Tuk-Tuk – a local transport option and one of the best transport options to travel the world

Once you have decided where you want to travel to, the next decision can be divided in to two parts. How you will get there and what types of transport you will use once there. Lots to think about! Having travelled for most of my life I have had the opportunity to travel by many forms of transport. What I have learnt is there is no hard and fast rule to choosing which transport to use from the transport options available. I believe you need to adapt your travel to the options available. These are influenced by your budget and the time you have availableI So how do you decide the best mode of transport for your travels? What are the best transport options to travel the world? Well firstly, you need to know what they are. Here is my take on transport options to travel the world.

Air Travel is the Fastest Transport Option to Travel the World

Flying into Sydney, Australia

When thinking about travel options to travel the world, the quickest way to travel from A to B is to fly. Depending on the route chosen and the length of your flight, your flight can take a few ice-filled drinks, wrestles with packets of peanuts, a dinner, a light refreshment, a breakfast, hopefully a snooze, a couple of trips to the loo and maybe a movie or two. And that’s only if you are flying in a plane. There are also helicopters to throw into the mix.

To get you flying, there are a variety of ticket options available. One-way, return, open jaw, multi-stop and round-the-world plane tickets are the most popular. Some tickets are cheaper at certain times of the year. Before you buy a plane ticket investigate prices during peak, off-peak and shoulder seasons. My advice is to shop around until you find a ticket that suits you and your budget. To compare and book the best airfare I recommend visiting Booking.com. Yes, they are an accommodation booking site but I also use them on a regular basis to compare airfares. You can get airfare and accommodation package deals. That takes care of the airfare and accommodation in the one go!

Many countries have their own domestic airline/s as well as an international carrier. Domestic airlines usually have special deals on their airfares to attract locals to travel by plane. Single flight and or return tickets within a country are often easy to purchase on-line yourself direct from the airline. There are also budget carriers offering cheap fares, but you don’t always know about these carriers until you are in the country.

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Train Travel

Enjoying the views – this is why travelling by train is one of the best transport options to travel the world

I like train travel. It is one of the best transport options to travel the world. I like that they have big windows that you can look out and see the countryside flying by. There is also plenty of space to walk around if I need to stretch my legs. There can be more room to store my luggage in too. And in most instances, particularly on long inter-city trains they have comfy seats. Plus other things including toilets, cafe facilities (sometimes a whole carriage devoted to being a restaurant) and sleeper compartments for overnight travel. Yes, there are advantages to train travel and I don’t mind paying a little extra to travel this way.

Trains come in a variety of packages. From local city services to luxury trains travelling through different countries. There are also some great world-renowned train journeys. There is the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada, The Ghan in Australia, The Glacier Express in Switzerland, the Eurostar from London to Paris, the Vistadome through Peru, The Siberian Railway from Asia through Russia and the Northern Explorer from Auckland to Wellington in New Zealand.

Most countries have different train services – local, interstate, inter-country. There are different tickets available from single and return fares to passes that allow travel on trains for a number of days or weeks. You can also get passes for specific countries or regions such as the JapanRail Pass (read my review on the JapanRail Pass here) or the Eurail Pass (read my review on the Eurail/Interrail Pass here). It is advisable to buy your ticket in advance but a positive is that you can turn up at a train station and be able to buy a ticket to get you where you want to go.

Bus / Coach Travel

Step into your next journey

Bus / coach travel has long been the stalwarts of budget transport and is one of the greatest transport options to travel the world. You can pretty much find this type of transport the world over which provides both short and long distance transport. Depending on the country, comfort can vary and in countries in South America you may just share your seat with a local and their livestock. In other wealthier countries like Australia, the UK and the USA you will find long-haul or inter-city journeys available. And even passes allowing a certain number of days bus travel. For instance, Greyhound is a bus organisation that operates in a number of countries which offer one way and return tickets and travel passes available.

Hop-on Hop-off Bus / Coach Travel

A hop-on hop-off (or jump-on jump-off) bus / coach allows you to hop-on a bus which will take you to a place where you can hop-off, explore the place, then hop back on another bus to take you to your next stop. These are very flexible but only take you to the major cities. They don’t deviate from their set routes. Europe is well set up with hop-on hop-off buses such as Flixbus and Busabout.

Local Hop-on Hop-off bus

Many cities have a local hop-on hop-off bus that will take you to the local sights. These are great if you have limited time and want to get an insight into the history, special buildings and places to visit of that city. They also save your feet! Check out BigBusCo.

