When you’re abroad, you often may have many options for getting around. Public transportation is the best way to save money and expose you to the local lifestyle. Public transport varies from place to place, but could include buses, trains, trams, monorail, among others. In some cases, like big Asian cities, trains and subway are the only way to avoid the horrific traffic jams.

Nevertheless, it can be tricky to navigate foreign transportation systems. Another option, especially for certain kinds of mobility (field trips or multi-destination research mobility) is to use private means of transportation, by hiring a driver or renting a car. While in most countries these options can be very easy to manage, in some other countries some precautions are needed.

In this lesson we will see what you can do to make getting around easy and safe regardless of the transportation mean. When it comes to public transportation, the best option to arrive prepared to your host country is to do some investigation before leaving about how the system works at your destination. It’s important to know in advance the means of public transportation available: not every place will have a bus or subway system, or maybe your host city has both of them but for your daily journeys you will most likely use only one. Then, manage to know how to pay for your fare, and when. In case of long stays, check the public transportation websites in order to know the weekly or monthly options in order to save money and time, by avoiding daily queues at the ticket office. Some ways to save money, like the rail passes, sometimes can be only bought from outside the country.

In case you’re remaining some place with supportive staff or has, get some information about the most secure and most solid alternatives. Once arrived at the host destination, the first thing to do is to find a map of local transportation, in order to start getting confidence with the new space you’re in. By this way you will know the options you will have to reach all the destinations you need. The map will show you which areas are served by the different means of transportation available. During your first journey, try to get in touch with the proper etiquette: in some countries, for instance, to talk on your phone on the subway can be considered not appropriate; while in some others to give the seat to an older person it can be considered very polite or very offensive.

Always take into consideration that while you’re on a bus or on a subway, the most important information to have in mind is the stop where you’ll be getting off. Be careful: the pronunciation of the stop name can be different in local language or accent, or it can be written in a different alphabet. The best option is always to have a subway map with you, where to look for the exact stop nr., or to ask to the driver, if you’re travelling on a bus, to help you in understanding which is your stop.

With this information, even if you forget your way, you can always get back on track using a map, asking around and taking a different bus or train. Another thing to bear in mind is that also transportation means are part of culture. For example, while in Italy and other western European countries is quite common to reach other cities by train, in most eastern European countries the privileged means of transportation to reach other cities inside or outside the country are buses and coaches.

In some countries the railways are not well developed or simply too slow or too costly to be a popular way of transportation. Apart from bus, tram, subways and other shared means of transportation, particular attention should be given to taxis. Taking a taxi in a foreign country can bea challenge if you do not speak the local language and the driver does not speak yours.

A good suggestion could be to learn in advance the phrases to tell the driver your destination and the very necessary phrase “how much?”. Before traveling (while you are still at home),check the Internet for usual prices of taxi services in the city in which you travel, to gain some picture of the amount that you will pay. When you enter the taxi, check to see if it has a meter, if so, ask the driver to switch it on, unless you have agreed on a firm price beforehand. If the taxi does not have a meter, tell the driver where you want to go and establish the fee before you depart.

Driving at a fixed cost is more costly than driving on the meter, yet most much of the time guarantees that your cab driver utilizes the briefest course to your objective. It would be useful to prepare money for the ride ahead and put it in your pocket in order to avoid having to search for the wallet. Prepare a small change too, since taxi drivers seem never to have it. You should keep your budget in mind when taking taxis to the airport, as in many places the new, international airports are far out in the countryside.

In some places, it isn’t safe to hail onion the street, now we are going to a taxi stand or having your host/hotel/restaurant call one for you are better options. If best option for your needs (or for some of them) is to use the car, the two options are renting a car or hiring a driver, and in both cases you should keep informed about few things. Renting a car nowadays seems to be quite easy all around the world: using global search engines you can rent a car and also pay for that by distance even before arriving at your destination.

Generally speaking, the first thing to pay attention is the rental contract: read carefully all the conditions, prices, what is included and what is not and which documents they will ask you at the moment of the car pick up. Usually they need your driving license and your credit card. Car rental companies never accept to rental car to a person which is different from the credit card holder: the name on the driving license must be the same on the credit card. They also usually ask for a deposit to be frozen on your credit card, in addition to the price paid for the rental in itself.

Pay attention to this aspect because usually the deposit can be higher than your credit card plafond, or at least that high to make your credit card useless for a long time. As for the documents, you should ask the relevant offices in your country if you are required an international driving permit to be added to your national driving license in order to be allowed to drive abroad and to rental car in your country of destination. Once you get all the needed documents and finally you’re in your brand new rented car, you should of course respect the rules of the road of the country, taking care to the fact that they can be different from thrones you’re used in your home country.

Hiring a driver can be a good option in some situations, especially in countries where you need both to reach a particular place and be guided on how to reach it. Most people think that hiring a driver inbound to be expensive, but it can be actually a very cost-effective decision. For example, you don’t have to worry about the extra costs like parking fees, extra insurance and fuel. Licensed drivers are highly experienced at navigating all types of traffic and weather conditions. They also know how to get around in areas that you may not be familiar with. In some cases by renting a driver you will be more likely to get to your destination safely and with minimal stress. Hiring a driver can be done by distance busing popular social networks where is possible to find specific forums per country where to find suggestions, tips and drivers’ firms advertising in order to help your choice. Most of the time, however especially in case of long-term mobility, you may need to hire a driver once you’re already in your destination. In this second case the best option is task for suggestion to valued local hosts or friends, in order to avoid the risk of frauds. If locals are not an option, the best ways to use certified travel agencies. In any case, try to avoid the word of mouth, if you’re not sure about the source of the information. Ask always to see the driving license and to agree about the price beforehand trying to get some estimates during your research, in order to be sure that the agreed price is fair in relation with time and destination. Now that you’ve all the needed information on how to survive public transportation during your mobility, you’re ready to get safely your destination and to get around your host country. But always remember: if you’re travelling alone, always inform your family or friends or at least your hosts about your travel destination and, if needed, update your trip details on your foreign affairs ministry web page, tolet your country representatives always know where you are or where you’re directed to, independently from your means of transportation!