No Car? Here are 7 Ways to Travel Without a Car
Do you want to take a trip but don’t have a car, or just don’t want to drive? While I’ve talked before about the 16 Benefits of a Road Trip, traveling by car definitely isn’t the only way to get around. This post includes seven alternatives to driving for people who want to travel without a car, including resources for getting on the road when you don’t have your own set of wheels!
#1 Way to Travel Without a Car: Travel by Train
Taking a trip by train is on my bucket list of life experiences! Traveling by train is a classic way of getting from one place to another without a car. Check out Amtrak to see available train routes and schedules.
#2 Way to Travel Without a Car: Travel by Bus
Greyhound offers a variety of bus schedules if you’re going somewhere that isn’t serviced by train. You may need to be flexible on your schedule and also be patient as the bus will probably make more stops, but this is a great option for traveling without a car.
#3 Way to Travel Without a Car: Rent a Car
Another option for traveling without a car is to rent a car. This is great if you don’t own a car, don’t want to put mileage on your car, don’t trust that your car can make it such a long distance, or have too many people to fit in the car you own and need to rent a larger vehicle.
You can also look up your destination to see if there are any car sharing options. For example, Houston offers Zipcar if you just need to rent a car for a couple of hours and don’t want to pay for a full-day rental. Check it out!
#4 Way to Travel Without a Car: Take or Rent a Bicycle
Depending on where you’re going or how you’re getting there, you may want to consider taking a bicycle! On my trip to New Mexico last year, I threw my bike in the back of my car and toodled around Taos on a bike in cowboy boots because I have no shame. If you’re traveling by train or bus, you may even be able to rent a bike slot. If not, look into renting bicycles in the destination you’re traveling to.
#5 Way to Travel Without a Car: Fly
Possible the most obvious, but definitely not my favorite way to travel, is by air. Flying is best if you’re traveling very long distances and don’t have time to make the drive, or you can’t make the drive for whatever reason. Once you get to your destination, you can look into renting a car, riding a bike, or even ride sharing (see #6).
#6 Way to Travel Without a Car: Share a Ride or a Car
Full disclosure, I’ve never used this site before, but I recently found out about Share Your Ride, a site that helps hook up riders and drivers going to the same places. If you’re looking for a ride somewhere, consider checking to see if anyone else from your town is going to that place as well! Who knows, maybe you’ll make a great new friend who you can travel with again in the future!
#7 Way to Travel Without a Car: Relocate a car or truck
There are other options for traveling if you don’t have a car such as relocating someone else’s vehicle for them! Auto Driveaway is a service that hooks up potential drivers with the owners of a car or RV who need the vehicle relocated. Check out the available vehicles being transported from your town to see if any of the destinations sound like interesting options for you!
Thanks for reading this post on how to travel without a car! Do you have another way you like to travel that wasn’t mentioned here? Leave me a comment and let me know! – Lindsay
Thanks for sharing this. Your tips are very helpful. I am a travel freak and travel a lot. Next year Alaska is on my card.Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness., and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Next year I definitely want to explore Albany.
People often have a theme that they base their worldly travels on, but how about a mental mantra for your travel? Out of a cheerleading event that consisted of our family shouting supportive words at our daughter who was attempting to kill a rather monstrous spider that the rest of us were too chicken to get close to, came this great quote, “If you don’t think, and you just do….then it’s done!”
This quote came back to haunt me when on vacation in Seattle. I thought it would be a great idea to take the kids on the Seattle Great Wheel, the ferris wheel overlooking the ocean, but as we approached it, I realized how high it went and immediately panicked! Just as I had decided to put the kids on it on their own, my daughter says, “Come on dad…If you don’t think, and you just do….then it’s done!” What could I do at that point?! She was telling me to stop thinking and creating more fear about the situation and just get on the thing!
“If you don’t think, and you just do, then it’s done!” We all now keep this quote in our back pocket, ready to whip out at any time to push one of us forward into an adventure we know they won’t regret. No hesitations, don’t allow any time for fear to set in, and be prepared for your kids to turn your life advice back on you