What methods of travel do you like?

[BuffyElevated]

I love just about everything but driving. Which is sad, 'cause driving is the only thing I can afford to do right now. LOL

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

The absolute BEST way to travel is first class on an international flight. I've only experienced this once and I'll never forget it. Hamburg to Los Angeles non-stop, lots of white wine, those barbecue almonds, and hot towels to freshen up. There's a separate lounge, so you can avoid all the riff raff. 😄

There were showers, beds, comfortable seats, individually prepared food and drinks, and WONDERFUL customer service. All this before you even board the plane. I can't even imagine how much it would cost these days!

 

[XanderesqueMan]

The absolute BEST way to travel is first class on an international flight. I've only experienced this once and I'll never forget it. Hamburg to Los Angeles non-stop, lots of white wine, those barbecue almonds, and hot towels to freshen up. There's a separate lounge, so you can avoid all the riff raff. 😄

There were showers, beds, comfortable seats, individually prepared food and drinks, and WONDERFUL customer service. All this before you even board the plane. I can't even imagine how much it would cost these days!

I've only ever traveled coach. I could tell the stewardess got annoyed because I asked for three sodas across the course of the several-hour flight. So basically the same as First Class, right? 😛

 

[Moptop]

I like being able to drive where I want to go. That way I can leave anytime I wish, kind of the master of my own destiny so to speak. When I was younger and still living in Brooklyn my family didn't own a car so we had to rely on the bus, subway, cabs, or old fashion shoe leather express to get around. Of course most places we needed to access were in the neighborhood or close by so it wasn't an issue. But after moving to Missouri where we were in more of rural situation a car was a necessity.....and still is in my current living situation.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I love traveling by train, but don't do as much anymore because it takes too long and has become increasingly more unreliable in my experience.

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

Spirit was the Greyhound of the skies. After seeing numerous videos of their passengers acting crazy, I'm glad they're no longer around.

This may sound a bit snobbish, but I don't want to be stuck in an airplane with a bunch of poor people. Especially if they have a gang of kids with them. Been there, done that. Never again.

Not really. Unless dollars are at an absolute limit sometimes spending a bit more is worth the 'sacrifice'. Flying has become unpleasantly crowded. Being cramped and treated to the least possible services brings out the worst in many people. I am not remotely rich, but whenever i can manage it, i fly business or first class. I'm a pretty frugal person and i argue that I save money by not buying lots of frivolous crap, so I feel as if it's OK to have one luxury. I also don't like doing things that cause pain. Economy is painful for a variety of reasons.

I don't fly often, usually, and booking either way, way ahead, or right before flying (when, I think, they must be desperate to not fly with empty first class seats), often nets you deals that when you add the cost of buying airport food and paying for luggage - the cost really is not that much more than 'regular' economy (I cannot fly basic economy as I have mobility issues that are worsened by being cramped into a tight space) The bargain simply it isn't worth it... and since I usually fly international, they allow free access to their lounges, which also saves on meals. I only had to change my flight once due to an emergency (free) to realize how much that 'changeable' first class ticket saved me (an entire new flight in economy, actually). The second time I had to change it, the airline actually gave me a voucher b/c the replacement flight was cheaper than my original ticket.

Tip: certain airlines are MUCH cheaper to certain destinations. I go mostly to the same 3 different countries. I fly by 3 different airlines, even though that's not what they tell you to do... but (for example) one airline charges nearly 3x the cost of the cheapest one (for both first and economy seats) to one country and i could not tell you why. I think the math is different if you travel a lot... if you build up tons of miles, it definitely makes sense to go with one airline.

Usually, when I search, i search for both first and economy. If the difference is huge... and especially for shorter, domestic flights, I'll go 'cattle class'. (How's THAT for snobbish?) That's not merely snobbish, that's offensive... but i sadly understand where the term came from.

Honestly, sometimes, for the same cost, I'll just take the train. If time is not an issue, I love trains.

If the domestic trip is less than about 10 hours by car, and if time is not an issue, I will drive. I love to drive, and listen to audiobooks and enjoy my solitude.

If i get my knees fixed, I think I may go back to bike touring for transport in the US... it's a great way to see the country and build proper quads.

