Living Car Free - Staying car-free when traveling by plane in the US

I've been car free for almost 2-years. I ride between 10-40 miles a day. Lost weight, big health improvement, feel great and basically eat what I want with no more guilt.
I laugh silently when my friends talk about going on a diet or mustering up the discipline to hit the gym but then never make it. Driving was like a drug. By not having it in my driveway, it forces me to ride and keep active.


My biggest challenge is living car free when I travel by plane.
While cities like New York have great public transit, most do not.
I feel like I have no choice but rent a car. It feels weird at first. Like I'm in this big steel battle tank. Then, laziness and weight gain appear in the first few days.
I'm a different person.

I'd like to avoid getting a rental car just to get around.
The options that are available for biking when I travel are not very practical.
Often bicycle rentals in many cities cost more than renting a car.
Getting a folding bike and transporting it with all of the gear can be expensive these days with airline baggage fees. I thought about buying a cheap $100 walmart bike when I visit some cities and just giving it away when I leave or storing it at a friends place.
But I still need to transport my gear (rain gear, helmet etc) and I don't want to trust a $100 walmart bike.
It's frustrating. In a better world, bike rentals would be cheap and so would quality gear rentals.

Please share your solutions to this problem

I've been car free for almost 2-years. I ride between 10-40 miles a day. Lost weight, big health improvement, feel great and basically eat what I want with no more guilt.
I laugh silently when my friends talk about going on a diet or mustering up the discipline to hit the gym but then never make it. Driving was like a drug. By not having it in my driveway, it forces me to ride and keep active.


My biggest challenge is living car free when I travel by plane.
While cities like New York have great public transit, most do not.
I feel like I have no choice but rent a car. It feels weird at first. Like I'm in this big steel battle tank. Then, laziness and weight gain appear in the first few days.
I'm a different person.

I'd like to avoid getting a rental car just to get around.
The options that are available for biking when I travel are not very practical.
Often bicycle rentals in many cities cost more than renting a car.
Getting a folding bike and transporting it with all of the gear can be expensive these days with airline baggage fees. I thought about buying a cheap $100 walmart bike when I visit some cities and just giving it away when I leave or storing it at a friends place.
But I still need to transport my gear (rain gear, helmet etc) and I don't want to trust a $100 walmart bike.
It's frustrating. In a better world, bike rentals would be cheap and so would quality gear rentals.

Please share your solutions to this problem

Depends on where I am. I have used an airport transportation service to get me into town: I have bought bikes from Goodwill or other thrift stores, then donated them back when I was done. I have purchased a bike from Target then gave it to the hotel to keep around as a loaner bike. My biggest problem is that I am over average height so have a problem getting bikes to fit properly.

Long range plans include getting a Brompton (http://clevercycles.com/products/bicycles/folding-bikes/build-your-brompton/) with the hard suitcase option for multimodal travel. Another option would be a Bike Friday (http://www.bikefriday.com/). However there are some areas where no matter how hard you try it isn't going to work.

Aaron :)

I have a folding bike which I bring with me to some cities. Other times I rent a car, or use public transit. It all depends on where I am going and what I will be doing there.

....I have purchased a bike from Target then gave it to the hotel to keep around as a loaner bike....

Aaron :)

Good idea! Did you get a chance to return to that hotel to see if the bike was still there?

If I went to the same hotel often, I would ask them to store a bike for me, and feel free to loan it out to other guests when I'm not there.

When enough people start wanting a service like loaner bikes or reasonable bike rentals, some entrepeneur will start offering it.

Getting a folding bike and transporting it with all of the gear can be expensive these days with airline baggage fees. I thought about buying a cheap $100 walmart bike when I visit some cities and just giving it away when I leave or storing it at a friends place.
But I still need to transport my gear (rain gear, helmet etc) and I don't want to trust a $100 walmart bike.
It's frustrating. In a better world, bike rentals would be cheap and so would quality gear rentals.

