In Portland there's a newspaper called 'The Willamette Week'. It's fairly left wing, but they once had a story that was a two page full spread (and this is a paper in the format of the NY Times, it's big) about mass transit written by a man who was a mass transit expert.
His take? Mass Transit in a city is mainly used by criminals to get to the scene of the crime and is worthless.
It was fascinating and he went into great detail. He said it was a complete waste of taxpayer money, especially 'light rail' and will always operate at a huge loss, especially 'light rail'. Because simply put, mass transit never goes where you want it to go, unless you're a criminal. Then it takes you to houses to rob, and people to rob, in the nicer neighborhoods and it's a safe space for criminals. Because Government.
Personally, if I can, I like to rent a car. I have an account (now old) with Enterprise from when I used to travel for work a lot. You just walk out onto their lot, grab a car, and when you get to the exit, they make a note of what you took.
I have changed cars before leaving, because I didn't like something about the one I first stopped at. I have also learned to check under the seat and a few other things after finding ammunition on the floor of a car left by a previous occupant (that wasn't with Enterprise, that was a previous company).
The thing I like about rental cars? I can use them as battering rams to get out of any situation, should things go south. After all, I paid the insurance, so I don't care what happens to it and it's not my car.
Most big city mass transit just connects the sterile, desolate, already plundered areas to greener pastures, the goal being to grant better access to goods and services for the disadvantaged. Civilization only survives by expanding the suburbs farther away from the Big City. It's a tide that never seems to recede because of the bureaucratic and elected do-gooders. The real slap in the face is that when you have to take the bus, YOU are not eligible for the discounted fare. I suspect all mass-transit is designated a "gun-free" zone now. (shudder & nope)
I am soooo glad I no longer live in Portland. I've been back and forth to Portland over the 18 years since I've no longer lived there, and while it's become something of a hell on Earth in regards to the traffic insanity that Multnomah County has become since I moved away, what's really wowed me is the development that's cropped up on the outskirts, and especially my specific former stomping grounds of Beaverton (okay, west of), and the highway 99 corridor (Sherwood, Newberg, and related).
There are parts of those areas that I vividly recall as recently as 2008, and entire neighborhoods and related infrastructure now exist where there used to be single houses with a bit of property (maybe a half acre or acre), in addition to new streets being added where there previously weren't any. The area North of Sherwood is mildly terrifying in regards to how little of it still remains, there are schools, neighborhoods, businesses, buildings, and none of it is recognizable, other than street and road names.
Even my kids are weirded out by all the changes, and this is where they spent most of their time growing up.
Jesus Christ, what a transformation, and I'm actually puzzled as to why so many people moved to this area, it wasn't really ever anything special, and the weather is fairly miserable for at least half of the year.
This is not always true. It partly depends on the size of the city and where the bus runs.
In Spokane, WA, we rode the bus for a few things. (Specifically, city events like Bloomsday.) The stop was a few houses down, in our neighborhood, and it went to all the places downtown. Which wasn't a hole when I lived there.
Now, I do have a problem with the self-defense-free zone nature of them. But the buses there were fairly clean, with a lot of normal people riding them.
Oof. Yes, there are a couple of concentrations of idiots in that region. (I'm not talking about the ones west of the Cascades.) If it's not one thing, it's another.
I know, right? I was living in Oregon just outside of Portland when the skinheads all got chased out of there. THAT was pretty cool, because what chased them out was all the gay men and women they were preying on started to pack firearms, and suddenly, they were getting shot.
Pretty much that was what started the 'pink pistols'.
The light rail system in San Diego is well known as the way criminals from TJ travel from the border to the inland areas to burglarize homes then be back over the border and safe before the crimes are even reported.
Something to think about when renting a vehicle: Make sure you understand what you will be liable for if you break it before you decline the rental company insurance. Typically you will not only be liable for the cost of the repair, but also the lost income the company suffers while the vehicle is being repaired. If you happen to break something that's on nationwide backorder, that could mean months of lost rental income. Your rental car coverage on your auto owner's policy may or may not cover that. And for those who think their credit card has enough coverage, make sure you know for sure. The last time I rented a large SUV to haul the fam, it was an $80K vehicle and my credit card would cover a max of $50K.
