Depending on where you live, driving might be a luxury. But in all likelihood, it’ll be a necessity. It’s only really people who live in cities that can get away without driving a vehicle. For everyone else, it’s just an essential part of modern life, right up there with high energy bills and Netflix.
Still, that’s not to say that driving and vehicle ownership is entirely about practicality. There’s a fun component too — or at least, there should be. If you don’t think that’s true, then give up your vehicle for a month; you’ll likely feel pretty joyous once you’re back behind the wheel!
With car ownership and driving, it’s all about finding the balance between fun and practicality. We’ll run through some effective ways to strike that balance below.
Blending Driving With Public Transport
Most people automatically get behind the wheel when they need to go somewhere. But in some cases, it can make more sense to use public transport, at least for some of the journey. For instance, if you’re travelling into the centre of the city, then it may well be faster, cheaper, and less stressful to drive a portion of the way and then use public transport to complete the journey. In doing so, you’ll also be preserving your car (fewer miles = longer lifespan) and supporting eco-friendly initiatives (more public transport use is great for the environment).
Finding the Right Vehicle
As we said above, driving should be fun. But there’s also a practical consideration, especially when it comes to choosing your car. There are plenty of fun vehicles that would make no sense to buy, purely because they’re so impractical on the roads. For instance, a Ford Mustang would be fun, but the fuel economy is so awful that you’d likely end up regretting your purchase. The best solution is to select a vehicle that scores highly on both fun and practical fronts. Cars like the Hyundai i20N, on the other hand, are zippy enough to be fun, but practical enough to be useful. When selecting your next car, try to find something that offers a bit of everything that you’d need.
Planning Fun Trips
You’ll spend a significant chunk of time behind the wheel just taking care of business. You’ll be driving to work, running to the supermarket, or transporting family members around. That’s when the practical side of owning a car comes to the fore. But what about the fun part? If you’re spending too much of your driving time just doing everyday things, then look at planning a fun trip. The UK has some amazing road trip routes just waiting to be explored!
The next time you’re getting a little tired of driving, just remember that it’s not the driving part that you’re sick of, but the reasons why you’re driving. By taking a life-affirming road trip, during which you see parts of the country you would never have seen without a vehicle, you’ll remember just why you bothered to get your licence in the first place.
