Travel Corner
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Getting
Around Once You're There --
Public Transportation
by
Judy Wolf
Whether you're planning an around-the-world trip, or an intensive exploration of some special corner of the globe, you'll have to get yourself from place to place once you've arrived in the country.
Most major cities will greet newcomers with honking car horns and diesel bus fumes. Some will add motorcycles, horse carts, ferries, and rickshaws to the mix, with random bicycles and pedestrians thrown in for flavor. Look around you and get creative once you're there. Public transportation is the prime mode of travel in every country except the U.S.A. (travel hints for the U.S. in a moment), so tends to be affordable, available, and convenient.
Once you've explored your initial destination city for a couple of days (or minutes, depending on your tolerance for cities), you'll most likely want to launch yourself toward other sites. Your guide book will contain specific recommendations for the country (or countries) you're visiting, but the following are a few general truths for the most common forms of travel.
Bus: This tends to be one of the fastest, cheapest, and most friendly ways to get around. In countries where this is the major form of transportation, there will be a variety of "classes" of bus travel, from local (what residents take every day) to "tourist" (which can mean anything from smaller-livestock-than-the-local-bus to cushy seats and drink service, depending on the country) to "luxury" or "deluxe." Depending on the climate, these distinctions can make a big difference if you need or want air conditioning or a seat all to yourself. In countries like Turkey and Egypt, you'll be assigned a seat and served drinks and snacks, much like an airline. If there's no bathroom on the bus, don't panic. The driver will break every few hours so passengers can stretch their legs at a rest stop.
Train: Another good option in many countries - especially on routes where the roads are bad, some train travel is considered a vacation in itself (for instance, the Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan, India). Trains are nice for long distance travel, especially if you have time to plan ahead and make reservations for a sleeper car (if you're in Thailand, don't miss the opportunity!). This not only saves you the additional cost of a hotel room for the night, it maximizes your travel time by moving while you sleep. Most trains offer first- and second-class seating options. While first class does offer more room, keep in mind that it often is affordable only to travelers, so not only do you spend more money for the exact same train (everyone gets to the station at the same time), you also miss out on experiencing the friendliness of local travelers.
Automobiles: Into this category falls every other motorized option from ferries and river boats to minivans and collectivos. On Bali, you can go anywhere in a minivan full of people getting dropped and picked up along the way - for quite cheap! In Laos, you can choose between a slow or fast boat down the Mekong (guess which costs more). In Cambodia, you'll find yourself crammed into the back of a converted pickup truck with dozens of other passengers. With most of these, a series of point-to-point routes connect up to take travelers - both local and foreign - wherever they need to go. In countries where not everyone has access to a car, this is a creative and cooperative way to get around. All you have to do is locate a nearby gathering point, announce your destination to one of the young men collecting passengers, and you'll be led to the next vehicle that's being filled. Don't worry if you get dropped before your final destination - it's usually because this ride is only connecting you with the next one...and the next one...and the next one. Just keep announcing your destination until you get there!
TIP: If you're visiting the U.S., be aware that public transportation is abysmal (especially outside the major cities) and budget accommodation hard to come by. Two ways to stretch your travel dollars while seeing this vast country: bring a tent and rent a car, or for a little more luxury (and big savings if you're splitting the cost with friends), rent a camper van or recreational vehicle (RV). Camping is one of the most affordable ways to sleep cheap, and campgrounds range from state-run park facilities to deluxe Kampground of America (KOA) locations complete with children's playgrounds and full laundry facilities.
Copyright (c) 2002 Judy Wolf
About
the Author:
Judy Wolf (www.judywolf.com)
is a world traveler, freelance writer, speaker, and whitewater kayak instructor.
She's taken numerous, extended solo journeys around the world, traveling
by foot, bus, jeep, camel, truck, boat, train, plane, elephant, and bicycle
to over 30 countries on five continents. She currently lives in upstate
New York with her husband and border collie, where she's working on a
book-length travel narrative about her most recent adventures…that is,
when she's not plunging off waterfalls or entertaining the dog.
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