I just buy the rental company's insurance and hope that it doesn't have fine print that will come back to haunt me.
Now that I have retired from W-2 work, I'm not inclined to do air travel. Period.
There's no thrill left in flying. Start with the kabuki theater called security. Getting searched in a manner that would otherwise be known as "forced sexual touching" because my artificial hips showed up on the x-ray elevated my mood to WTF! Its also what the kabuki actors deem impermissable tools that I used to be able to carry with me. Yes, some were pointy and sharp (they'd be useless otherwise), some were grabby and had useful tools. I utilized a pointy and sharp one once to cut what the airline referred to as "meat" in to bite sized chunks and loaned it to my neighbor's who snapped his plastic "knife" on the first try. I was smart enough to hide the noisy tools in my checked luggage. They usually passed right through.
Passenger behavior. I could write a book on this topic. Being packed in to seating that made Christmas Mass look and feel luxuriously roomy took my tightened attitude to the next level. Sometimes jumping up a few levels. Like the wiggly, jiggly Jo Momma warbling and yabbling as she squeezes down the aisle dragging a carryon the size of a hockey player's duffel bag. Then stops across from your seat, shoving a tush big enough to keep a pack of hungry coyotes fed for a week, in your face.
Now that we're all restrained (sort of), the hijinks may ramp up to insanity. In a 35 yd. long, 3 1/2 yd. wide aluminum tube with the tiny potties in the back next to the food prep area and the drivers up front.
At least when we could smoke on flights, behavior was somewhat calmer (nicotine intoxication can do that). I really believe people who would normally never willingly inhale tobacco smoke would rapidly incinerate 1/2 pack of whatever brand could be obtained at the airport newsstand (at extortionist prices). It kept the hijinks below riot.
Seating. Otherwise classified as Torture by the Hague Convention. I would usually get stuck with an AWFUL on one side and a Pious Progressive Elite Democrat on the other. Generally, they kept quiet in a state of shock and disgust when I pulled a copy of SWAT Magazine, Guns & Ammo or, better yet, Soldier of Fortune from my briefcase before The Safety Briefing and began to peruse the articles. The latter publication induced paroxisms and gyrations like a neurological fit in some people. Especially after 5 minutes of listening to spittle-flecked lecture, I'd give a broad grin and say "Just keeping up with me Rhodesian Mates, ma'am!" The rest of the flight was usually just as entertaining.
Most times, when we landed, the exit from that horror chamber was welcomed. By everyone.
As far as vehicles are concerned; my own is the preferred method, unless International Borders are to be crossed. US & Canadian Border Security dont seem to be too pleased to find a few loose rounds of their issue ammo that only appear when stopping at the Checkpoint; despite my best efforts to locate the missing ones from the box that spilled when it fell out of my range bag. Some disappeared in to the void and were never located. With rentals, at least I can claim plausible deniability.
Public Transportation is a no-go. I try to stay out of the Dumpster of Humanity. Taxi's are one rung higher; I wrote Taxis off when one driver was screaming gibberish in to his radio that sounded like an IRGC Commander coordinating an attack. Fortunately, I got to my destination and did not have to use my pointy sharp tool. That was the last taxi ride (it was in NYC).
Rental vehicles are the only acceptable option if trusted local drivers are not around.
Aside from (safely) riding a bus to and from school in Huntsville, AL in 1960-62, around town in New Orleans in 1963-65 and Anahiem/Seal Beach in 1984 there were other times that riding a bus made me very wary of them...1975, bus ride from Olongapo City to Manila and back for R&R (this was right after a friend of mine had his bus comandeered by the NPA insurgents for several hours to get them from Point "A" to Point "B"...no one was harmed but the scary factor affected me); a bus ride from Sattahip to Bangkok where we saw two black marketeers on a moped loaded with cigarettes get machinegunned by armed gate guards at the outset of our R&R trip; that horrid bus trip during the Great Airline Strike of July 1966 where I had to take a bus in in my Tropical White Uniform from Chicago to New Orleans to Newport, RI. No more mass transit for me, haven't flown since 1986.
