I'm surprised that most people will opt to use their cars rather than public transportation even when it is not to their advantage. For example taking public transit into Vancouver city center from South Surrey can be quicker, even during rush traffic, as it uses the fast lane and rapid transit and only makes several stops. It is also cheaper when you add up fuel and parking. And it's so much more relaxing.And how about vacations?
Several years ago my wife and I vacationed a week in the LA area and began with a few days using public transit. Having schedules made it quite easy to get to the beach and to downtown for our trial run. This worked even better on our entire Waikiki/Honolulu trip as I had pre-ordered a booklet on using the bus system there. On some vacations this can be an interesting, economical and environmental friendly way to get around.
In the Money and Values blog a post by Penny Nickel offers 15 tips for a frugal, relaxing, earth-friendly vacation that's car-free!
If your travel plans are focused on cities, then public transportation (combined with a reasonable amount of good old-fashioned walking) may work better than you think to get you where you want to go. Yes, some cities do have totally lousy/nonexistent public transit, but there are a lot whose systems are just so-so and yet do a perfectly good job of connecting you to most or all of the attractions you're interested in, not to mention the many cities with genuinely excellent public transportation.
Don't let nervousness about riding an unfamiliar public transit system hold you back! I've found repeatedly that doing a little basic research ahead of time is all you really need to get the hang of virtually any city's system. (Actually, I've also generally found that even when I'm unprepared and skip many of the steps below, I'm still able to get by fine in a strange city's transit system!)
Read 15 tips for a frugal, relaxing, earth-friendly vacation that's car-free! . . . .
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