You are on the right track, going car-free is better for you, for the environment, and for society as a whole. There are plenty of cities around the world that offer better public mass transit systems especially in Asia, usually also cheaper cleaner and more efficient than the best ones we have to offer. I was determined to switch to a car free life over a decade ago, it's not easy to convince others you just have to be focused about all your choices because it will affect every decision you make, but it also leads to a much healthier lifestyle. Not to mention your contribution also helps a cleaner environment and less wasteful spending. One day cars will be better when they're an all electric fully shared fleet maybe even self-driving then we can say they're equivalent to a mass transit system but I would still choose to walk the last mile.. walking is underrated. But to answer your question, yes, it was a significant factor.
Digital Nomads
Live and learn.
I knew that for US people it is frequently hard to impossible to live without a car.
Thats such an interesting and valid reason to go live elsewhere.
Just a side bar. The walkability and public transportation are paid with taxes. So, many DNs who don't pay local taxes are leeching from the resources paid by the local population.
I know it is not every person's fault, but those of you who complain of taxes (and this sub is full of tax discussions) are part of the problem.
A point of clarification: the walkability is due to city design, not necessarily taxes. Cities in North America could have been designed with walking in mind and it would have cost the same amount as designing them to prioritize cars.
City design is paid with taxes, changes to increase walkability are paid with taxes, public transit, which is fundamental for walkability are funded through taxes.
I live in Montreal. In recent years there have been substantial expenditures to reduce dependency on the car to the point where having a car makes things harder if you move within the city.
- Created dedicated bike lanes reducing car lanes and sometimes street parking spots.
- Add paid parking. Not expensive enough to break the bank if you need to use it but enough to make you think twice if you want to spend $6 or take the metro.
- Making some streets pedestrian in the summer.
- Creating the REM (metropolitan express network) : which include dedicated bus lanes, suburban light rail, bicycle "highways", etc.
All that is expensive but necessary.
Living in a city with excellent public transit is a plus. Living in a place where you are able to walk to "work", grocery stores, restaurants, gyms within 5-10 mins is even better.
I have. And I did. But.... Came back to owning a car.
Your family's most likely right, and they're just trying to save you from finding out on your own. Save money and time and blood and sweat and tears and get a car. They probably don't respect traveling like us, but they're probably farther ahead than you, listen to em.
Definitely driving can be stressful in many places.
Here in Dubai it's legit scary sometimes. Like every trip has a close call.
Where I originated from driving was carefree and pretty fun.
Not NEEDING a car is more the benefit I'd like to have. More options is good.
I definitely consider not having a car or need to drive as a perk.
It's mind-boggling to consider how many people die in car-related accidents every year. It has been accepted as a cost of "freedom." Not to mention the financial cost to purchase and maintain, and the impact on the environment.
I applaud what your family considers a contrarian choice. It may be too late for me, but it's a great time for you to at least explore it.
I actually like driving. But right now that I'm DN'ing, I enjoy not having to deal with a car. If I was very wealthy, I wouldn't mind having a trophy car or two back home.
I'm not a DN so much as just an expat, but going car free was just a glorious side benefit of moving to Singapore and Melbourne. Am in the UK now with a car which I rarely use but would much rather be without one if it was feasible.
People: "How do you afford to travel soo much!?"
Me: "Because I'm not financing a 1 ton metal box for 30% of my weekly income to carry meat and vegetables 5 minutes down the road"
Driving is a privilege and people feel it's a right. If you really tried, even with 3 kids in tow, you could do without a car. It's all about location. What you save in not financing and servicing a car you can put towards a better rental, or even a mortgage!
I haven't owned a car since 2017 and I don't think I ever will. I relocated next to the beach, I have a grocery store 2 blocks away. I work remotely. If I really need to, the city centre is a 15 minute tram ride.
r/fuckcars
even with 3 kids in tow, you could do without a car.
Well, at what cost, though? You then either have to live in walking distance to all the stuff you and your kids need to get to - ideal, but usually much more expensive.
Otherwise, you have to rely on public transportation or taxis. Even if public transportation isn't dogshit (I've pretty much only experienced public transport good/reliable enough for daily use in Japan) it takes way more time than having your own car.
I live outside of the US and prefer to walk or bike when I can, but having kids without having a car would be terrible. I don't enjoy driving or the stress that comes with owning a car, but it provides a lot of convenience/utility which frees you from the frustration, stress and time cost of public transport.
Nope. I travel by car!
