Frequently Asked Questions

We have been running tours for five decades! Our experience provides a greater knowledge of the land, and more importantly, access to destinations, people, and experiences you likely would never find on your own!

By traveling with us, you can leave the hassles of car rental, meal planning, and lodging details behind. Reach places no conventional tour company would bring you and make friends from around the globe and memories that will last a lifetime — plus you’ll save yourself a bundle of money!

This is the beginning of a true journey with a very unique bus company. It may just change your life!

Absolutely! The majority of our travelers are solo and we never charge a single supplement (an additional fee for solo travelers).

We recently lowered our maximum to 30 travelers on most trips.  Some trips we take even less.  The average number of participants is 27. 

Traveler capacity has steadily lowered since the 1990’s, when our then smaller buses happily carried up to 40 people!  This is primarily in response to customer feedback and the request for more space.  Also, realize that our full-size coaches with their original seating were designed to carry 47 people. So, with 20 fewer people on board, you will have plenty of room for spreading out in our lounge-style interiors. 

If you still have any questions about how many new friends you’ll make on your next adventure, please feel free to give us a call.

All fitness levels are welcome.  On most days, our passengers have choices ranging from strenuous, challenging treks to leisurely and relaxed strolls through park exhibits.  Maybe you choose to just lounge by a lake!  

Our semi-guided style of trip planning allows our passengers the chance to engage in optional activities based on their own interest and comfort level.

Keep in mind, you will be moving around the adventure coach, which does require some flexibility.  If you’re still wondering if this is right for you, or have a specific condition, please call us.

Comfort level on our modern coaches is high. They are equipped with heat, air conditioning and plenty of space to lounge about. Everyone enjoys the comfort of riding, sitting up or laying down, day or night. Check out a video of our unique interiors here!

 The interior of our custom coaches are specially designed to transform into horizontal beds so you can slumber during the night on your way to the next breathtaking destination.  The bus is outfitted with tailor-made, comfortable cushions to ensure an enjoyable night’s sleep. On some nights these cushions may be used off the bus but you must also have your own sleeping pad.  

We camp out on most nights on our adventures.  Usually, the bus will be parked close by and you will have the option to sleep inside. Rarely, we may have to park the bus further away, and therefore we require everyone to have a tent for our adventures.

If you do not own a tent or sleeping bag, no problem –we have rentals!

The food fund for our adventures covers roughly 70% of all meals. We put a lot of thought and care into our menu. This is a culinary journey as well as a geographical adventure! We provide fresh, healthy ingredients to create some of the best camp food you’ll ever eat. Meals are served buffet-style, so everyone gets to build a meal they will enjoy.

Our kitchen on the bus includes all of the cooking and eating utensils you will need at camp. Bringing along a reusable lunch container helps save single use plastics for packed lunches, though!

Most breakfasts and dinners will be 100% vegetarian, and will often include eggs, wheat and dairy products.  Our “pack your own lunch” table is set up in the morning and will have a variety of lunch meats as well as vegetarian options.

The satellite wifi systems on our coaches are reserved for emergencies.  Our adventures are in exceptional settings and we remain dedicated to the community on the coach, so we encourage you to disconnect digitally.  Most people easily find access to the internet along our routes at coffee shops, libraries, or by using personal hotspots.

The coach is equipped with a minimum of fifteen USB ports, as well as approximately six 110-volt residential outlets. These outlets are only available when the bus is running and you will be sharing these with your fellow passengers.

Additional 110 volt charging opportunities will sometimes be available at our camping location. 

Our coaches do have bathrooms.  Passengers are encouraged to use them as little as possible, as servicing them mid-trip can be challenging.  However, we never want anyone to be uncomfortable, so we do keep the bathrooms available for emergencies.  

Most of the time, we will stop along the route no less than every two hours for everyone to take a break and stretch their legs!

Get to know us on our About Us page! 

Yes! You certainly may join our trips even if you’re new to camping. The bunk house/lounge coach is almost always available for our passenger’s comfort. You are not expected to have any special camping skills for these adventures. Just bring an adventurous spirit.

Green Tortoise coaches are rented for a multitude of reasons: family reunions, weddings, company retreats, college reunions, school field trips, and the list goes on!  Have a look at our charter page and then contact us for a custom quote and itinerary for your next event!

Maybe. We generally publish trips 12 to 14 months in advance. On occasion, our sprit of adventure will inspire us to add a trip with less advance notice, but they are usually shorter local experiences.

We discontinued our regular North/South commuter service in 2001 to go back to our roots.  Now we focus on our legendary adventure camping trips and charters. It’s still the cool, laid-back, great group of drivers and passengers and we continue to go to great places and eat excellent food, but now it’s more about the trip, than the destination!  

Please check out our list of trips by date; maybe one (or even just part of one) will work for you! 

For other travel options in the western U.S., check out the following air and land transport services: 
Southwest Airlines
JetBlue Airlines
Greyhound
Megabus
AmTrak

If you need any further information please don’t hesitate to email or give us a call.  

We cherish our history. The company philosophy was self-defined over the years. It includes tolerance, inclusion, self reliance, team spirit and empathy. However, this is no longer a “hippie” bus company by any mainstream definition. Our coaches are newer, safety is our #1 priority, the food is contemporary and the coach is clean. Just come as you are; hippie, a hipster, a yuppie, gen x, y, z or make up your own label. Better yet come with no label at all, because it doesn’t matter. Everyone is welcome on the Green Tortoise!