Overland Travel Guide: Choosing Private or Public Transport

Whether you're planning to travel from Europe to inner Mongolia, cross the Indian subcontinent, or head from Mexico to the southern tip of Chile, it's important to decide early on if you want to travel by private or public transport. Taking your own vehicle can have its advantages, but in some cases, public transport may be preferred. Consider these factors when planning your marathon overland journey.

Comfort

In the comfort field, private transport most certainly wins out. It's always nicer to be able to leave whenever you want, avoid being ripped off by local cabbies, and not be crammed into the backseat with twice as many passengers as the vehicle legally allows. Taking your own vehicle will save your ears from loud, screeching music played through dying bus speakers at night and sitting amidst fellow passengers losing their lunches. In many parts of the world, it's difficult to find comfortable public transport.

Security

When it comes to security, it really depends on where you are traveling. If you're planning to do the overland route in North America or in Europe, self- drive shouldn't pose too many problems. As long as you choose a road-worthy car and you are a confident driver, you shouldn't face many security threats.

In other parts of the world, driving in a lone vehicle by day or night is not always safe. First of all, you need to be able to hand the different driving styles. It takes some time to learn how to drive in a place like India, especially if you've got to get used to driving on the other side of the road. People may say things like, "If you can drive in New York, you can drive anywhere," but those people have not driven in places like Haiti, any major African city, Mumbai during flooding or a landslide zone on Pakistan's Karakoram Highway. Driving in other parts of the world is not an easy road trip. Most of time it requires 100% of your attention.

If you break down on a bus traveling in the middle of the Balochistan desert in Pakistan, it's not your responsibility to get the vehicle fixed and you won't be alone. If the vehicle you're traveling in is attacked by bands of robbers or fundamentalist militants, it's likely that the other passengers on the bus will look out for you. If you're driving on your own in a place like Balochistan or the Sahara desert, you'll spend a lot of time praying that you don't break down or get ambushed. In some places you may be required to drive with a police escort or a consort of heavily armed guards.

Cost

Again this one depends on your proposed overland route. In North America, many times it's cheaper to drive yourself than to take buses or trains to far-flung destinations. In Europe, transportation costs aren't cheap either, but in the rest of the world, it's usually a lot cheaper to go by public transport. Aside from ticket costs, you won't have to worry about paying for petrol or vehicle maintenance.

Speed

Unless you're in a highly developed area like Asia, where you can take advantage of Japan's bullet train, many times it's faster to drive yourself. You can spend days just waiting for the right bus, taxi or train to come around, and by the time you're on your way you could have driven to your next destination and back twice. Many a traveler has been stranded during local holidays, when the locals aren't planning on working or all the options are already booked.

In planning your overland journey, be sure to do your research ahead of time to make the best choice. Safety is really the most important issue, and driving in a private vehicle is not always as safe as traveling by local transport. Being with the locals somehow helps you be one of them, and even if you can't speak the language you'll have some comfort knowing that you're not alone when things go wrong. Read travel blogs of others who have done your overland route to see what they chose: private or public transport.