Many people find that travel is one of the most fun things to do. It’s truly a way to broaden your horizons. If you don’t have many expensive hobbies, saving money for the occasional vacation to a new place is one of the better choices you can make in your life.
However, you’ll need to decide the transportation method by which you want to get around. We’ll talk about a few of those, and we’ll also detail the pros and cons of each one.
Motorcycle
Motorcycle travel is one of the more unique ways to see the world. If you’re a US citizen and want to see more of America, you can hop on your motorcycle and zip off to your destination. It’s a more personal method than flying or even driving a car or another vehicle.
While you’re on your motorcycle, you can see each city, town, and country road up close and personal. You can feel the wind fly past you, and you can even smell the burgers cooking at roadside diners.
One drawback is that you can’t take the whole family with you on a motorcycle. This method will probably only work for solo travelers. You could also take one more adult with you if they don’t mind sitting behind you with their arms wrapped around your waist.
Motorcycles aren’t exactly the safest transportation method. The NHTSA estimates that about 5,000 people each year die in motorcycle crashes. You can wear a helmet and even pads if you want, but this conveyance method will always be more dangerous than others you might choose.
Train
There’s something a bit romantic about train travel. As you race across the countryside, you can pretend you’re a character from “Murder on the Orient Express,” or perhaps a suspenseful Hitchcock movie.
It’s one of the safer travel forms. Train accidents are a distinct rarity. It’s also usually cheaper than flying, and some trains are quite luxurious, with dining cars that serve high-end meals and comfy sleeping compartments.
Of course, if you take a train, you can’t go overseas on it. You’ll need to fly for international travel unless you’re on one of those trains that go from the northern United States into Canada or something along those lines.
Car
You can jump in your vehicle and drive anywhere within the continental US, as long as you have the gas money and a driver’s license. Some cars don’t even require gas anymore if you bought yourself an electric vehicle.
You can take the whole family in the car with you, so that’s convenient. One potential issue is that either you have to drive, or another adult does. If you don’t have a license, this isn’t an option for you.
Also, even if you have a license, it might not seem like much of a vacation if you need to sit at the wheel and navigate for multiple days. You might feel stress if you have to sit in traffic for hours at a time. If you wanted to travel for relaxation and recreation, this is probably going to produce the opposite sensations.
Plane
Flying is definitely one of the safest ways to travel. You can also head to foreign countries if you have a passport. You can get halfway around the globe in just a couple of days, making this the most efficient travel method in terms of the amount of ground you can cover.
Some people feel nervous about flying. It’s true that plane accidents rarely happen, much less than car accidents.
Still, if you get in a car accident, it might just be a fender bender. You might suffer whiplash but survive. If something goes wrong with your place, you could plunge out of the sky into the ocean or smack into a mountain. It’s a rarity, but it’s something you should at least consider.
Ship
Traveling by ship can be both fun and luxurious, especially if you book a luxury cabin. Some cruise ships are like mini amusement parks, with swimming pools and five-star restaurants on board.
Some people do get motion sickness on boats, but if you take some Dramamine, you should be okay. Ships can also run into trouble, and when they do, that can be problematic. Just like plane trouble, a boat disaster can be a mass casualty event.
Think about where you’d most like to go. That’s the first step in picking the transportation method to suit you best.