Please share your solutions to this problem

Our local bicycle co-op often gets rental requests from visitors to downtown hotels. So if you want to rent a bicycle, you basically buy the bike (usually around $80 - 120) and when it is returned, the co-op refunds some of the purchase price, depending on condition of the bicycle and length of rental. One good thing to do however is to bring along your helmet, cable lock and blinkie lights... cause those things aren't in the rental.

Like I'm in this big steel battle tank. Then, laziness and weight gain appear in the first few days.
I'm a different person.

LOL I'm sorry but this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Weight gain the first few days?? Even if you could accurately measure weight gain over the course of 3 days you would have to make an incredible diet change to make an impact that fast.

It's sad that you think how you transport yourself from one place to another defines who you are.

LOL I'm sorry but this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Weight gain the first few days?? Even if you could accurately measure weight gain over the course of 3 days you would have to make an incredible diet change to make an impact that fast.

It's sad that you think how you transport yourself from one place to another defines who you are.


And if you don't feel different on a bike than you do in a car, I think that's really sad!

Airline travel for business trips is what first motivated me to buy my Bike Friday and it has worked very well for that as well as other applications. I usually limit my other luggage to carry-on size so all that I have to check is the one suitcase. That's still usually free or at least pretty reasonable (it fits within the typical airline guidelines of 62" for L + W + H and under 50 lbs.) and I have the trailer option so I can pedal straight out of the airport with my carry-on bag tucked inside the suitcase/trailer. (But at some airports I've found it best to hop on the first courtesy hotel bus I see and use that to get away from the airport vicinity and its maze of freeways.)

It is kind of strange that in so many cities it's cheaper to rent a $30k car for a few days than to rent a $1k bicycle.

I have used an airport transportation service to get me into town: I have bought bikes from Goodwill or other thrift stores, then donated them back when I was done. I have purchased a bike from Target then gave it to the hotel to keep around as a loaner bike. My biggest problem is that I am over average height so have a problem getting bikes to fit properly.

Long range plans include getting a Brompton (http://clevercycles.com/products/bicycles/folding-bikes/build-your-brompton/) with the hard suitcase option for multimodal travel. Another option would be a Bike Friday (http://www.bikefriday.com/). However there are some areas where no matter how hard you try it isn't going to work.

Aaron :)

In Argentina we did just that, buy a bike, used it for the duration, then gave it to the hotel, one of the locals. etc.

LOL I'm sorry but this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Weight gain the first few days?? Even if you could accurately measure weight gain over the course of 3 days you would have to make an incredible diet change to make an impact that fast. No, the problem would occur if he didn't change his eating habits. He said he rides up to 40 miles a day at home. That burns off about 1600 kcal. If he stops riding for a few days but continues to consume the same amount of calories, he would start gaining weight right away.

No, the problem would occur if he didn't change his eating habits. He said he rides up to 40 miles a day at home. That burns off about 1600 kcal. If he stops riding for a few days but continues to consume the same amount of calories, he would start gaining weight right away.

Like I said if you COULD reliably measure weight change in that short of a period. Meaning you can't. Daily weight fluctuates +/- 5lbs depending on water retention, hydration level, stomach/intestines content. Even if he did gain an entire pound (which he wouldn't) in 3 days, it wouldn't be measurable. Your body is a little more efficient at homeostasis than you make it out to be. Along with decreased exercise comes lower appetite.

The post is riddled with delusional fail. "I feel like a different person", "I can feel weight gain in 3 days"...

It's silly and sounds like brainwashed cult BS.

Dude, ride as much as I do each day and then stop for a few days and drive everywhere. If you don't feel very different, then you are not a human.

Dude, ride as much as I do each day and then stop for a few days and drive everywhere. If you don't feel very different, then you are not a human.

Sorry for sounding so harsh bro... I think being car free is awesome. Your post just seems a little overboard to me.

Keep on keepin on :)

Like I said if you COULD reliably measure weight change in that short of a period. Meaning you can't. Daily weight fluctuates +/- 5lbs depending on water retention, hydration level, stomach/intestines content. Even if he did gain an entire pound (which he wouldn't) in 3 days, it wouldn't be measurable. Your body is a little more efficient at homeostasis than you make it out to be. Along with decreased exercise comes lower appetite.

