The trip

So, you're going on a trip from San Diego to Buffalo and you've decided to travel by automobile. You now have two popular options: drive your own car or ride in someone else's. For the moment, we're going to ignore driving someone else's car or riding while someone else drives yours.

If you decide to drive, you get to pick what car you take. You can take the gas guzzling SUV or the environmentally friendly hybrid. You also get to choose who goes with you. I hope you choose who goes with you for good reasons. You might pick Bob because he is friendly and good company. You might pick Ann because she is great with a map. You might pick Fred because you know he doesn't have to stop at a bathroom every 30 miles. Finally, you might pick Jill because she offered to pay for the gas if she could tag along. One thought is to pick people who want to go in the same direction as you. Perhaps they don't want to go to Buffalo, but going to Seattle or Tampa Bay would probably be a little out of the way.

If you decide to ride, your options are different. First, you need to find someone who can take you. It could be that you have to get on a greyhound bus: they are cheap, fast, fairly safe, and if it breaks down you don't have to worry about fixing it. Or, you might have a friend or acquaintance driving their own car and they invited you to come along. Often, the invitation process is stressful and intrusive, but once that is over with the ride can be quite nice. There are additional things to consider, things over which you have no control. For instance, who are they taking with them? Are they taking Reggie, the loud obnoxious guy you can't stand, or are they taking Gina, the cute secretary from across the street? These decisions can definitely affect whether or not you choose to ride. Of course it could be that you don't own a car and Reggie is your only hope, but we try not to be in that situation, don't we. We brush up on our map reading skills, learn how to control our bladder, and try to save enough money to help buy gas. Then again, it could be that your best friend is going to Columbia and has asked you to come along. Yes, he is your best friend, no you don't have your own car; however, going to Columbia (the country) does not help in your quest to get to Buffalo, so it is best to avoid that trip. It also helps to examine the car you will be riding in. Do you think it can get to Buffalo? Are there already too many people on board? Has the driver engaged in preventative maintenance? It could be that you just hop in the first car available and blindly wish for good fortune, but that inevitably leads to disaster. The best thing to do is to know yourself and choose the transportation method that is right for you.