I like airport or hotel shuttle buses Pick you up at the airport and take you straight to the hotel Great if you’re not planning on leaving the hotel or staying within walking distance
Barring an actual emergency, I don't fly - i have literally millions of airmiles and the current incarnation of air travel joyfully fellates deceased moose members.
As part of acquiring those air miles, I also acquired a fairly large amount of... experience... with various forms of other kinds of public transit.
No thank you.
Once you've experienced enough variations of threats, drug deals, fist fights, and one stabbing, as well as the various malodorous stenches of the urban outdoorsmen and the sheer sticky nastiness of various bodily fluids scattered liberally over basically every surface? No. Private vehicle, Uber, or I'll pass.
Love to travel, enjoy going places, but it's going to be on my terms.
I normally don't comment. But as a former Taxi Driver... Most places do not have Partitions. Most places have Laws on the Taxi preventing doors that can not be unlocked. And Often Laws against Self Locking doors in Taxis. Taxi Drivers are Vetted. They Must undergo a check of Arrest record, and Much more. They must obtain a license above Regular driver, and licenses from City and County, Each with it's own Check of the person. The One rule I will toss, Don't ride with Non American drivers. If they are not from the Americas (Plural) Stay out of the Cab. Police in Most places work Very Closely with Cab Drivers. Why? Because If We can't handle it, They Can. So We Also Back their Ass. Often with Force they Can't use, and Ooop's I'm So Sorry, I'm just a Cab Driver I, only Drive a Minimum of 12 hours a day in the Worst conditions, I can't control my car well. I didn't Mean to Bump you, Block you In... Yes I used that In Court. The Judge Was Laughing, Charges were Not against Me. While I do admit that there are a chunk of Drivers that will Do what they can to Cheat the System and the passenger, Most will not Out Right Steal from you, or Rob you, IF they are from the Americas. One thing I will Brag on. I was one of 6 drivers in this city that was on call 24/7 to assist with, and Drive women to a, non disclosed to the public, facility. A Cop can not beat the Crap out of the Abusive boyfriend/Husband, unless he has a Weapon... I did. Did not get charged, Did show up as a Witness to his abuse, Was asked by the defense what I did. I smiled and Stated that I had the right to defend self and Others against physical attack, and That I exercised that right... Because I thought he was trying to Rob me. Again the Judge Laughed. Oh Guess who Doesn't have Any of that? Uber and Lyft. A serial rapist let out Time and again... Can be an Uber, or Lyft driver. A Multi Arrested Thief, Can be an Uber and or Lyft driver. (End Rant)
Rental car all the way. I prefer to have control over my own conveyance thanks, especially after being stuck waiting for a taxi while my FIL was dying.
For all of you who travel to the rest of the Anglosphere. For all that is holy, do not hire a car. Do not hire a camper van. Fly to where you are going — internal flights are generally ok in the Antipodes — and get to the hotel. If you have to drive, wait until the jet lag fades. You will be driving on the other side of the road on two lane roads and dealing with the more stones than you realise local population. Much better, call a friend.
Other than checking the wrong direction first (looking left-right-left, instead of right-left-right), the only real problem I had driving in England was that I kept reaching into the door map pocket to shift. :)
If you fly across the pacific to Japan you will definitely want to take public transport to start with... though maybe not during the rush hour.
Mind you none of the other options have the same risk either apart from the trusted acquaintance with poor driving skills. There are sufficiently few drugs that your rentacar will not have been used to transport them and there's not enough theft rings to worry about taxis and uber drivers reporting to them.