The post is riddled with delusional fail. "I feel like a different person", "I can feel weight gain in 3 days"...

It's silly and sounds like brainwashed cult BS.

Your posts here aren't very helpful, even if you're right about the short-term weight gain. The OP wants to ride a bike/avoid using a car when he flies to places, and is asking for ideas. Instead of mocking him, why don't you suggest something?

I've been car free for almost 2-years. I ride between 10-40 miles a day. Lost weight, big health improvement, feel great and basically eat what I want with no more guilt.
I laugh silently when my friends talk about going on a diet or mustering up the discipline to hit the gym but then never make it. Driving was like a drug. By not having it in my driveway, it forces me to ride and keep active.


My biggest challenge is living car free when I travel by plane.
While cities like New York have great public transit, most do not.
I feel like I have no choice but rent a car. It feels weird at first. Like I'm in this big steel battle tank. Then, laziness and weight gain appear in the first few days.
I'm a different person.

I'd like to avoid getting a rental car just to get around.
The options that are available for biking when I travel are not very practical.
Often bicycle rentals in many cities cost more than renting a car.
Getting a folding bike and transporting it with all of the gear can be expensive these days with airline baggage fees. I thought about buying a cheap $100 walmart bike when I visit some cities and just giving it away when I leave or storing it at a friends place.
But I still need to transport my gear (rain gear, helmet etc) and I don't want to trust a $100 walmart bike.
It's frustrating. In a better world, bike rentals would be cheap and so would quality gear rentals.

Please share your solutions to this problem

When I travel to faraway places, if I'm not staying long, I usually just walk whenever it's feasible, or take public transportation and then walk. You'd be surprised by how much ground you can cover by walking. Last summer I walked all over San Francisco in three days, and a couple of years ago I did the same thing in Jackson Hole, WY; when I went from town to the national park, I took a shuttle bus, and then walked around some more. If you're traveling for work and time is severely limited, then you're probably going to have to either get a folding bike, take public transportation, or just suck it up and drive occasionally.

Good idea! Did you get a chance to return to that hotel to see if the bike was still there?

If I went to the same hotel often, I would ask them to store a bike for me, and feel free to loan it out to other guests when I'm not there.

When enough people start wanting a service like loaner bikes or reasonable bike rentals, some entrepeneur will start offering it.

It is, and I have done the store a bike thing before too.

gerv mentioned the co-op. The Bike Library in Iowa City (http://bikelibrary.org/) has a similar program, however it is limited and bikes are only available on Saturdays on a first come first served basis. When I was there bikes were all but unavailable. However I had planned ahead and taken a bike with me...then bought a couple more.

Aaron :)

Getting a folding bike and transporting it with all of the gear can be expensive these days with airline baggage fees.

I've read several places on this board that people regularly fit their folding bikes in a piece of luggage and fly with it. Surely an extra baggage fee couldn't be more than a bike rental fee or even buying a cheap bike. Right?

I had a recurring business gig in a small town in Ontario back around 1995 and they had a great trail network through some old gravel pits and mine tailing ponds and power corridors and cathedral-like white pine groves, so I bought a used mountain bike to keep up there.

I asked the hotel to keep it for me but it was a hassle to get it the next time - they had to dig it out from under junk in a storage room, so then I asked if I could leave it locked in the parking garage and they said sure. However, the only spot where I could find something to lock to was at the foot of a parking stall, and the next time up I found a car had backed into it and done some luckily trivial damage.

After a few more trips the contract was cancelled so I mailed the key to my contact there and she took the bike to a local charity.

Like I said if you COULD reliably measure weight change in that short of a period. Meaning you can't. Daily weight fluctuates +/- 5lbs depending on water retention, hydration level, stomach/intestines content. Even if he did gain an entire pound (which he wouldn't) in 3 days, it wouldn't be measurable. Your body is a little more efficient at homeostasis than you make it out to be. Along with decreased exercise comes lower appetite.

