Wanderu’s Site Lets You Research And Book Bus And Rail Travel

If you’re a traveler, then you’re a Kayaker. Not a paddler, but a devotee of Kayak.com, the airline (and hotel and rental car) search engine that makes booking the lowest fares a breeze. If you’re a traveler, then you’ve also probably cursed the fact that a similar site doesn’t exist for bus and rail travel.

We can now count our blessings, thanks to Wanderu. According to Thrillist, this ingenious domestic search engine offers “hundreds of routes, operators, and schedules into a free, trip-aggregating database.” You can even make bookings, which is like a giant gift from the Travel Gods.

As soon as Wanderu or a competitor makes this info available for international travel, budget travelers won’t have anything left to complain about – except maybe the quality of their guesthouse banana pancakes.

[Photo credit: Flickr user DavidDennisPhotos.com]

Valentine’s Day Travel: World Wide Bus offers free bus tickets from NYC-Boston

If you’re tight on cash this Valentine’s Day, it may still be possible to plan a last-minute getaway to New York City or the Boston area. World Wide Bus, which launched last fall, is offering free round-trip bus tickets from Manhattan to Cambridge, or vice versa.

Too good to be true? Well, if you can take time off work, the free tickets are valid for travel on Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day), Feb. 15, Feb. 16, or Feb. 17. I just checked and found that there are still seats left on the 9 a.m. departure from Manhattan, which would put you in Cambridge by 2 p.m. — that leaves you plenty of time to explore before sitting down to a romantic V-Day dinner.

The company initially set aside 1,000 one-way tickets for this Valentine’s Day promotion, but is now aiming to add buses to accommodate any increased demand. Even so, it’s best to lock in these free tickets now. There are three daily departures from each city. The nearly five-hour bus ride is made a bit more tolerable with Wi-Fi and power outlets at each seat.

The Deal: The round-trip tickets are worth $30 ($15 one-way).

The Details: Limit two round-trip tickets per customer. You must register in advance of the day you’re traveling, and enter each passenger’s name on the ticket. Other free routes between Feb. 14-17 include Manhattan to Newton, Mass., or vice versa.

More Info: www.worldwidebus.com