How To Travel Car-Free With a Family – A Complete Guideline

Are you planning to ditch driving and atone for all those environmental sins that you committed before? Well, if you have enough experience in using public modes of transportation, Then leading a car-free life shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, things can turn a bit off-putting for a mother to breastfeed her child on a bus or potty-training them in a train carriage. You might even feel like a pathetic nomadic parent instead of a part-time warrior. However, as soon as you notice your kids enjoying train rides and engaging with many new people, it will feel as if you are receiving a reward.

1. Less packing: Once you get accustomed to public transportation modes, you will find it much more liberating than traveling in a car. After all, you won’t have to schlep your stuff around. You will make do with two pairs of shoes and a few clothes. When you start traveling in trains and buses, you will realize that you never needed those extra “just in case” outfits that you packed when you had a car.

2. Passing the test: Before you set out on a long vacation, the best thing to do is to train your family members to cope with the inevitable setbacks of a car-free life. You have to handle delayed buses, unavailability of seats, stuck trains, and more. Therefore, you should research training and buses ahead of setting out on a remarkable adventure. It will help you keep as far away as possible from the problems of traveling car-free.

3. Check tourism options: There are many cities throughout the world with highly efficient mass transit systems. Conversely, there are places where public transportation modes resemble a nightmare. While you may have to resort to taxis in those cities where transit options have limitations, in other places you can book seats on buses using a smartphone application. You can also book train tickets using mobile apps.

4. Family-friendly deals: Many countries offer exclusive deals on train travel to families. For instance, in Europe, there are train passes that allow you to commute with at least two children, aged between one and eleven, without tickets. Similarly, some cities and states in the USA offer fifty percent off for children.

5. Let your children lead: It may sound odd, but children are the best when it comes to transition points. Children are naturally enthusiastic and can lead the way if you guide them properly. Of course, you can’t let a child be the guide if he/she is too young. Older children can do it better. For younger kids, you should make them the supervisors of snacks or travel planners. They can decide what to eat next, or where to stop.