Admittedly renting a car is an exercise in irritating paperwork though, and some public transport has security cameras
Hmm....I don't have any friends and I don't trust acquaintances, so I guess I'm just screwed.
I do have the advantage that the only time I fly anywhere it's for work. When it's on the company's dime I don't have to scrimp on "budget" rental cars and such, so many of the issues associated with sketchy rentals aren't much of a concern.
If I'm traveling for personal reasons, I'm driving. Period. And I'm usually towing my "hotel room" behind me. Obviously that limits the places I can go for personal reasons, but I'm OK with that. After 21 years in the US Navy and another 23 working for international companies, I've seen pretty much all parts of the world I'm interested in seeing (and some I'm not) that would require crossing an ocean to see...and many of them I had to cross the ocean the hard way to get to.
OK...granted, being on a big gray ship working 16 hour days may not be the hardest way to cross the ocean, but it's definitely harder than flying.
I prefer the rental car. It provides the most freedom. I don't have to add extra time for someone not showing up when they said they would. I can go off the route. And a taxi ride costs as much as 1/2 of a rental day. I have used buses and trains when overseas - it's a little different there. (There are places a taxi is even sketchier than the buses.)
Of course, the other big advantage to a rental car is that I can carry weapons that I technically (often) can't carry in any other form of transportation. Assuming I can carry them at all in that locale. I try not to go to locales where I can't carry.
The Italian sounds like an excellent taxi driver. Used to love the taxi drivers that were in Germany. Most of them were foreigners (to Germany) and they all handed out business cards. After a while you would have two or three on speed dial, in case your favorite was in another city and couldn't come get you.
I would love to have land ferries. I think I've seen where they exist in some parts of the US. Basically, you bring your personal vehicle along on the train.
So, you're saying your Italian associated dissed your gruntle.
Viciously, even.
In Portland there's a newspaper called 'The Willamette Week'. It's fairly left wing, but they once had a story that was a two page full spread (and this is a paper in the format of the NY Times, it's big) about mass transit written by a man who was a mass transit expert.
His take? Mass Transit in a city is mainly used by criminals to get to the scene of the crime and is worthless.
It was fascinating and he went into great detail. He said it was a complete waste of taxpayer money, especially 'light rail' and will always operate at a huge loss, especially 'light rail'. Because simply put, mass transit never goes where you want it to go, unless you're a criminal. Then it takes you to houses to rob, and people to rob, in the nicer neighborhoods and it's a safe space for criminals. Because Government.
While I don't have a lot of experience in American cities, from what I have seen ... I can't argue.
Personally, if I can, I like to rent a car. I have an account (now old) with Enterprise from when I used to travel for work a lot. You just walk out onto their lot, grab a car, and when you get to the exit, they make a note of what you took.
I have changed cars before leaving, because I didn't like something about the one I first stopped at. I have also learned to check under the seat and a few other things after finding ammunition on the floor of a car left by a previous occupant (that wasn't with Enterprise, that was a previous company).
The thing I like about rental cars? I can use them as battering rams to get out of any situation, should things go south. After all, I paid the insurance, so I don't care what happens to it and it's not my car.
Excellent points.
Most big city mass transit just connects the sterile, desolate, already plundered areas to greener pastures, the goal being to grant better access to goods and services for the disadvantaged. Civilization only survives by expanding the suburbs farther away from the Big City. It's a tide that never seems to recede because of the bureaucratic and elected do-gooders. The real slap in the face is that when you have to take the bus, YOU are not eligible for the discounted fare. I suspect all mass-transit is designated a "gun-free" zone now. (shudder & nope)
I am soooo glad I no longer live in Portland. I've been back and forth to Portland over the 18 years since I've no longer lived there, and while it's become something of a hell on Earth in regards to the traffic insanity that Multnomah County has become since I moved away, what's really wowed me is the development that's cropped up on the outskirts, and especially my specific former stomping grounds of Beaverton (okay, west of), and the highway 99 corridor (Sherwood, Newberg, and related).