The post is riddled with delusional fail. "I feel like a different person", "I can feel weight gain in 3 days"...

It's silly and sounds like brainwashed cult BS.

My impression was that this person is enthusiastic and excited about something cool. I don't think the guy was lying or trying to deceive, just sharing his joy with the world. I know I would rather read his post than your downer.

It depends on where you flew to. I just visited Phoenix. It's got a great number of bike lanes and I didn't see any major hills, but the distances between places is so great that car-free living would be difficult at best.

A few months ago I visited Seattle and some surrounding towns. I didn't even have to consider renting a car the entire time, but to get to and from the airport here in Tennessee I had to have someone drop me off and pick me up. :rolleyes: Also, when I came back I had lost a small amount of weight just from walking everywhere every day for a week. That place is hilly! I can't imagine a person flying into Nashville and not having to rent a car to get around. I'm sure it could be done, but it would be extremely difficult.

If someone is simply interested in riding a bike rather than driving a car get a folder. If you are interested in being green I have found driving is better than flying. When I decided to go car light I started researching how to lower my carbon footprint and first I cut my driving from 30,000 miles a year to less than 6,000. I put in 8000 miles on my bike last year. But the biggest impact was cutting my air travel on vacations from two trips a year to zero. In an Environmental related site I discovered the following:

“The simple answer is that driving in a relatively fuel-efficient car (25-30 miles per gallon) usually generates fewer greenhouse-gas emissions (http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/greenhouse.htm) than flying. In assessing the global warming impact of a trip from Philadelphia to Boston (about 300 miles), the environmental news website Grist.org (http://www.grist.org/) calculates that driving would generate about 104 kilograms of carbon dioxide (http://environment.about.com/od/faqglobalwarming/f/greengases.htm) (CO2)—a leading greenhouse gas—per typical medium-sized car, regardless of the number of passengers, while flying on a commercial jet would produce some 184 kilograms of CO2 per passenger. “

http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/fly_vs_drive.htmive (http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/fly_vs_drive.htmive)

From a personal perspective I drive to a location and haul my bike with me. I would take the train but it never seems to go where I want when I want.
I guess I can claim to be Plane free. My 2 cents anyway.

I've read several places on this board that people regularly fit their folding bikes in a piece of luggage and fly with it. Surely an extra baggage fee couldn't be more than a bike rental fee or even buying a cheap bike. Right?

Baggage fees range around $90 for overweight (50#) and $175 for oversized (61"). I have been researching this, I want to get a Brompton with the B-pod case, but will be pushing the 50# limit. I don't want to pay a $90 premium every time I chose to fly with a bike. I am looking at all the options.

Aaron :)

I have ridden my bike to the airport before, sometimes it can be a pain finding a place to lock it up, but you have to be inventive (in the Indianapolis Airport, for example, I ended up locking my bike to some old bike racks that they were using as parking barriers in the long-term parking lot; The Indianapolis Airport is not very close to the city proper, so it doesn't have very good bicycle facilities). I know that the San Antonio Airport has a good bicycle rack by one of the employee parking lot, I have used it in the past when taking a trip. I have never had one of my bikes messed with when leaving it locked at the airport for a 3-5 day trip.

The biggest problem is not locking your bike up at the airport, but finding a bike at the other end. The reason why bike rentals (and good bike gear/parts in general) are not cheap is probably just a matter of supply and demand; there is not much demand for these services, so it is bound to be a little expensive. Whatever the solution is, it is probably not going to be cheap. The best suggestion I can think of is to get with bike clubs in the areas you will be travelling and talking with the members to see if any of them would be willing to loan you one of their road bikes for a deposit and a small rental fee. It's at least worth a shot; you'd get to ride a decent bike without spending a ton of money.

...The best suggestion I can think of is to get with bike clubs in the areas you will be travelling and talking with the members to see if any of them would be willing to loan you one of their road bikes for a deposit and a small rental fee. It's at least worth a shot; you'd get to ride a decent bike without spending a ton of money.

Also check the sticky thread in this forum to ind bike co-ops and collectives that will rent or sell bikes to travelers.