When you visit a new place, how do you try to ensure an authentic experience? For me, it’s through public transit. While I certainly don’t accomplish it in every new place I visit, public transportation has provided with me with an inexpensive insight into many new places. That realization dates back to my second international trip when Delicious and I realized how cheaply we could explore Portugal. At that point, budget was one of our top priorities so it was wonderful. A side benefit was that we saw the countryside and met a lot of new people. Since then, I’ve ridden tuk-tuks, subways, trans, buses, junks, motorbikes and boats. It’s my favorite way to travel and, I think, gives me the best exposure to a place and its residents.
janet
In the US, we tend to drive to our destination and often it’s not in the city, so no public transportation available. In Europe, I’ve used trains, boats, subways, etc. and walked. In the US when in cities, public transportation is always an option.
Kate
Totally agree. I wish public transportation was more often available in the States. I’ve recently started making heavier use of our public bus system and it made me aware of two things. 1) I’m a sucker for not having started riding the bus sooner. It’s cheap, easy and very accessible. 2) There’s a lot of class issues around public transportation and our views of it. It merits its own post, but peoples’ reactions to the public bus, at least here in Cincinnati, are fascinating and often classist or racist. It complicates the issue in ways that don’t make much sense.
Stephen Rees
Yes, I always explore by transit wherever I go. And there are some great transit systems in the US. Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, New York and New Orleans have all featured in my travels in recent years. One the more unusual was American Samoa. Honolulu was good too. Pictures of all of these and more at https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephen_rees/
Liz
Some of my best travel adventures have been using public transport – striking up conversations with locals ?. Getting to grip now with GPS navigation systems and rental cars – now that’s a new chapter sometimes with surprising results! Bring on the wanderlust for off the beaten track venturing ?
Yuhu Tama
You look so happy in all the photographs! I love this take on the challenge.