There are parts of those areas that I vividly recall as recently as 2008, and entire neighborhoods and related infrastructure now exist where there used to be single houses with a bit of property (maybe a half acre or acre), in addition to new streets being added where there previously weren't any. The area North of Sherwood is mildly terrifying in regards to how little of it still remains, there are schools, neighborhoods, businesses, buildings, and none of it is recognizable, other than street and road names.
Even my kids are weirded out by all the changes, and this is where they spent most of their time growing up.
Jesus Christ, what a transformation, and I'm actually puzzled as to why so many people moved to this area, it wasn't really ever anything special, and the weather is fairly miserable for at least half of the year.
This is not always true. It partly depends on the size of the city and where the bus runs.
In Spokane, WA, we rode the bus for a few things. (Specifically, city events like Bloomsday.) The stop was a few houses down, in our neighborhood, and it went to all the places downtown. Which wasn't a hole when I lived there.
Now, I do have a problem with the self-defense-free zone nature of them. But the buses there were fairly clean, with a lot of normal people riding them.
How long ago was this?
(Spokane is where I rented the car with unspent ammo under the seat).
LOL, that makes sense then. LOTS of hunting around there, with the accompanying recreational/target shooting.
I lived there in the mid-90s. The system might not be as good as it used to be. (And I drive or am driven when I go back to visit.)
I was there the week after a huge skin-head 'convention' or 'rally' or whatever they called it.
Oof. Yes, there are a couple of concentrations of idiots in that region. (I'm not talking about the ones west of the Cascades.) If it's not one thing, it's another.
I know, right? I was living in Oregon just outside of Portland when the skinheads all got chased out of there. THAT was pretty cool, because what chased them out was all the gay men and women they were preying on started to pack firearms, and suddenly, they were getting shot.
Pretty much that was what started the 'pink pistols'.
The light rail system in San Diego is well known as the way criminals from TJ travel from the border to the inland areas to burglarize homes then be back over the border and safe before the crimes are even reported.
Something to think about when renting a vehicle: Make sure you understand what you will be liable for if you break it before you decline the rental company insurance. Typically you will not only be liable for the cost of the repair, but also the lost income the company suffers while the vehicle is being repaired. If you happen to break something that's on nationwide backorder, that could mean months of lost rental income. Your rental car coverage on your auto owner's policy may or may not cover that. And for those who think their credit card has enough coverage, make sure you know for sure. The last time I rented a large SUV to haul the fam, it was an $80K vehicle and my credit card would cover a max of $50K.
I just buy the rental company's insurance and hope that it doesn't have fine print that will come back to haunt me.
Now that I have retired from W-2 work, I'm not inclined to do air travel. Period.
There's no thrill left in flying. Start with the kabuki theater called security. Getting searched in a manner that would otherwise be known as "forced sexual touching" because my artificial hips showed up on the x-ray elevated my mood to WTF! Its also what the kabuki actors deem impermissable tools that I used to be able to carry with me. Yes, some were pointy and sharp (they'd be useless otherwise), some were grabby and had useful tools. I utilized a pointy and sharp one once to cut what the airline referred to as "meat" in to bite sized chunks and loaned it to my neighbor's who snapped his plastic "knife" on the first try. I was smart enough to hide the noisy tools in my checked luggage. They usually passed right through.
Passenger behavior. I could write a book on this topic. Being packed in to seating that made Christmas Mass look and feel luxuriously roomy took my tightened attitude to the next level. Sometimes jumping up a few levels. Like the wiggly, jiggly Jo Momma warbling and yabbling as she squeezes down the aisle dragging a carryon the size of a hockey player's duffel bag. Then stops across from your seat, shoving a tush big enough to keep a pack of hungry coyotes fed for a week, in your face.
Now that we're all restrained (sort of), the hijinks may ramp up to insanity. In a 35 yd. long, 3 1/2 yd. wide aluminum tube with the tiny potties in the back next to the food prep area and the drivers up front.