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

I'm a fish. I mean, uh, I'm a Pisces. You know, the fish zodiac. And, stereotypically for us (according to astrology, which I don't believe in), I love the water, and I love swimming.

well, I'm technically an air sign, but i was born surrounded by water and I've loved water ever since. Even before i formally learned to swim, i loved being in water. I think i am definitely part fish. Something slow and not bitey.

I always thought my zodiac was a good representation of my life. Ironically, I always feel like a fish out of water wherever I go. And all the other zodiacs can kill me. 😕

Not sure what my excuse is. I feel like fish out of water is in the dictionary next to my name... you know, if my name had actually made it to the dictionary.

I sympathize. My maximum comfort level is a handful of people (maybe four people besides myself), and frankly, I'm pretty good with just three (and no, I don't mean 'me, myself, and I'), or even just one, really. And only if they're not strangers. I'm not big on strangers.

School dances and group get-togethers pretty much always ended up with me by myself in a corner or at the snack table. I was a very exciting child. 😛

Again, I resemble this remark. I'm currently hiding from people... people I actually like. I just had enough people for the day.
Groups more than three, let them be.

Hide in the pool? How long can you hold your breath, Blue?

Not long... but... Not planning to hide under the water... Just my experience that most people don't want to be in the pool more than an hour... I will swim laps for a very long time, and that's a really good way not to have to talk to anyone... If i ever figure out how to listen to audiobooks underwater, I may never come out again.

I could spend my entire vacation (no matter how long) spending all day in the sea and even most of my day in a pool, if it's well maintained and not over (or under chlorinated). Also love rivers.

For some reason, fresh water lakes creep me out... i associate lakes with the scarier Criminal Minds episodes. and horror movies... the ones i mostly only see trailers for, because I don't like horror movies. And the idea of silt underfoot instead of sand is icky (and all my imaginary lakes have silt!) Maybe it's because I grew up near warm tropical beaches, not cold northern lakes...

Spirit was the Greyhound of the skies. After seeing numerous videos of their passengers acting crazy, I'm glad they're no longer around.

This may sound a bit snobbish, but I don't want to be stuck in an airplane with a bunch of poor people. Especially if they have a gang of kids with them. Been there, done that. Never again.

Not Spirit or any of the European 'bus' airlines that remind me utterly of riding a city bus at rush hour... all of the misery... and there are no advantages.

Regarding Greyhound. My nightmare of going greyhound was so well ironed into my psyche that i wrote it into one of my stories. Meeting an interesting French guy and spending 2+ days interpreting for him and the girl he decided he liked was the highlight of the outbound trip. (I was married and older than him, so not interested that way). Even the fun of watching two people with about a dozen words in common fall in love wasn't worth the toilet smell. Well, maybe for them....

I did make them give me a hotel room in Seattle after they damaged my bicycle though... and they had to pay to fix the bike. 5 dollar insurance was a really good investment!!

I love traveling by train, but don't do as much anymore because it takes too long and has become increasingly more unreliable in my experience.

yeah, i love the train. I have had quite a few decent journeys via train, particularly when it was significantly cheaper than flying. It seems to have gotten to be luxury priced travel and not reliable... which is a bad combo. The fact they share tracks with freight and freight has right of way does not help things get better.

One day i will break down and get one of those train bedroom suites as long as I don't care how long the trip takes...

Spending many extra hours on a trip from New Orleans -- much of it at a train stop (not a proper station} because of some mishap on the track -- that was an experience I really don't wish the repeat. They would not let us off for about 4 hours as i recall. I cannot remember the rationale. When they did let us off, it turned out there wasn't really anywhere to go b/c we were in the most exciting part of the tiny town... and it was getting dark... so most of us eventually got back onto the smelly, noisy cranky baby over heated machine (they had to turn off the engines after a certain point, i think... anyway, AC wasn't a thing for at least part of the time). That was my one bad experience with trains... but as it was still less cramped than Greyhound and I was with my best friend, it was a lot less miserable and mostly did not smell of toilet... though it was exhausting and crying baby was sometimes worse than smelly toilet smell. very Glad the delay wasn't on the way to the hotel booking that we would have been late for... The outbound train was uneventful, at least on the train itself. As it was just a year after Katrina, we got to see the devastation en route... that was horrible and sad. But, I honestly think that was one of those things we needed to see.