Make Public Transport Part of Your Vacation

                Vacation.  It’s something that everyone looks forward to.  Whether you’re heading for the beach or hitting the museums, it’s just nice leaving your routine behind.  However, there is still some homework to do before going to the airport.  How to get around a place is just as important as how to get there.  How will you get to the hotel to your favorite museum?  How to get from this new skyscraper to that restaurant?  You can always hail a taxi every time you’re on the move but you will be missing an important part of your vacation: the public transport experience.

                Public transportation means everything that’s not a taxi.  It can be buses, subways, trams or regular trains.  Buses are the most common, available in virtually every city in the world.  It is usually the cheapest, making it a great way to get in touch with local life.  Their biggest drawback is they share the road with regular traffic, often caught in a jam.  The most efficient way to get from one place to another in a big city is the subway and the railway.  Being underground, they avoid the chaotic and crowded traffic above.  This is especially true in major business cities like London, Tokyo and New York City.  When you have limited vacation time, it is smart to maximize your sightseeing opportunity by taking the rail-based transports.

                For a newbie, taking the subway may be intimidating.  The map for a huge subway network looks like jumbled up colored lines drawn by a toddler.  It is prudent to start small.  Singapore MRT had only two lines for 16 years.  Although it is being extended to add four more lines, it remains easy to use.  The city is so small that you can’t really get lost.  At worst, you can get a taxi back to your hotel.  Start small, take a ride for 3 or 4 stops.  For example, ride the MRT from Orchard to City Hall and back.  Once you get the hang of it, you can travel anywhere on the network with confidence.  Eventually, you'll learn how to read the map of a subway network and be able to use it in any city.

Singapore MRT is a simple subway network that everyone can learn to use.

                Public transportation is more than just a way to travel around a city.  It is a chance to observe the culture and habits of the locals.  Taking the train in Tokyo late at night, you can observe how Japanese salarymen interact with each other in various level of sobriety.  You can also see their politeness and manners as they leave each other’s company once they have reached their destination.   Taking the escalators down to the platform, you can see their discipline in standing on one side of the escalator to let people in a hurry past through.

                Several subways, especially in Europe, are full of history.  The world’s oldest subway network is The London Underground, dated back to 1863.  When taking the tube, as it is affectionately known to Londoners, you can marvel at the 150 year old system that still faithfully serves commuters and travelers to this date.  You are not just riding the subway.  You’re riding history.  Arriving at world’s famous monuments by public transport increases the wow factor twofold.  Walking up the stairs of the Westminster tube station out of Exit 3, you will see the House of Parliament right in front of your eyes as soon as you emerge from the underground.  It is a sight you will never see if you take a taxi.

You're not riding the subway.  You're riding history.

                The horror stories of pickpockets and robbers in many European cities’ subways are generally overblown.  They do exist, but as long as you use common sense and don’t wear your bling, you should be safe.  Paris, Milan and New York City all have very safe subways and it would be ashamed to miss out on the experience because of misleading reports on crime rates.  Wear money belts and don’t put your wallet on your back pocket.  Leave your expensive jewelries at home and watch your surroundings for suspicious individuals.

                Vacation is not about seeing sights and taking pictures.  It’s not about buying souvenirs.  It’s about experiencing the history and culture of the people foreign to us.  It’s about being temporary locals and engaging in their day to day activities.  A ride on a city’s subway system is one of the best ways to take in the local atmosphere.  It is not just a mode of transport.  It is a cultural experience.