At least when we could smoke on flights, behavior was somewhat calmer (nicotine intoxication can do that). I really believe people who would normally never willingly inhale tobacco smoke would rapidly incinerate 1/2 pack of whatever brand could be obtained at the airport newsstand (at extortionist prices). It kept the hijinks below riot.
Seating. Otherwise classified as Torture by the Hague Convention. I would usually get stuck with an AWFUL on one side and a Pious Progressive Elite Democrat on the other. Generally, they kept quiet in a state of shock and disgust when I pulled a copy of SWAT Magazine, Guns & Ammo or, better yet, Soldier of Fortune from my briefcase before The Safety Briefing and began to peruse the articles. The latter publication induced paroxisms and gyrations like a neurological fit in some people. Especially after 5 minutes of listening to spittle-flecked lecture, I'd give a broad grin and say "Just keeping up with me Rhodesian Mates, ma'am!" The rest of the flight was usually just as entertaining.
Most times, when we landed, the exit from that horror chamber was welcomed. By everyone.
As far as vehicles are concerned; my own is the preferred method, unless International Borders are to be crossed. US & Canadian Border Security dont seem to be too pleased to find a few loose rounds of their issue ammo that only appear when stopping at the Checkpoint; despite my best efforts to locate the missing ones from the box that spilled when it fell out of my range bag. Some disappeared in to the void and were never located. With rentals, at least I can claim plausible deniability.
Public Transportation is a no-go. I try to stay out of the Dumpster of Humanity. Taxi's are one rung higher; I wrote Taxis off when one driver was screaming gibberish in to his radio that sounded like an IRGC Commander coordinating an attack. Fortunately, I got to my destination and did not have to use my pointy sharp tool. That was the last taxi ride (it was in NYC).
Rental vehicles are the only acceptable option if trusted local drivers are not around.
Aside from (safely) riding a bus to and from school in Huntsville, AL in 1960-62, around town in New Orleans in 1963-65 and Anahiem/Seal Beach in 1984 there were other times that riding a bus made me very wary of them...1975, bus ride from Olongapo City to Manila and back for R&R (this was right after a friend of mine had his bus comandeered by the NPA insurgents for several hours to get them from Point "A" to Point "B"...no one was harmed but the scary factor affected me); a bus ride from Sattahip to Bangkok where we saw two black marketeers on a moped loaded with cigarettes get machinegunned by armed gate guards at the outset of our R&R trip; that horrid bus trip during the Great Airline Strike of July 1966 where I had to take a bus in in my Tropical White Uniform from Chicago to New Orleans to Newport, RI. No more mass transit for me, haven't flown since 1986.
I like airport or hotel shuttle buses Pick you up at the airport and take you straight to the hotel Great if you’re not planning on leaving the hotel or staying within walking distance
Barring an actual emergency, I don't fly - i have literally millions of airmiles and the current incarnation of air travel joyfully fellates deceased moose members.
As part of acquiring those air miles, I also acquired a fairly large amount of... experience... with various forms of other kinds of public transit.
No thank you.
Once you've experienced enough variations of threats, drug deals, fist fights, and one stabbing, as well as the various malodorous stenches of the urban outdoorsmen and the sheer sticky nastiness of various bodily fluids scattered liberally over basically every surface? No. Private vehicle, Uber, or I'll pass.
Love to travel, enjoy going places, but it's going to be on my terms.
