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People looked at us as though we were insane getting the bus from the Airport to our hotel - it took 15 mins, and cost about $2 each - a taxi would have been a

by ljf 15y ago

People looked at us as though we were insane getting the bus from the Airport to our hotel - it took 15 mins, and cost about $2 each - a taxi would have been a shade quicker, but would have been $20 to $30. A few couples even came over to see if we'd made a mistake, or offering a lift in their hire-car. In the hotel we were asked a few time how on earth we could travel around the island without a hire-car.

vidarh 15y ago
I don't have a drivers license. Never needed one. Imagine the reactions that gets me when I go to the US.
- drostie 15y ago
  I don't have a drivers license either, and in the US I find myself cycling a bit. Cars don't really know what to do with you there. ^_^ When I mention that I'm not cycling to work and it takes me 30 minutes to walk, even my fellow Nederlanders look at me in shock and disbelief. 30 minutes, for reference, is about the duration of a typical podcast, and is also pretty standard for downloadable audio lectures, so it's not like I lose productivity -- and even without those, it really does clear my head to spend half an hour with my own mind and no internet to distract me. When I had a bike, I lived further away and spent 50 minutes cycling to work. The thing is, that was only maybe 5 minutes longer than my next-best option, public transport (bus-to-train-to-bus). A car would have been a tremendous, polluting investment, and I lost something like 35 kg just because I got my daily exercise in. So yeah. If you live in an urban environment, driving works but seems lazy.
  - JoshTriplett 15y ago
    While I agree with what you've said about cars, I'd consider it just as crazy to have a 30-minute or 50-minute commute by alternative transportation as an equally long commute by car. Either way, you waste a significant portion of your life going back and forth to work. If you have a commute longer than 5-10 minutes, and you don't work from home on the vast majority of days, consider changing either your work location or your home location. That holds regardless of your preferred mode of transport.
    - adrianN 15y ago
      That is doable if you're single and live alone. When you and your preferred room mate work at different locations, it becomes impossible for both of you to live within 5-10 minutes of your workplace.
    - merraksh 15y ago
      True, you spend a lot of time going back and forth, but while commuting by car requires that you focus 100% on driving (and the same goes for biking or walking), doing it by train or bus lets you do actual work if all you need is a laptop.
      - JoshTriplett 15y ago
        True enough. While you'll still have some overhead due to the walking in between, you'll probably end up with something comparable to a 5-10 minute commute. Still not ideal (due to the working conditions), but not a complete waste of time.
      - secoif 15y ago
        I take public transport for exactly this reason. I have also found being on public transport somehow makes me feel incredibly focused and productive.
    - techdmn 15y ago
      I think that a 30 minute walk or bike ride is not "wasted" the same way 30 minutes driving would be. Driving can be a huge stress, especially in rush-hour commuting traffic. A walk or a bike ride is a chance to unwind.
      - JoshTriplett 15y ago
        Some people consider driving a means of unwinding the same way. Personally I'd consider all three a waste of time compared to actually being at the desired location. Couldn't you unwind more easily at home?
  - freehunter 15y ago
    I had a friend come to visit a few months ago. He came over from Finland (Helsinki) with his fiancee to my mid-size Midwestern city. He says he had explained it to her previously but I guess she didn't understand that there is really no public transport here. She doesn't have a drivers license because she's never needed one. While my friend and I were out and about, he got a call from her asking where the train station was. The only train here is Amtrak...
- saraid216 15y ago
  As an American, I've been explicitly called childish by several people for not desiring a driver's license. Because you only grow up when you have a car. -_-

by ljf 15y ago

vidarh 15y ago

I don't have a drivers license. Never needed one. Imagine the reactions that gets me when I go to the US.

drostie 15y ago
I don't have a drivers license either, and in the US I find myself cycling a bit. Cars don't really know what to do with you there. ^_^ When I mention that I'm not cycling to work and it takes me 30 minutes to walk, even my fellow Nederlanders look at me in shock and disbelief. 30 minutes, for reference, is about the duration of a typical podcast, and is also pretty standard for downloadable audio lectures, so it's not like I lose productivity -- and even without those, it really does clear my head to spend half an hour with my own mind and no internet to distract me. When I had a bike, I lived further away and spent 50 minutes cycling to work. The thing is, that was only maybe 5 minutes longer than my next-best option, public transport (bus-to-train-to-bus). A car would have been a tremendous, polluting investment, and I lost something like 35 kg just because I got my daily exercise in. So yeah. If you live in an urban environment, driving works but seems lazy.
- JoshTriplett 15y ago
  While I agree with what you've said about cars, I'd consider it just as crazy to have a 30-minute or 50-minute commute by alternative transportation as an equally long commute by car. Either way, you waste a significant portion of your life going back and forth to work. If you have a commute longer than 5-10 minutes, and you don't work from home on the vast majority of days, consider changing either your work location or your home location. That holds regardless of your preferred mode of transport.
  - adrianN 15y ago
    That is doable if you're single and live alone. When you and your preferred room mate work at different locations, it becomes impossible for both of you to live within 5-10 minutes of your workplace.
  - merraksh 15y ago
    True, you spend a lot of time going back and forth, but while commuting by car requires that you focus 100% on driving (and the same goes for biking or walking), doing it by train or bus lets you do actual work if all you need is a laptop.
    - JoshTriplett 15y ago
      True enough. While you'll still have some overhead due to the walking in between, you'll probably end up with something comparable to a 5-10 minute commute. Still not ideal (due to the working conditions), but not a complete waste of time.
    - secoif 15y ago
      I take public transport for exactly this reason. I have also found being on public transport somehow makes me feel incredibly focused and productive.
  - techdmn 15y ago
    I think that a 30 minute walk or bike ride is not "wasted" the same way 30 minutes driving would be. Driving can be a huge stress, especially in rush-hour commuting traffic. A walk or a bike ride is a chance to unwind.
    - JoshTriplett 15y ago
      Some people consider driving a means of unwinding the same way. Personally I'd consider all three a waste of time compared to actually being at the desired location. Couldn't you unwind more easily at home?
- freehunter 15y ago
  I had a friend come to visit a few months ago. He came over from Finland (Helsinki) with his fiancee to my mid-size Midwestern city. He says he had explained it to her previously but I guess she didn't understand that there is really no public transport here. She doesn't have a drivers license because she's never needed one. While my friend and I were out and about, he got a call from her asking where the train station was. The only train here is Amtrak...
saraid216 15y ago
As an American, I've been explicitly called childish by several people for not desiring a driver's license. Because you only grow up when you have a car. -_-