Living Without a Car
Nov. 15th, 2023 12:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unspeakablehorrorAs someone who has never owned a car, I have a few thoughts for people who are either considering this as a lifestyle choice or have been forced into it. Firstly, I cannot stress how important good clothing is if you don't have a car. But you will also want food, water, and navigation info. Here's a more detailed breakdown of some things you will almost certainly want and need:
1. Umbrella -- this is not the end all be all of water avoidance but it can be very, very important for it. Have one on you at all times when travelling. All times.
2. Waterproof boots -- not water resistant. Waterproof. I cannot emphasize enough that if you get caught walking or cycling for long enough in a bad enough rainstorm, your socks are still going to get soaked. Sorry. But you can and should be trying to prevent this as much as possible.
3. Waterproof rain jacket and rain pants. Absolutely essential if you are doing any serious cycling in the rain, still very important even if you are just walking a lot in the rain. Do not ever depend on the umbrella alone--sometimes wind can render umbrellas unusable.
4. Wide brim hat. Can't emphasize enough how important this is. Shield your face and head from the sun. Even if you wear sunblock and apply it as advised (and you almost certainly will not be if you are outside as regularly as you will be without a car) I don't understand how non-hat wearers can see on sunny days.
5. Sunglasses. Did you know one of the risk factors for cataracts is too much sunlight? Protect your eyes!
6. Winter coat, scarf, mittens and gloves, snow pants, boots, ski goggles, thermal underwear. Layers. Whatever you can afford and whatever it takes to keep the various parts of you from freezing into an icecube. You could die if you're out too long in the cold. You never have really cold weather where you live? Welcome to climate change. Don't assume this will be a constant in the future. Even if you have a car, this could save your life in a blizzard-induced power outage as well. Anyway, weather that's not that bad to be out in for a few minutes could be deadly if you're out in it for extended periods of time without the proper clothing.
7. Appropriate clothes for really hot weather. This is about having breathable clothing, not simply less clothing.
8. Parasol. Sometimes the sun is really bearing down on you on those hot days. You might be able to make a dark-colored umbrella double as a parasol on hot sunny days.
9. High quality thermos for water (and ice for hot days). If you do not have a car, having a source of water you can break out as needed can also be the difference between life and death as it can help prevent or mitigate dehydration and heat exhaustion.
10. Food. Not as urgent as water but still more important than you might think.
11. Learn about public transit. What are the nearest bus stops to your current location or destination? The nearest train? Will you need a taxi? You're going to need to plan your trips more thoroughly on public transit, especially if you live in the US like I do or another country with little to no public transit. I used to use paper maps and print up maps and bus/train schedules, though nowadays I mostly rely on my phone for getting bus and train schedules. I should probably try to be less reliant on tech for this, though see #12 for what I do to help bolster my tech's reliability. If you're walking or cycling, don't assume the best way to get to your destination by car is going to be the same as the best way to get there without one.
12. External batteries and cords you can use to connect your phone to for charging. As long as I'm going to depend on tech for navigation, I want to at least try to prevent the dead battery scenario. Have also had many other people borrow some charge from my external batteries to help juice up their dying phones.
13. Backpack for carrying assorted items you might want or need during your trip.
1. Umbrella -- this is not the end all be all of water avoidance but it can be very, very important for it. Have one on you at all times when travelling. All times.
2. Waterproof boots -- not water resistant. Waterproof. I cannot emphasize enough that if you get caught walking or cycling for long enough in a bad enough rainstorm, your socks are still going to get soaked. Sorry. But you can and should be trying to prevent this as much as possible.
3. Waterproof rain jacket and rain pants. Absolutely essential if you are doing any serious cycling in the rain, still very important even if you are just walking a lot in the rain. Do not ever depend on the umbrella alone--sometimes wind can render umbrellas unusable.
4. Wide brim hat. Can't emphasize enough how important this is. Shield your face and head from the sun. Even if you wear sunblock and apply it as advised (and you almost certainly will not be if you are outside as regularly as you will be without a car) I don't understand how non-hat wearers can see on sunny days.
5. Sunglasses. Did you know one of the risk factors for cataracts is too much sunlight? Protect your eyes!
6. Winter coat, scarf, mittens and gloves, snow pants, boots, ski goggles, thermal underwear. Layers. Whatever you can afford and whatever it takes to keep the various parts of you from freezing into an icecube. You could die if you're out too long in the cold. You never have really cold weather where you live? Welcome to climate change. Don't assume this will be a constant in the future. Even if you have a car, this could save your life in a blizzard-induced power outage as well. Anyway, weather that's not that bad to be out in for a few minutes could be deadly if you're out in it for extended periods of time without the proper clothing.
7. Appropriate clothes for really hot weather. This is about having breathable clothing, not simply less clothing.
8. Parasol. Sometimes the sun is really bearing down on you on those hot days. You might be able to make a dark-colored umbrella double as a parasol on hot sunny days.
9. High quality thermos for water (and ice for hot days). If you do not have a car, having a source of water you can break out as needed can also be the difference between life and death as it can help prevent or mitigate dehydration and heat exhaustion.
10. Food. Not as urgent as water but still more important than you might think.
11. Learn about public transit. What are the nearest bus stops to your current location or destination? The nearest train? Will you need a taxi? You're going to need to plan your trips more thoroughly on public transit, especially if you live in the US like I do or another country with little to no public transit. I used to use paper maps and print up maps and bus/train schedules, though nowadays I mostly rely on my phone for getting bus and train schedules. I should probably try to be less reliant on tech for this, though see #12 for what I do to help bolster my tech's reliability. If you're walking or cycling, don't assume the best way to get to your destination by car is going to be the same as the best way to get there without one.
12. External batteries and cords you can use to connect your phone to for charging. As long as I'm going to depend on tech for navigation, I want to at least try to prevent the dead battery scenario. Have also had many other people borrow some charge from my external batteries to help juice up their dying phones.
13. Backpack for carrying assorted items you might want or need during your trip.
no subject
Date: 2023-11-16 01:07 am (UTC)Plus download an offline map of your city to your phone :)
no subject
Date: 2023-11-18 12:41 am (UTC)