That’s it, you’ve finally chosen your next vacation destination. You get down to organizing everything to satisfy young and old. However, you still have a thorny point to deal with: the road to vacation. Train, plane, car, bus… so many choices available to you. We present the advantages and disadvantages of these means of transport to go on vacation: you just have to choose!
When planning a trip, you think first and foremost about the means of transport. This generally constitutes the largest part of the budget. To choose the means of transport adapted to your trip, take into account your budget, the distance to cover and the duration of your vacation.
The plane
If you plan to go far enough, the plane is the fastest way. To avoid exhausting your budget from the start, look for the cheapest ticket. Indeed, travel companies offer their prices independently of others and this works in your favor. Be patient and persistent, you may waste time comparing prices on the Internet. You can also get personal information from the airlines. Most of the time, they offer more interesting offers. In fact, some companies give special prices to young people and regular passengers.
Statistically, it is the safest form of transportation in the world. However, traveling by plane can cause some inconvenience. You must arrive hours in advance, not to mention the restrictions on weight and number of bags. If you are not used to flying, you may get migraines from the altitude. On the other hand, it is far from being the ideal means of transport to admire the landscape.
The bus
You can also choose to travel by road. The bus is slower, but it is more economical. In addition, you can admire the scenery during your journey, which makes it one of the preferred means of transportation for travelers. The trip can be tiring on a long trip, but it is very profitable for short and medium distances. In addition, it is an affordable means of transport, even with several pieces of luggage.
Today’s coaches are also well equipped: electrical outlets, wifi, comfortable seats, etc. So, traveling by car can be as pleasant as traveling by plane. Moreover, when you travel by plane, you must take another means of transport to get to the city since the airports are often far away. The bus takes you directly into town. If you are going alone, you can also carpool. This will provide you with company on the trip. If you are short on budget, you can always hitchhike. Arm yourself with patience, it may take time to reach your destination.
The boat
To get to an island or another continent, you must fly or travel by boat. If you are on a tight budget, the second option is for you. Boat trips have evolved a lot and now have many advantages. Large cruises are more comfortable, offer a variety of entertainment and satisfactory service. Indeed, you can move around freely on a boat and meet new people. Bring your children, they can have fun at the same time as you. In addition, the boat is also a safe way to travel.
In short, the boat trip allows you to have a pleasant stay well before your arrival at your destination, on condition that you are not seasick. However, prices vary a lot depending on the season and the shipping companies.
The train
Why not travel by train? It is one of the oldest means of transport for traveling. Besides, it is widely used in most Asian countries and Europe. The train is very practical for sightseeing and spending a privileged way with the family. In addition, you are free to take as much luggage as you want. Admittedly, it is slower than the plane and covers fewer cities than the bus, but you will be more comfortable on a train. It is not afraid of the weather, which makes him a safe way to travel.
What is the safest form of transportation?
When we travel, we have all worried at least once, whether the means of transport we took was safe, because accidents in car, train, bus or plane unfortunately happen. Compared to the private car, the coach is by far the safest means of road transport with 0.3% bodily accident rate against 64% by car.
This is due to the training and monitoring of driving personnel (D license and compulsory initial training, compulsory medical examinations every 5 years and every year after age 60, etc.) and to very restrictive regulations (eg obligation to take a 45 minutes after 4h30 of driving). If we compare with all the means of transport, the coach is in 3rd position of the safest transport and it is the plane which is on the first step. After the plane, it is the train then the bus / coach which remains the safest means of transport. The two losers are the car and especially the motorcycle with a high number of accidents and deaths.
Despite highly publicized air accidents, the plane remains the means of transport where there are the fewest accidents and the fewest deaths. This is explained by the many technological developments which have made it possible to improve the safety and performance of aircraft. In 2018, there were approximately 37,800,000 thefts, with a ratio of one fatal plane crash to 2.54 million flights.
The history of the automobile
The development of steam engines during the 19th century will lead the inventors to dive back into automobile mechanics. Although England was at the time the most industrialized country in Europe, its legislation was too restrictive concerning steam engines (any rolling steam engine could not exceed 10 km / hour and had to be preceded by a man running in front of the machine waving a red flag). It is therefore in France that the history of the modern automobile will develop initially.
The first popular modern automobile: the Obedient
The Obedient is the first prototype in the history of the automobile. Its inventor, Amédée Bollée, officially presented it at the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1878. This rear wheel drive of 4,800 kilograms, capable of accommodating 12 passengers and reaching a speed of 40 km / hour is equipped with modern features for the era: steering wheel, suspensions, gear change, double engine, front steering wheels, etc. Its inventor made a journey of 200 km, from the province to Paris, where his arrival was greeted in triumph by the crowd, dumbfounded to see this vehicle so silent compared to all the other automotive prototypes of the time.
The internal combustion engine, a scientific breakthrough
It took about two centuries of discovery and experimentation between the end of the 17th century and the end of the 19th century for the history of the car to begin, in the modern sense of the word. The first real “car” sold to the general public was the “Benz Patent Motorwagen.” This model, founder in the history of the automobile being able to reach 16 km / hour is presented in the form of a tricycle propelled by an internal combustion engine and has several of the characteristics still present on the cars today: carburetor, gasoline engine, electric start, etc. Manufactured in 1885, it will notably be presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889, like the Eiffel Tower.
The history of cars: series production
Despite the many technical problems of these first models (in particular at the level of the starting of the engine, subject to many problems related to dust), the general public begins to express its purchase intentions and the first series productions are launched: Panhard & Lavassor Type A, Peugeot automobiles (types 1, 2 and 3), Berliet automobiles, Renault automobiles, etc. This is the birth of the automobile industry in France, the world leader in the automobile market with nearly 50% of world production, far ahead of the United States. France will also win the Gordon Benett Automobile Cup four times, the first international race in the history of motorsport, out of the six editions organized between 1900 and 1905.
Ford popularizes the car
At the start of the 20th century, the car was still considered a luxury item, inaccessible to the less privileged classes. The big change will come this time from across the Atlantic where the car manufacturer Henry Ford will totally popularize the automobile with the Ford T in 1908. Its low price and resistance, made possible by the “Fordist” organization of assembly line, will make it an object adored by the popular masses: more than 16 million models will be produced between 1908 and 1927. This model, elected ”car of the century “by an international jury of automotive journalists appears without contests among the cars that have made history.
The history of the contemporary car
The car will go through the 20th century without encountering too much hassle, its use varying according to the different periods (less civilian use during the world wars or the Occupation, but its use exploded during the Thirty Glorious Years and the 1950s) without ever being supplanted by another means of transport.
At the end of the 20th century, environmental considerations as well as the prospect of future oil scarcity lead to the need to think about a way to replace gasoline as fuel. Research into alternatives to gasoline as a fuel is increasing with projects for electric, hydrogen and hybrid motors, but the history of the electric car has yet to be written.
Today, this evolution in the field of fuel is coupled with a technological evolution in terms of driving: it is the idea of the autonomous car which is, according to the unanimous opinion of the great contemporary manufacturers, the “car of tomorrow”. However, as the history of the automobile clearly shows, such an initiative will be strongly opposed at its inception, before inevitably succeeding in establishing itself, as has been the case for all the major innovations in the history of the automobile.