By Rosario Ruiz
Intrepid travelers who don’t have a lot of resources have to look for alternatives to make our trips more economical. Thanks to the Internet, there are hundreds of applications that we can use to get from one city to another more easily. One such app is BlaBlaCar, which I have been using since 2015 and I highly recommend.
BlaBlaCar was created to travel from one city to another by carpooling in a faster, safer and cheaper way. It is an excellent alternative to the bus, because you can find different schedules than the bus, it allows you to meet people, make new friends, get to your destination faster and save a little.
How does it work?
First you must download the application from Google Play or the App Store. Then you must complete your profile: put your name, age, phone number and a visible photo so that you can be recognized. After verifying your profile, you can start traveling. The application is free, you only have to pay for your trip.
In the search engine you enter the origin, destination, number of passengers and date of travel. Then you will see all the available options, you can choose the one that best suits you and also check the driver’s rating to make your trip even safer. Then click on the trip of your choice and then click on «Continue»; review the details of your trip and finally press the «Book» button. That’s how easy it is to travel on BlaBlaCar!
A few tips
- I recommend that to travel from San Miguel to more distant cities, first go to Querétaro or León; in those cities you can find more options.
- Payment is always in cash and the money is given to the driver once he has dropped you off at your destination.
- It is necessary to make arrangements with the driver beforehand to check the place of departure and arrival, and to make sure he saw your reservation.
- Chat with the other passengers so that you can enjoy your trip. Chatting makes the trip more pleasant and more fun.
- But, if you don’t like to chat, you can specify it in your profile and the driver will respect your decision.
- Even if you don’t know much Spanish, if you can communicate where you are going it is more than enough, so don’t worry about that.
- I know you are punctual, keep it up. If you are running late, let the driver know so he can check if he can wait for you.
Would you dare to travel by BlaBlaCar? Tell me how it goes at: editorial@atencionsanmiguel.org