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Italiano (Italian)
Traveling by public transportation is taboo for many Italians. Often my compatriots ask about a trip online and do not even consider any alternative to renting a car. Of course it is a mode that saves money, but I think I would travel by public transportation even if I were rich.
In my opinion, the main advantage is that it allows you to experience at least part of the life of the locals. It also gives the opportunity to meet people, both locals and other travelers. Unfortunately, this used to happen more easily. Now people are too focused on their smartphones. If you are alone, but also as a couple, traveling by public transportation can make you accomplish itineraries that driving would be too long or, in some countries, potentially dangerous.
Some particular means are indicated in this article.
Trains
My first trip and first solo trip was theinterrail in the summer of 1996. I went around Europe by train, and it was a great experience. I met a lot of people, and it gave me the impetus to become a traveler. At that time it was also more difficult than today to get around in a rental car in a country you didn’t know, especially because there were no online maps.
Now, even solo, I happen to rent a vehicle, especially if I plan to do a lot of traveling in small places (see Cornwall). In some countries, like Australia, I used both modes.
Returning to the interrail it was there that, although I felt very insecure with my English, I discovered that I could actually hold a conversation. I was with a Scottish biologist and a Sudanese doctor talking about international arms trafficking! If my high school teacher who was always putting me off had seen me.
Buses
A traveler cannot call himself a traveler if he has never been to one of the colorful and chaotic bus stations in South America. The funniest element is the constant chanting in the background of the many ticket sellers shouting out destinations at the top of their lungs. In Bolivia I book everything online, but the vast majority of people take tickets at the last minute because you can find discounts made to fill the buses. There can be many vehicles leaving at the same time and you hear 15-20 people shouting out all the possible destinations in the country: Cochabamba, La Paz, Potosi, Uyuni, Sucre, Oruro, Quillacollo, El Alto.
Most of the time I get to make friends with other travelers. It is also a way to compare notes on what are often amusing anomalies for us Westerners. I remember a dialogue with one from Rotterdam with whom I shared how difficult it was, for us spindly people, to get around the tiny bathrooms in Laos.
In Iran, public transportation works very well and people are extremely friendly. Forever I will remember chatting with the gentleman in the Yazd station who told me that he had never seen an Italian from life. He was fond of our cinema, especially Bud Spencer and Clint Eastwood. He was very hurt when I explained to him that the former was dead and the latter American.
Several alternatives for traveling by public transportation
The ultimate in public transportation travel for me is the subways. Always full of cues, easy and comfortable. Although like the Toledo station in Naples, there are none in the world
In Thailand I think I used every possible means of transportation, from getting on an elephant to a raft made out of bamboo canes to certain tuctuc (adapted bee cars) filled to capacity.
The strongest experience was with the motorcycle cab. I sped through Chiang Mai traffic with a helmet too small for my big head. The most annoying experience was with cabs, which I normally avoid. In particular, in Bangkok I noticed that the taxi driver was going around the goose and we were always going back to the same place.
Speaking of cabs, in Senegal it was all anecdotes to remember. But unmatched is the episode of the fake taxi driver who did not even have a car.
Public transportation in Africa can be difficult and tiring. Tackled in the right spirit and therefore absolutely unhurried, they can also be fun. It is certainly the best way to see for yourself the reality of the country you are visiting.
Links with anecdotes concerning traveling by public transportation
The general pages on which I have grouped articles by main themes.
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Countries visited in my travel stories
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
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