Lessons Learned on a Bus

For the past year plus I have mainly used public transportation, in addition to walking a lot, to get to my destinations. In England I took full advantage of the buses, underground, and trains and it was wonderful to get around that way. In the process I learned some valuable lessons.

          Plan ahead and allow plenty of extra time. 
          Be flexible when things do not go as planned, like rail strikes or missed stops.
          Be prepared to walk some distance, sometimes it is quicker to walk.
​          Wear your walking shoes
​          Take your umbrella
          Get to know the schedules
          It will take extra time to go places using public transportation
          It is often much less expensive
          Check on things in advance, opening and closing times of destinations 
          Be courteous and kind to your fellow travelers
          Roll with unexpected changes and detours
          Check out alternate routes.
          Take time and enjoy the journey

I sold my car before leaving for the UK and I have not replaced it as of yet. Before I moved to Madison I was told that parking at the university was extremely limited and what parking there is can be very expensive. I am blessed to have found a flat a block from a bus stop which drops me a block from the building I work in on campus. So far I have not needed a car. There is a grocery store two blocks away and there is always Amazon so I am pretty set. I am limited on how far and where I can go  but right now I am okay with that. Work keeps me pretty busy so I have not found time to go adventuring.

It is really nice not having the worry of a car, gas, insurance, maintenance, etc. I may change my mind once the snow flies but even then, I will still ride the bus to work because of the parking situation, so a car would just sit in my underground parking place most of the time.

In many ways I wouldn't mind continuing to live in places where public transportation is abundant, yes I would love to go back to England or Europe, because these lessons have changed me. I find that I walk slower, enjoy my surroundings more because I can look around safely, not having to keep my eye on the road. Not having instant availability to head out on a road trip on a whim is the only drawback. But, I have done a lot of that in the past so I will find new ways to explore.

I'm guessing that some may think I am crazy for not owning a car in this day and age of two plus car families but so far it is working out for me. I wondered about getting back and forth from the airport when flying out of Chicago. I had thought about renting a car but I found a bus that makes the trip and costs less than a quarter of a car rental fee and drops off at each of the terminals.

I recently learned about a book called "Necessary Endings" which is brilliant and I highly recommend it. Reading it now was impactful as I transition from being on the student side of learning to the teaching side. It was very pertinent this last week as I made a quick trip back to London to finish up my schooling and to present my project/paper. It was lovely being back, I have missed England and always feel at home when I am there. However, for now it was a necessary ending and it feels good to have completed everything.

​Cheers!