Travel Tip Tuesdays: Traveling Without a Car

“How can I travel without a car?”

It’s pretty difficult for me to utter these taboo words: I don’t have a driver’s license. Whenever people discover this, they are shocked and horrified, then proceed to tell me, “You need to get one.” I have to explain that, once again, the reason that I don’t have a license is because I don’t wish to afford one (there are other reasons as well, but that’s the shortest explanation). I’d rather spend the roughly $2,400 every year on something different (preferably something tax-deductible!). I work from home and live in a city where I can easily walk to the grocery store, bank, post office, and river (read: mental wellbeing area), so there’s not much incentive there. When it comes to traveling, though, the question of money comes up. Public transportation in the United States is not exactly thorough. How in the world can I (or you) travel without the use of a car?

Besides, getting off at the wrong bus stop in Nowhereville,
Washington, makes for a much more exciting story.

Plan ahead. I love the freedom that travel in a car gives me, but I don’t mind wrangling the public transportation. If you plan to take a trip without a car, figure out a good place to go. For instance, if you’re flying straight into Portland, Oregon, you’ll forget that you ever needed a car for anything. However, if you’ve caught a bus to Burnettsville, Indiana, you’ll probably be stranded. Use Google maps’ public transportation option by clicking on the bus icon when you look up directions. If they don’t have anything, check out the city’s chamber of commerce site to see if there are any buses that run. They often have a number you can call, where someone can help you plan out your trip.

Consider all the different kinds of transportation. Walking is my favorite. Mary and I walked the 2.9 miles from the San Diego airport to the Point Loma International Hostel— and the five bucks that we saved bought us a pizza to split. Also, you can often save an hour or so on the bus if you’re willing to walk to a slightly further-away (but more directly-routed) bus stop. Also check out rideshare options— Google-search “Rideshare in [destination city]” or join a couchsurfing rideshare group. If you’re staying at a hostel or couchsurfing, you’ll often find friendly people who are willing to drop you off somewhere nearby.

Don’t be in a hurry. This is the surest way to become frustrated about anything. You’ll miss the bus. You won’t be able to find the station. The Greyhound won’t show up and will leave you stranded in Fort Collins at four in the morning in the sleet and ice as your digits freeze off and you wonder when the hypothermia is going to… oops, sorry, nostalgia. Leave lots of margin in your schedule. Bring along books, an mp3 player, and a lot of patience. 

The bottom line is, unless you’re in a major city, the easiest way to see the US is in a car. If you don’t have one, though, don’t worry— there are a lot of ways around it. Happy travels!

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Have a travel question? Leave a comment and I’ll try to answer!