Craigslist Rideshare & Gas Juggin'
Last year I decided to go on a road trip across country with my VW Vanagon. I was in Portland, OR trying to motivate on "moving there" and growing some roots before my girlfriend then came back. She had just left on a three month volunteer trip to East Africa. We thought we'd both like to move to a new place after that; she is from Seattle, WA and I am from Santa Cruz, CA. Well, it didn't take long to grow fond of the feeling of rootlessness and freedom. Sleeping in my van night after night in Portland, It was all to obvious what to do: keep moving! Besides, I had a destination goal: Montreal. I sorely missed the warm company of my French Canadian friends I made traveling in Europe the year prior, and deeper, adventure for adventure's sake. I'm a huge fan of Craigslist. I have used it successfully for most of my partially-mature life, in just about every section, even casual encounters.
Well, that wasn't successful, but at least I experimented. I can say with confidence that Craigslist rideshare was the most effective tool to make an economical road trip possible. I didn't pay for gas until I got to Toronto! That was when I was on my own for the first time that trip. Indeed - great savings, great friends, great adventure.. And not even one axe-murderer! I found that people usually expect rapists and killers on CL. Sorry, it's not THAT fun.. Turns out there are more or less ordinary people.. But I wouldn't ever really say that. My traveling companions were extraordinary individuals. One was 24 years old and had been living with wilderness survival students in Alaska for three years studying Kung-Fu from an illiterate Yogi who he met working his job there at Best-Buy. The other was also about 24, was a Dutch citizen, raised in the Dutch Caribbean, had studied literature at University in Scotland, and had been traveling the states like a Gypsy, in his typical dapper vintage attire, dancing in the underground Lindy Hop circles - a sophisticated fast 1920's jazz type dance. Those were just the first two riders. In any case, one went home to Michigan and the other was dropped off in St.Paul, MN to catch his flight to Europe. I
If your trip is more or less open ended, you can post your ad in any possible destination/departure cities. I posted literally about 100 different ads, but I was being extreme. Just type in any possible destinations as keywords, posted under your departure city's CL site. Remember, your ad will attract certain types of people depending on it's style. I, for example, had a picture of myself standing in front of my Vanagon and used keywords like "adventure" and "fun". That's exactly what I got. Take a look around at other ads to get an idea. Some people post no details but a phone number. Some people post no phone number. Some people take the liberty to very clearly detail and literally document themselves in favor of picking up those skeptical riders who require the most security. In my opinion, those people are probably not as fun, and being economical certainly applies to the value of fun! You can use gasbuddy.com to calculate the gas cost of your trip based on your vehicle and route. It will even tell you when and where to fill up based on real-time prices. Then, no one can dispute what is fair. The best way to get as much gas covered as possible from your riders is to get an idea of how much they are willing to pay. Ask them: "what is this trip worth for you to pay, honestly?"
A lot of people are happily willing to pay more than their equal share. It's fair it, considering the cost of maintaining the vehicle, insurance, liability, and the labor of driving itself! You can be open with all this information. The principle? Cover more than JUST gas! And when you run out of riders - and of gas - you can do the old rainbow-gathering-kid trick: Gas Juggin'! For those who don't know, it's essentially asking people for gas with a small gas jug in hand, right at the pump. "Can ya spare a squirt?" you might want to say. I used quintessential one gallon red gas jug. The one gallon is modest and looks so cute and pathetic. It's utilitarian. Most people think it's unfair, irresponsible, and bothersome to others. Well, once you try it, you will learn that it is a very valuable experience in learning HOW to ask someone for something.
You will also discover first handedly people's disposition and attitude towards "free loading." Indeed - it is a word full of competition, ownership and entitlement. But on the flip side, you will also discover people who are authentically grateful for the opportunity to help a young traveler out! It's not so often that we get the opportunity to ask for something that we can't expect, that we don't necessarily deserve, of a stranger who has no direct incentive to give.
You might get to see a little more of what you, and other people are made of. To me, that's the most valuable and economical asset to rideshare and gas juggin' of all!
Contributed by Jimmy Fiee.
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