Whether it’s the bus, light rail, or subway, many of us must use these methods of transportation to get from A to B, or A to Z, then Z to A. Unlike some movies that portray the journey as a magical and often an easy going experience, I’m sure many of us would beg to differ.

Prepare for the possibility of arriving late to your destination.

On public transport you have little to no control over the time of arrival to your destination. The drivers and operators of these vehicles are merely human beings in a world filled with unexpected obstacles, such as traffic jams, people who never have their fare ready, route changes, and the occasional malfunction of the vehicle itself. Planning for your journey ahead of time, or beginning it early are the best ways to avoid these obstacles, because you just can’t go up to the driver and say “Step on it, I’m going to be late!”

Dress to protect yourself from the elements.

If your method of transportation is running a little late, and outside feels like Elsa from Frozen has just experienced her first breakup, I’m sure you’d be a much happier camper if you’re bundled up nice and toasty. The temperature inside the vehicle can be a problem as well. It can be either too hot due to the lack of or ineffectiveness of the A.C., or too cold due to the same problems in concern with the heater.

You might feel like a human sardine in a small tin.

During certain times of day or in larger cities, prepare for it to become overcrowded. It’s like being at a concert, but one that apparently no one is enjoying. All of the pushing, shoving, absence of the words “excuse me,” and people who’d rather share their seat with a bag, can make for an aggravating commute.

You’ll run into a variety of different personalities that’ll either make or further break your commute.

For instance, we often notice or spend our time trying not to notice the “starer.” Yes that enhanced sense that many of us have, gives us the ability to “feel” when someone is staring at us. If you’re a passive aggressive person like myself, you’ll glance at them in hopes that they’ll advert their glaze elsewhere. If their eyes are still fixated on you, it’s best to think of it positively such as they’re awe-stricken by your awesomeness, or that their eyes are simply resting on you while their mind wanders off elsewhere.

Balance, leg strength, and a good grip are not required, but very useful to have.

If you’re like myself, clumsy, uncoordinated, and often too exhausted to remember what day of the week it is, this could potentially be a problem for you. I’ve had my shares of trips and falls, which, as a person with social anxiety, made me feel that I was damned to an eternity of embarrassment. But I was able to get through it, and it even makes for a good laugh here and there. Unlike cars, buses cannot easily avoid the potholes on the street, which can often make for an extremely bumpy ride.

Although riding public transportation is usually not an enjoyable experience, it is sometimes a necessary one. It puts you at the center of understanding humanity, both the good and the bad. There are those who’ve never been outside of their little bubble of comfort, and riding public transportation is a simple way toward the expansion of that bubble. If you consider the comical conversations you’ll sometimes overhear to the small acts of kindness you may witness, it actually doesn’t sound all that bad. Of course I don’t speak for us all, as I’m well aware that there are those who regard their daily commutes as a living hell, but there are those who have had nothing but peaceful experiences that allowed them to finish reading a few chapters of their newly purchased novel.