Not the OP but we have not owned a car since 2000 and don’t want to own any. We can live without one (public transit, walk, bike, Uber or even renting a car when it’s really needed… last time must have been 11 years ago). Why? It’s something my spouse and I decided to get rid of when we became aware of climate crisis we were heading into. Likewise, we also stopped using planes completely, I mean, not just for personal travels but also for business (we have not traveled by plane since 2001) and learned to consume less.
I’d go that route too, but I literally live have a world away from my family. So I had to fly to visit them. In 2003. In 2016. And in 2024. I’m fine with three two-way flights in 25 years.
There is no viable alternative in my case. I’m Canadian. I live in China. There is no way to go from the one to the other without flight. So I keep it to rare visits instead of making it an annual thing like some of my fellow expats do.
There is no way to go from the one to the other without flight
People have traveled the world for centuries before the Wright brothers devised the first plane. Boat and road are slower and less convenient but it’s still doable and have been done (think the old silk road). What I will agree with is that it’s often not… realistically feasible to do in our days and age but it’s still doable ;)
Not the OP but we have not owned a car since 2000 and don’t want to own any. We can live without one (public transit, walk, bike, Uber or even renting a car when it’s really needed… last time must have been 11 years ago). Why? It’s something my spouse and I decided to get rid of when we became aware of climate crisis we were heading into. Likewise, we also stopped using planes completely, I mean, not just for personal travels but also for business (we have not traveled by plane since 2001) and learned to consume less.
I’d go that route too, but I literally live have a world away from my family. So I had to fly to visit them. In 2003. In 2016. And in 2024. I’m fine with three two-way flights in 25 years.
That’s perfectly fine, imho. Anyone should decide for themselves. We’ve decided we would do no exception, but that’s just our choice ;)
There is no viable alternative in my case. I’m Canadian. I live in China. There is no way to go from the one to the other without flight. So I keep it to rare visits instead of making it an annual thing like some of my fellow expats do.
People have traveled the world for centuries before the Wright brothers devised the first plane. Boat and road are slower and less convenient but it’s still doable and have been done (think the old silk road). What I will agree with is that it’s often not… realistically feasible to do in our days and age but it’s still doable ;)
Hence the use of the word “viable” right at the start to set the stage.