Board the Sultana for a uniquely elegant and comfortable journey. Imagine a conventional bus stripped and transformed into a luxurious Persian social room. Instead of journeying in an uncomfortable seated position luxuriate on pillows and rugs in an open common area where you relax in ancient luxury. Strong coffee in small cups, incense, exotic traditional music, and low light would all contribute to relaxation and comfort. You would have your own bunk, upper or lower, with heavy rug curtains to give privacy when you want to sleep and a light for reading or working. Giant kabob platters from restaurants along the route make the experience immersive and keep the bus rolling. Wifi for you laptop addicts and workaholics.

Perfect when you want to vacation at a distance and don’t want your trip to be punctuated by the horror of the airport system. Passengers are on for the entire route and a porter rides with the passengers to see to their needs and serve the inclusive coffee and food. Other food and drinks would be available in limited quantities but the general idea is avoid anything that suggests a human sardine tin.
-- WcW, Feb 16 2008

Land Yachting Land_20Yachting
[phoenix, Feb 17 2008]

The Green Tortoise Story http://www.channel4...feature/feature/46/
A tour company inspired by The Grey Rabbit hippy bus company [Amos Kito, Feb 18 2008]

Green Tortoise alumni page. http://www.greentor...raveler/alumni.html
The Wierd, The Wacky. The naked desert roof Dance. Just stay away from SUICIDE MULE. [Amos Kito, Feb 18 2008]

The Magic Bus http://www.greentor...swf/about.tour.html
It still exists. Far out, man. [Amos Kito, Feb 18 2008]

That would be a great idea if there's really a flying carpet and it would be very useful nowadays if the passengers ride on a carpet.
-- frdrckeusebio, Feb 16 2008


In the 70's I took a cross country bus trip in the USA on the Grey Rabbit Bus. There were no seats on the bus, just mattresses from one end to the other. To pass the time we smoked, drank, ate and slept with each other.... I'm sorry I ever woke up.
-- xenzag, Feb 16 2008


Small cups of hot coffee & skewers. Those are two things I really don't want on a bumpy bus trip. But maybe that's just me.
-- MisterQED, Feb 17 2008


Ok substitute safer containers or cuisine. The basic point is that if travel had some basic aesthetic and social standards applied to it we might come to think of the journey as a part of the vacation and not a painfull barrier to getting where you want to be. If current trends are any indication we will be traveling naked in coffins packed floor to celing in cargo plane after waiting for two days in a maximum security prison and being cavity searched by an angry convict.
-- WcW, Feb 18 2008


UB seems to be speaking from experience. The buses in Oz must be something special.
-- neelandan, Feb 18 2008


Can we strap a rocket to it and REALLY make it fly?
-- xxobot, Feb 18 2008


This is great. Buses are so terrible sometimes.
-- gabrielsnew, Feb 20 2008


The problem is that busing doesn't pay now, so making it more luxurious isn't going to help. Question: I know in OZ they allow land trains of multiple semi trailers behind one tractor. Do they allow that with buses? We (US) have single articulated buses, but if you could make 120' long multi-articulated buses, luxury is much more possible.
-- MisterQED, Feb 20 2008



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