If you’ve ever spent time in the US public school system, the local transportation in countries like Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador will look a little familiar to you. Camionetas de pollo, known colloquially in English as chicken buses, are decommissioned yellow school buses, repurposed to transport locals across short to medium distances.

You’ll find them mainly in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and you can’t miss them as they’re emblazoned with word art and some have serious ice cream paint jobs. It’s not uncommon to be decked out with speakers and TV screens as well!

It was always fun to show up at the terminal and not quite know what to expect, when exactly you’d depart, what paradas we would stop at during the way.

Here are a few things I learned when backpacking and traveling like a local.

Finding the bus is the biggest challenge.

Bus terminals are a bustling mix of vans, buses, and vendors.

Finding your bus requires listening for the ayudante that calls out your destination on his route. The ayudante works with the bus driver and interfaces with passengers, collects fares, and may assist in putting your baggage in the back of the bus, roof storage, or wherever they hold the “cargo”.

If you need help locating the stop, simply give somebody the name of your destination, and they’ll be able to point you to the correct bus or find somebody who can.

Be prepared for the “gringo tax.”

Bus fares should be stated on a piece of laminated printer paper in the front of the bus, but on occasions you might be asked to pay more. Keep as firm as possible but also, don’t sweat paying a couple of dollars for a safe journey.

In Nicaragua, I was charged the equivalent of $1 USD more for baggage. I’m pretty sure it was scammy, but I complied because my bag admittedly was huge.

As with any situation where cash changes hands fast, try to have exact change and negotiate the price upfront. It makes it easier for ayudantes to make change, and avoids a situation where they have to come back to bring with your change.

Say goodbye to your personal space.

Seats are not guaranteed! At busy times you’ll be packed like sardines. But it does lend to a sense of intimacy; an older lady, sitting, beckoned to hold my large water bottle for me so I wouldn’t have to carry it whilst standing.

What else to know? The driver will also probably drive faster than what you would imagine safe for a big bus. It is good to notify the ayudante or driver of your stop so they’ll know a gringo (translation: slowpoke) is getting out, as some buses barely brake for passengers to get off and on.

No need to worry about bringing snacks.

One of the greatest delights was food vendors hopping on the bus, announcing and selling their goods, then hopping off at the next stop.

From beverages to bread and pastries, sweet snacks like crackers and candies and fresh sliced fruit, fried chicken and even cheese, you never know what the next one brings.

No two rides are the same…

You’ll find this type of transportation throughout many countries in Central America, taking intracity to interregional routes. Feels informal but actually quite systemized and prompt.

From the personalities of the ayudante, to types of school bus and levels of decoration, every ride was an adventure for a traveler (probably boring, of course, for someone taking the route every day).

…but don’t stress!

Although trips can be unpredictable, more often than not you will have an absolutely fine experience. (Especially if you can get a window seat on hot days.) You may even meet some friendly locals!

Don’t worry about being clumsy or lost. One thing is for certain: you’ll have a story to tell.