Tour Companies

Taking a tour is a great travel option to travel the world. Tour companies exist for travellers who like to experience a place with other people. Included in the price of the tour package is transport, accommodation, most (if not all) meals and some entrance fees in to various sights. These exist in most parts of the world and some of the large tour companies offer tours in many countries.

Going on a tour isn’t for everyone but they do have many advantages. If you are pushed for time they are great to get you to the places you want to see. As I mentioned before, tours usually include the transport, accommodation, meals and entrance fees which means you pay for everything up front and then don’t have to worry about budgeting for these as you travel. The only thing you need money for is incidentals and souvineers. And don’t worry if you are travelling on your own as many of the tour companies will pair you with someone to share accommodation.

They also have some disadvantages like not deviating from their itinerary but they are minimal compared to the advantages. Read my blog post on Group Travel vs Solo Travel here.

As mentioned, there are many tour companies and some include, but are not limited to: Intrepid Travel, World Expeditions, Cosmos, Trafalgar, Peregrine, G Adventures and Contiki. You might want to check them out either on-line or visit a travel agency to pick up a brochure.

There are also some smaller backpacker tours that specialise in small tours in specific countries. They are mostly aimed at those aged 18-35 years that want to stay in backpacker hostels. So check out Oz Experience in Australia, The Flying Kiwi in New Zealand, the FeejeeExperience through Fiji, The Shamrocker in Ireland to name a few.

Cars, Vans and Other Vehicles

Vanlife – live and travel in a van

Flexibility is the name of the game when you travel in your own vehicle. You can go where you want, (including out of the way places that bus and train travellers often miss) when you want.

There are various ways to get your hands on the wheel of a car, all legal, of course! You could rent one, relocate one, share a lift or buy a vehicle yourself. Besides cars there are vans, caravans and camper vans often known as an RV. These are great, taking your home with you! Not all countries are adept to this type of transport but some more so than others. For instance, it is very popular in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and America to live and travel in a van.

Don’t forget to take your International Drivers’ Licence.

Walking and Local Transport

Walking is the best way to immerse yourself in the local surroundings

One of the best ways to immerse yourself in another culture, and is also the cheapest of the transport options to travel the world is to walk. Ensure you dress appropriately for your walking adventures. You may wish to incorporate local transport such as the Tube (London), Metro (Paris), trams, taxi cab, Uber, felucca, camel, elephant, tuc tuc, bike or rickshaw in to your day. Public transport is the cheapest and (usually) the most efficient form of transport to get you around. It provides  you the opportunity to get a more genuine experience of the city.

Don’t forget to take the name and address of your accommodation with you when you go out – just in case you get lost! Two tips: don’t forget a good pair of walking shoes. And also agree on a price before you get in to any local transport. You don’t want any unpleasant encounters at the end of the ride home where your driver demands an obscene amount of money.

READ MORE: Walking Essentials Checklist

Specialised Local Tours

Local tours can be very interesting and reveal parts of a place you might not have thought to go to. I often like to go on a walking ‘ghost tour’ taking me to many back streets and lanes of interest where ghosts are. I particularly enjoyed the Jack the Ripper walking tour while in London. You don’t often find out about these local tours until you are on the ground in that city. Some of my favourites are a walking tour around The Rocks in Sydney, seeing where Carrie lived in Sex and the City and walking the Culloden Battlefield in Scotland. There are so many more I could mention but I will leave you to discover your own. You can book many local tours through GetYourGuide. Just enter the city you are going to and then see what tours come up.

Sea Vessels are the slowest Transport Option to Travel the World

Take the slower option to get you from A to B

The slowest, and some would argue, the best transport option to travel the world is sailing or cruising. Sailing the world’s waterways are a huge variety of sea craft. From feluccas on the Nile to private yachts sitting in Monte Carlo Harbour. To frater ships traversing the Panama Canal to cruisers liners cruising up and down the rivers of Europe. Even luxury cruise liners cruising in and traversing the oceans and visiting exotic countries in the Caribbean or the Pacific Ocean. There are also local ferry services such as The Star ferry in Hong Kong, an extensive ferry service linking the Greek Islands, the same with the UK to Europe and the Sydney Harbour Ferries to name a few.

It will depend on your plans and where you want to go to as to what type of sea vessel you will travel on. You might even score a job working on a sea vessel. If you would like to travel the world and be paid for it you could consider working as crew on a yacht or on a cruise liner.

Are You Ready to Travel the World?

As you have read, there are a number of transport options to travel the world. I believe the best way is to mix and match your transportation to suit where you are and your budget. What are your thoughts, please comment following.

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