Transportation is an integral part of travel and whatever mode of transport you choose will affect your experience of the journey. Take a horseback ride along a beach and then do the same journey on a dune buggy if you don’t believe me. This summer I went coast to coast to coast in the US first by train, then car, then airplane and each journey was radically different, even though I was travelling almost the exact same route each time.

Modes of transportation vary according to culture, history, geography and climate. Rickshaws, tangas and tuk-tuks conjure up very specific locations for me, as do dogsleds, yellow cabs and black cabs. What do you think of when you hear the word stagecoach, charabanc, chariot or Hansom cab?

I had a hard time narrowing down the photos I wanted to use for this week’s theme. In the end, I chose six. The first three remind me of the quirkiness that is New York City. First up, I present to you the bride and groom, NYC-style.

Walking from Times Square towards Hell’s Kitchen one evening, I spotted this teeny tiny tricked-out car and couldn’t resist taking a photo.

The other side was even more startling. Oh, New York!

I chose these next three photos because they make me happy. Rather than depicting the vehicle in its entirety, these glimpses remind me of what it feels like when you’re really excited about a journey, peeping over the hull of a boat or out the window of a plane. They speak to me of the romance and thrill of travel. The boat photo was taken on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, the airplane photos were taken just after takeoff on a dawn flight from La Guardia – they were taken within a few minutes of each other but out opposite windows.

So that’s my take on transportation, what’s yours? If you would like to join in this week’s travel theme (everyone’s welcome!) here’s what to do:

• Create your own post and title it Travel theme: Transportation
• Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
• Get your post in by next Thursday, as the new travel theme comes out on Friday
• Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest weekly travel themes. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.

Transport me!

xxx

Ailsa