London–Calcutta bus service

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Practicality and Time Commitment

  • Main objection is the 50-day duration; many say few modern workers can take that much time off.
  • Others counter that only a few hundred passengers per year were needed, and among billions living along the route, that’s plausible.
  • Some recall an era when people traveled for months, funded by low costs in India and, in at least one case, foreign unemployment benefits.

Motivations and Nature of the Trip

  • Many emphasize the journey as the point: seeing many countries, cultures, and landscapes, not just getting from A to B.
  • Compared to today’s long Amtrak trips, this is framed as an “overland cruise” or moving commune, appealing to hippie-trail / nomad types and adventure travelers.
  • Some mention drug/sex tourism and the broader 1960s–70s “Hippie Trail” context.
  • Several personal anecdotes (Europe, US, South America, London–Afghanistan in a Fiat 500) show a strong culture of long, slow overland travel.

Cost, Inflation, and Class

  • Debate over the modern equivalent of the 1957/1973 ticket price; different inflation indices give different numbers but all imply it was relatively cheap per day.
  • Compared to air travel of the time, the bus seems cheaper and all-inclusive, but likely still a “rich person’s” or at least non-working-person’s option.

Comparisons to Modern Options

  • People compare it to Flixbus across Europe, Cape-to-Cairo overland tours, Green Tortoise in the US, and long Amtrak routes: more for scenery and experience than efficiency.
  • Some strongly argue many HN-style readers undervalue non-monetary benefits of slow travel.

Geopolitics and Route Viability

  • Multiple comments note today’s route would be risky or impossible: issues in Iran, Afghanistan, and especially Pakistan–India border closures and stopped cross-border trains.
  • This is used as an example of non-linear progress: technically easier now, but geopolitically harder.

Historical Accuracy and Documentation

  • The Wikipedia article is criticized for conflating two services (Indiaman vs. Albert) and for implying only one bus.
  • People lament the lack of interior photos and personal accounts, though some photo archives and a clearer related article are linked.