Avoid Holiday Travel Stress with Guaranteed Seating

Simply put, holiday travel can be stressful. With everyone trying to get home or to their loved ones and the chance of bad weather, things can bottleneck quickly, and you’re left wondering if you’ll make it to your destination on time. That’s why C&J’s team is committed to making your experience with us as hassle-free as possible.

Earlier this summer, we announced our new guaranteed seating program, which—as the name suggests—reserves your seat. Combined, these help to ensure you’ll get to where you need to be at the right time. Best of all, you can always change your reservation either in your C&J account or as a guest (as long as you have your confirmation number).

We’ve also enhanced what your free C&J account can do. Along with easily managing or rescheduling your reservation, you can save your credit card information to your account as well as your favorite trips to make checking out even faster. You can download your ticket and add it to your digital wallet, so you no longer have to worry about finding a print. You can store tickets for anyone you may be traveling with as well.

As you head out for your holiday travel, here are some other tips to help you get from A to B.

Holiday Travel Tips

Dress in Layers

No matter what the temperature may be outside, our coaches will always be warm and comfortable. By bringing an extra sweatshirt or a pair of long socks, you can ensure that you’re comfortable in either environment. As an added plus, you can always use your hoodie as a pillow.

Stay Up-To-Date On Service Alerts

While we may operate on the holidays themselves, our schedules may be a little more limited. You can find the full schedules here. And if there’s inclement weather in the forecast, you can view all of our service alerts here, as well as sign up to receive emails with the latest news, or call our Information Center at 603-430-1100.

Keep Your Essentials Within Reach

This goes for electronics, medications, or even contact solution. You never know when there might be delays in other legs of your travel, and you can’t get what you need when you need it. Best of all, you can charge your phone or laptop right at your seat on C&J, so be sure to have those chords on hand.

Make Your Bag Stand Out

We all know and fear the shuffle of trying to find your neutral-colored bag in a sea of matching ones. Putting a ribbon, bright-colored tags, or any other unique accessory on your bag will help it stand out. In a similar vein, make sure you know what you can (and can’t) bring on the bus with you. While your first two bags are always free, we do have some size and weight requirements, which you can learn more about here. Additionally, you can bring cats and small dogs with you on the bus for $15 per pet, and you can find the guidelines for that here. 

Give Yourself Extra Time Whenever You Can

It’s always a good idea to leave yourself a few extra minutes, whether that means taking a slightly earlier bus or leaving your home before you actually need to. Because the holiday season can get so busy, we recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before your departure time–especially since it might take you a minute to find a parking spot. This brings us to our tip within a tip: if you’re traveling out of the Portsmouth terminal, take advantage of our valet parking program. For a one-time fee of $20, you’re guaranteed a spot, and your car will be waiting for you (and free of snow) when you get back.

Booking Your Holiday Travel with C&J

With routes from New York, Boston, and all throughout the Seacoast, we’re here to help you get to where you want to be this holiday season. We’re beyond grateful each time you trust us as your travel companion and remain committed to providing you with the highest quality of service. If you have any questions, drop us a line or check out our FAQs.

We hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday season!