I normally don't comment. But as a former Taxi Driver... Most places do not have Partitions. Most places have Laws on the Taxi preventing doors that can not be unlocked. And Often Laws against Self Locking doors in Taxis. Taxi Drivers are Vetted. They Must undergo a check of Arrest record, and Much more. They must obtain a license above Regular driver, and licenses from City and County, Each with it's own Check of the person. The One rule I will toss, Don't ride with Non American drivers. If they are not from the Americas (Plural) Stay out of the Cab. Police in Most places work Very Closely with Cab Drivers. Why? Because If We can't handle it, They Can. So We Also Back their Ass. Often with Force they Can't use, and Ooop's I'm So Sorry, I'm just a Cab Driver I, only Drive a Minimum of 12 hours a day in the Worst conditions, I can't control my car well. I didn't Mean to Bump you, Block you In... Yes I used that In Court. The Judge Was Laughing, Charges were Not against Me. While I do admit that there are a chunk of Drivers that will Do what they can to Cheat the System and the passenger, Most will not Out Right Steal from you, or Rob you, IF they are from the Americas. One thing I will Brag on. I was one of 6 drivers in this city that was on call 24/7 to assist with, and Drive women to a, non disclosed to the public, facility. A Cop can not beat the Crap out of the Abusive boyfriend/Husband, unless he has a Weapon... I did. Did not get charged, Did show up as a Witness to his abuse, Was asked by the defense what I did. I smiled and Stated that I had the right to defend self and Others against physical attack, and That I exercised that right... Because I thought he was trying to Rob me. Again the Judge Laughed. Oh Guess who Doesn't have Any of that? Uber and Lyft. A serial rapist let out Time and again... Can be an Uber, or Lyft driver. A Multi Arrested Thief, Can be an Uber and or Lyft driver. (End Rant)
Rental car all the way. I prefer to have control over my own conveyance thanks, especially after being stuck waiting for a taxi while my FIL was dying.
For all of you who travel to the rest of the Anglosphere. For all that is holy, do not hire a car. Do not hire a camper van. Fly to where you are going — internal flights are generally ok in the Antipodes — and get to the hotel. If you have to drive, wait until the jet lag fades. You will be driving on the other side of the road on two lane roads and dealing with the more stones than you realise local population. Much better, call a friend.
Other than checking the wrong direction first (looking left-right-left, instead of right-left-right), the only real problem I had driving in England was that I kept reaching into the door map pocket to shift. :)
If you fly across the pacific to Japan you will definitely want to take public transport to start with... though maybe not during the rush hour.
Mind you none of the other options have the same risk either apart from the trusted acquaintance with poor driving skills. There are sufficiently few drugs that your rentacar will not have been used to transport them and there's not enough theft rings to worry about taxis and uber drivers reporting to them.
Admittedly renting a car is an exercise in irritating paperwork though, and some public transport has security cameras
Long live the Republic of Texas!
Hmm....I don't have any friends and I don't trust acquaintances, so I guess I'm just screwed.
I do have the advantage that the only time I fly anywhere it's for work. When it's on the company's dime I don't have to scrimp on "budget" rental cars and such, so many of the issues associated with sketchy rentals aren't much of a concern.
If I'm traveling for personal reasons, I'm driving. Period. And I'm usually towing my "hotel room" behind me. Obviously that limits the places I can go for personal reasons, but I'm OK with that. After 21 years in the US Navy and another 23 working for international companies, I've seen pretty much all parts of the world I'm interested in seeing (and some I'm not) that would require crossing an ocean to see...and many of them I had to cross the ocean the hard way to get to.
OK...granted, being on a big gray ship working 16 hour days may not be the hardest way to cross the ocean, but it's definitely harder than flying.
I prefer the rental car. It provides the most freedom. I don't have to add extra time for someone not showing up when they said they would. I can go off the route. And a taxi ride costs as much as 1/2 of a rental day. I have used buses and trains when overseas - it's a little different there. (There are places a taxi is even sketchier than the buses.)
Of course, the other big advantage to a rental car is that I can carry weapons that I technically (often) can't carry in any other form of transportation. Assuming I can carry them at all in that locale. I try not to go to locales where I can't carry.
The Italian sounds like an excellent taxi driver. Used to love the taxi drivers that were in Germany. Most of them were foreigners (to Germany) and they all handed out business cards. After a while you would have two or three on speed dial, in case your favorite was in another city and couldn't come get you.
I would love to have land ferries. I think I've seen where they exist in some parts of the US. Basically, you bring your personal vehicle along on the train.