All Aboard: This Hong Kong Bus Tour Helps You Catch Up On Sleep

If you tend to fall asleep on long car rides or road trips, you will adore the restful snooze you’ll get on this new Hong Kong Sleeping Bus Tour.

The trip is 47 miles long and about five hours. The tour provides a comfortable double-decker bus made to intrigue those who can’t get a good night’s sleep or fall asleep easier in a moving vehicle. Funny enough, the tour was inspired by the sleepy commuter who always seems to catch up on their zzzs and miss their stop.

“When we were brainstorming new tours, I saw a social media post from my friend saying that he was stressed out by his work, he couldn’t sleep at night,” said Kenneth Kong, reported The Olympian.

Kong is the marketing and business development manager of ulu travel who organizes bus tours. “But when he was traveling on the bus, he was able to sleep well. His post inspired us to create this tour that lets passengers sleep on the bus,” he continued.

Depending on which deck the guest chooses to sleep on (lower or upper), tickets can range between $13 to $51 per person. Each guest will be given one goody bag that contains an eye mask and earplugs to ensure the best snooze possible, but they also encourage guests to bring any necessities from home that will make them feel comfortable and drowsy. The very first “Sleeping Bus Tour” hit the hay on Saturday and was entirely sold out.

“I have been suffering from insomnia, so I am here to try and get some sleep,” said one of the passengers aboard, 25-year-old Anson Kong. He continued by explaining that the tour was a great idea and much “more interesting” than he thought. The bus stopped at a few scenic spots on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. Marco Yung, another passenger on board the Sleeping Bus Tour, said that he joined the tour because of his tendencies to fall asleep on long bus rides. He concluded that it was a “great opportunity” to catch up on sleep. 

Dr. Shirley Li, the principal investigator of the Sleep Research Clinic and Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong, stated that falling asleep on public transit is a type of conditioning. “People in Hong Kong don’t have enough time to sleep. That’s why we have to kind of use other times to sleep, which is our daily commute, especially when we are traveling on public transport. So for some people, they may tend to associate public transport with their sleep. And that’s why they found it easier to fall asleep on the bus,” she explained.