Budgeting 101 – To drive or not to drive?
- January 9th 2008
- Saving for your trip
Ok, so here’s the thing about driving in a foreign country. It’s freeking scary! I don’t much like driving at home (we only have one car for this reason and I bike to work when I need to go in) so driving abroad is something I’m naturally biased about. However, after my trip to
-
Traveling alone, don’t rent a car. It’s a pain, tiring and isolating. Also, it’s more expensive.
-
Traveling with two, rent a car if you want to see things off the train or bus lines and if you can find a good price.
-
Traveling with three or more, it frequently comes out less expensive to rent a car than to buy three tickets everywhere. Also, with three people you’re not going to meet new people on buses and trains but rather at your lodging locations and sightseeing locations.
-
If you’re not renting a car, consider finding out if the people that you meet might be able to give you a lift to some of those out-of-the-way places for a spit of the gas money, it can save everyone some dough and you can make some great friends!
Of course, there are some times when it just makes more sense to travel by car than by plane or train. If, for instance, you’re going from Los Angeles to San Francisco, you should drive Highway 1 because of the great things to see along the way, such as Hearse Castle. There are just some great trips out there if you want to drive. Watch for tips on planning a car trip.
My husband and I spent several months in New Zealand recently. Having a car changed our experience entirely! We were able to go to so many more places and see a lot more of the country. If we had relied on buses or trains we would have seen less and definitely not gotten off the beaten path.
So, yes, sometimes it is better to have a car!
Like you, I have an aversion to driving when overseas . . . the “language” spoken on the road is often as different as the linguist versions!
I don’t drive much stateside either, and instead use ZipCar or the like when I want to make a weekend excursion. I wonder if there are overseas equivalents?
yes, there are overseas equivalents, but if you remember from ZipCar and such things, you have to have a driver’s license in the country you’re using the car in to register with their service. Not so good for a traveler. I’ve had luck though with rental agencies on getting good prices last-minute for a one-day rental to use on excursions. It’s a way to go if there is some place you want to see that isn’t accessible by train/plane/buss.
Also, I’ve found hostels are great places to find people would would be interested in chipping in on sharing a car. Perhaps you can share who uses the car through out the week? Create a ‘traveler’s car share’ sort of thing? Get creative…