I'm not sure where you're from but from my experience, I find some countries such as US very dependent on cars. As much as how shocked your family was, I was surprised to see how people were heavily dependent on cars and it was a weird for anyone outside of NYC to not have their own car. I would say it depends on your personal preference and values for sure!
When I lived in a typical suburb in the states and France, it made me feel suffocated that I could never walk to a grocery store a mile away without getting into a car in the states aside from always looking for parking and paying every darn month for insurance with the risk of running into reckless drivers. It wasn't solely for being carless but it did play a major role when I decided to move to another country and has always been a major factor when deciding on a place to nomad. I love being efficient with my time (reading or taking a nap on the subway or buses) and money. Having been in a car accident a few times and seeing even my friends who've been driving for a longer time than me get into near-fatal accidents did shape my opinion of living in a car-free setting. One of the perks of walking around all the time also helps with leading a healthier lifestyle than before and more sensory stimulation touching grass (kidding) and random encounters with street vendors and gardens.
I believe it'd be helpful to check it out for yourself if given the chance! Most of my friends enjoyed and missed being in cities with compact design where it is walkable with reliable public transit.
This was a huge part of moving abroad for me (granted, not full nomading, but moving every few years). The ability to live in some of the most vibrant cities in the world, and not have to worry about buying and maintaining a message, dangerous piece of heavy machinery is such a mental relief once you've done it.
Honestly, driving to work is a massive negative factor for me. It's time-consuming, unhealthy, and dangerous compared to other means of transit.
Driving can be annoying and stressful, but I still keep a car in both HK and Tokyo to make things easier for hauling the kid around(and my golf clubs, scuba gear, grocery shopping, etc). The transit in both of these cities are world class, but you can’t discount the freedom that a car brings to the picture.
Have you ever lived in rural America? The united states can fit eastern europe in Texas.
Being car free wasn’t a factor when I started nomading. But I have to say I love not having one. And one thing I love about Thailand is the scooter culture. Idk maybe it’s just a nice inbetween.
The trains and buses in my city are dirty, there are a lot of unpleasant people in them, and their service is infrequent. My car has leather seats, premium sound, has a spacious trunk and push button climate control. Plus I can drive my car any time day or night and it takes me where I want to go.
Yes driving is stressful but it is so much better than mass transit.
I’m debating on selling my car for all the reasons you listed minus that nasty car accident…I’m sorry you had to experience that ! I currently live in the states but I’m in and out of the country or my home state every month and sometimes every other week so honestly owning a car for me is a tad useless and expensive. I’m wondering if investing in a scooter or a mini bike isn’t a better way for me to get around the cost issue and simultaneously the hatred for driving. I’m not sure if this is something you’d enjoy as this is still a stressful activity but it’s an option especially in the US. It provides the option of grocery shopping (granted not Costco trips) but for a single person it’s perfect. My partner and I go grocery shopping for us on his motorcycle all the time, we’ve got big enough bags for everything we need for like a week or two and we like to go shopping weekly (doesn’t matter for us price wise because we shop at the army base commissary so we save a lot of money already) anyway, just food for thought, there are walkable cities in the US by the way, many larger cities in New England, anything down to Virginia, Savannah Georgia is very walkable, I don’t know much about the Midwest but I know that Chicago is a walking friendly city for example. I hope you are able to figure it out ! I’m a European living in the states with my citizenship now and I’ll just tell you now, living in different countries is great and all but depending on the field you’re in, I’d suggest you keep your retirement in one country, it gets tricky (expensive) when you start working for foreign companies in different countries. Hope this helps !
I actually have a car at my current location because it's a remote island with bad bus service and I wouldn't be able to travel by bus with my surf equipment anyway.
To each their own.
If you want good bus service, you could also change city within your country or be an expat.
I love road trips, and would never give up my car, even if I lived in an extremely walkable city.
I gave up on driving about 10 years ago. I’m terrible at it and it causes me stress. There are many places where you can live a lovely car-free life.
It sounds like you don’t have much experience with this. And that’s ok! Since you have a remote job, you should book yourself a month sometime that’s extremely walkable and has a great metro transit system. This will help you understand what day to day life looks like in a walkable place.
Not sure your country, but if you are in the US, go to NYC and live in a very central neighborhood. In Europe, you could pretty much go to the central area of any capital city for the same experience.
It might be an expensive month, but I guarantee you will have a much better perspective on car free living at the end of the month than you do now.