When you’re all set to go away on vacation and have as many adventures as you can manage in a new land or locale, the first thought in your mind might not be “how am I going to travel around once I get there?”
All the same, the transport options you have available to you during your vacation can have a tremendous impact on how the whole experience plays out, what you’re able to do while on your trip, and how you need to plan in advance.
Broadly speaking, the three most common ways that people get around when on vacation are: via a rental vehicle, by driving their own vehicle to the destination, or by relying on the public transport infrastructure at their destination.
Each of these options has its assorted pros and cons. So, here’s a quick look at what to expect from renting a vehicle, driving your own vehicle, or relying on public transport, when going on vacation.
Vehicle rental
Renting a vehicle through a company such as Bayswater Car Rentals is a popular vacation option, since it allows you to travel far away from home, with nothing but a backpack slung over your shoulder, and still benefit from being able to drive yourself around once you arrive.
In terms of raw ability to get from A to B at your destination, renting a vehicle will have the same benefits as driving your own vehicle to the destination. You should, however, expect there to be a few downsides in other areas.
For one thing, driving a rental vehicle costs a daily fee, and if the vehicle gets scratched or otherwise damaged on your watch, you can expect to be charged significantly.
For another thing, unlike with driving your own vehicle to the destination, you can’t transport a lot of luggage from your home to your vacation spot.
Driving your own vehicle
The primary downside of driving your own vehicle to a vacation destination is that you can only do this with locations that are actually accessible by car.
If you live in the United States, and you’re going on vacation to the Czech Republic, for example, there’s no real prospect of you getting across in your car – unless you pay for it to be transported over at enormous expense.
There are, however, various benefits to driving your own car if your destination is within reach. Not least of all the fact that you can get wherever you want to under your own steam, without a hefty deposit. You can also transport as many bags as you can fit in your car to your destination, and bring as many trinkets as you can fit, back.
Public transport
Public transport is certainly the most “lightweight” option, and it’s the default for backpackers.
The thing is, public transport doesn’t go everywhere, and it doesn’t run at all the times you might want to travel.
If you’re relying on buses and trains, there may be locations that you really would have liked to see, but that are inaccessible to you. And even if you can get to those locations, you might be waiting a long while to get picked up again.
Then, you also have to contend with being crowded by strangers, and wandering into potentially crime-ridden neighbourhoods you may not be familiar with.
Bonnie is always on the road with some amazing adventures ahead. Her favorite continent is South America and she’s passionate about culture-focused traveling and ethical and sustainable tourism. During her time in university as a research assistant for a sociology professor, she realized she can’t fully understand cultures from a safe distance. She quit her job to become a full-time “voluntourist,” which brings her to places where she can immerse in local communities and support their causes. On top of writing, one of Bonnie’s priorities is offering women advice on how to stay safe while solo backpacking.