisle, where thankfully no one was seriously hurt.
This meant that we were delayed coming in to Edinburgh. Due to arrive in at 7.30am , we instead rolled in to Edinburgh bus station a little over an hour late. A quick jog over to Edinburgh Waverley train station, and I was on a ScotRail service heading home.
Despite all my criticisms of the Megabus experience, though, I'll almost certainly be back. They're almost never delayed, this trip I think was an exception. They're also cheap, and to quote one of my fellow passengers who was travelling up to Scotland to visit her long-distance boyfriend, "I refuse to pay full price for anything."
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