It was a short night. We usually go to bed late, and last night we went to bed even later; at 4:30 I was woken up by a strange dream (not interesting enough to share on Hive, I don't even remember all the details, but it left me restless) and I couldn't go back to sleep. Life doesn't stop with a little sleep; it's fine. 😇
Coffee, a snack prepared for the trip, got dressed and off I went. It was Sunday morning (well, today, lol). The sun was timidly announcing its rise, and I thought how much I love this feeling - you know, feeling alive and seeing how the sky changes its colour from total darkness to daylight. 🌄
The road in front of me was empty. Of course, who would go anywhere at such an early hour on a Sunday morning? 😂
Well, me. Me and my passenger that I picked up at the agreed place.
We both had our own things to do in another city; I was heading to my piano gig and she was visiting her sister so we were travelling in the same car. We hadn't met before, no... but the route that I posted yesterday on BlaBlaCar partially coincided with her route. She asked me last night via private message if I could pick her up and as it didn't involve much of a detour for me, I agreed. And I don't regret it! She was a perfect companion on my trip today, very kind and talkative - we didn't stop talking for the whole route! 😂
Yep, a true blah blah and a very pleasant one on our shared trip.
I feel that the idea behind BlaBlaCar is amazing. Wait... maybe you haven't heard about this platform..? Then let me share just a few things about it. Currently, it is available in 22 countries: France, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Portugal, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, India, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Mexico, Brazil, Czech Republic and Slovakia as I read it here.
So, imagine you need to travel from city A to city B. You drive alone, but you see on the road that other people do the same trip from city A to city B in their cars... Why you wouldn't travel together in the same car? You can share the cost of the fuel, that way reducing your own expenses of commuting and also reducing the pollution. Oh, a little problem... you don't know those other people or how to contact them...
Worry not! Here comes this platform that connects those who are willing to share their journey. It is super easy, especially through the app. You can search for those published trips between the place you travel from to your destination and choose between the offers if there are any. Or the other way. If you drive you can publish your trip, including the departure point with the exact date, time and destination, itinerary, including details - if you stop in any other city, or what your preferences are - if you accept pets, smokers, if you like to talk or listen to music, the price that the passenger would have to pay etc... Many options.
If there is someone interested in going with you, she/he can contact you and reserve the trip. Both the booking confirmation and the payment are made through the BlaBlaCar platform, and you receive the money within two days after completing the trip.
Let's be clear - you won't make money. You won't earn while driving, that is not the idea. The passenger just pays a smaller part of the cost but the real value of these shared trips is the socialization part. I was more than happy with today's journey to my piano gig as I met a lady who was very kind and with a good vibe, I was entertained and not sleepy while driving and the commuting time went by so quickly!
And what about you? Do you use this platform for your trips if you live in one of those countries where it is available? Are there similar services in the place where you live and do you even like the idea of sharing your journey with a stranger?
P.S. This was not an advertisement for this app :D. I was just sharing my experience and was interested to hear do you also find shared trips a cool idea.
