Research–How to Get Around

Adventure is a State of Mind

Transportation, both to your destination and around your destination, is second in expense and importance only to your choice of lodging. Not planning thoughtfully can lead to added expense, wasted time, and frustration.

Considering Your Options

Once, in London, I carefully planned out how to use the Tube (metro) system to get me and my travel companions from the airport to our bed and breakfast, but I missed some crucial information about planned construction on the Tube line we were supposed to be taking. Several hours later, with jet-lag and a frustration-induced headache, we managed to figure out the bus system to take us where we needed to go. Could we have taken a cab? Yes, at added expense. There are definitely times in my travels when a cab is the better option because of schedules, convenience, or safety. Maybe during that experience in London, I could have avoided some of the frustration by overcoming my pride (and frugality) and hailing a cab or an Uber; but most of the time, my experiences with buses and metros have been very positive.

Public Transportation

Don’t be afraid to try public transportation. In many countries, the public transportation options such as trains, metros, and buses work so well and are so affordable that they are hands down the most convenient option. They can give you an opportunity to experience a city or country the same way as the locals. They also can be a source of serendipitous entertainment and joy — I never would have believed that someone could breakdance and do a backward flip from a standing position in a metro car if I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes!

Researching Public Transportation

The internet is a great source for learning about the trains, metros, and buses in an area, including figuring out cost and sometimes even finding bus and metro maps and map apps that you can download to your phone. Many cities have transportation passes that can make your trips much more affordable and convenient, especially if you are going to stay in an area for several days. To find such information, I usually search online with the city name and then the words “metro,” “subway,” “bus,” “transportation system,” and/or “transportation pass.”

As a bonus, when you are researching transportation passes for your adventure, pay attention to all of the services included in the pass. For example, when researching travel passes for Zurich, Switzerland, we discovered that not only were trams, local trains, and buses included in the multi-day pass, but it also included several free lake and river cruise options and a discount to many of the local museums. We took advantage of the discount on a visit to the Kunsthaus (art museum) and also took a free boat cruise on Lake Zurich.

Car Rentals

Many of us from the U.S. and Canada are familiar with using rental cars when traveling in North America, and rental cars are available throughout the world, although there are some things you need to consider when traveling outside of your home country. First of all, research what the parking situation will be where you are staying. In large cities, apartment rentals and bed and breakfasts frequently do not have access to parking, and hotels that advertise valet parking usually charge a significant amount to do so.

When visiting parts of the world with very old historical buildings and streets, even some smaller towns may not have parking near where you are staying. Remember, the roads in very old towns and cities were originally designed for only pedestrians and horse-drawn carts, so in some cases they are too narrow for two cars to pass. Sometimes they’re almost too narrow for one car to drive without scraping the sides of the buildings!

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.

John A. Shedd

At times, a rental car is actually your best option, especially if you are planning on visiting the more rural areas of a country. In many countries in Europe, there are excellent bus and/or train networks throughout the countryside, but obviously there are fewer options than in more populated areas, and their scheduled routes may not coordinate well with your plans. If that is the case, a rental car can provide you with more flexibility.

Consider a Combination of Types of Transportation

When renting a car, also consider whether you need it for your entire trip. There may be a day or two that you want the convenience that a car will give you in the countryside, but you may also prefer not to have to worry about parking it when you are visiting cities and have access to a metro system.

Another consideration is your confidence in driving a car in a large city where you can’t read or understand all of the road signs. My husband, Greg, is a great driver but understandably prefers not to drive in major metropolitan areas when it can be avoided. For this reason, on several occasions, we have taken the train when leaving a major city such as Paris or Dublin and have arranged our car rental from a medium-sized city just a few hours train ride away.

Additional Rental Considerations

If you are renting a car, there are a few additional considerations if you are in another country. First of all, in addition to your driving permit from your home country, you will need an international drivers permit, which you can obtain from your local AAA office. Also, even if you are used to your personal automobile insurance covering car rentals, which many policies do, you need to check whether your insurance covers foreign car rentals or just domestic. If it doesn’t cover foreign car rentals, check with your credit card since some credit card companies will cover rental insurance as part of your overall benefits.

Rules of the Road

If you have never driven in another country or if it’s been awhile since you have, I highly recommend doing an internet search for “international road signs” and familiarize yourself with the signs you are likely to be seeing. It doesn’t hurt to have your travel companions do the same so that they can help you navigate. Also, do an internet search as to special driving rules. For example, in some countries, the driver passing has the right of way. This means oncoming traffic and the car being passed are all expected to move to the shoulder to allow the passing driver to get by them. Not knowing this could result in, at best, misunderstandings, and at worst, a horrible accident!

Finally, a frequent concern I hear from friends who are traveling to a new country for the first time is, “Do they drive on the wrong side of the road?” As a note, just because here in North America we drive on the “right” side of the road, that doesn’t mean countries where they drive on the left side are driving on the “wrong” side! There are more than 60 counties that drive on the left side, but counter to what many believe, most of Europe actually drives on the right side, with the United Kingdom being the exception. If you are driving in a country where they drive on the opposite side from what you are used to driving, pay attention to your side mirrors–a rental agent in Ireland told me that a great number of rental cars there are returned with at least one mirror having been scraped off by an American driver. And be especially careful that you enter the correct lane when making a turn or exiting a traffic circle since that is usually the most disorienting part of driving on a different side from what you are used to using.

What are the transportation options where you are planning your next adventure and how can you make the best use of them?