Who Even Needs A Car These Days?
There are countless methods for people to travel from point A to point B, aside from the standard boat or airplane. Many of these styles of travel are typically used for recreational purposes, and some of them you may even use regularly. How many of these non-land transportation options have you tried?
1. Sailboats
The image that comes to mind when you think “boat,” and also the style of boat engraved on the Canadian dime! The sailboat varies in size, number of masts, and hull configurations, but the premise is the same: let the wind take you where you want to go.
2. Pontoon Boats
This flat-bottomed boat style uses pontoons to keep the boat above water. The boats can get quite large, as their flat style makes for an excellent entertaining space, and their shallow drafts reduce the risk of running aground.
3. Liners
An ocean liner is a multi-purpose passenger ship that is typically used for cross-ocean transportation. Typically, what we’d call a cruise ship today, liners also carry cargo or mail and operate on a fixed schedule and travel through longer stints of open ocean. A liner also differs from your standard cruise ship as it must be better equipped for rough seas.
4. Airboats
Airboats are flat-bottomed watercraft that use a large propeller to get people around. This style of boat is most commonly used in marshy, shallow areas where a standard propeller would get wrapped up in the aquatic plants. Airboats are usually used for fishing, hunting, or recreational purposes.
5. Ferries
Ferries are another type of transportation vessel, although they are used more as a public transportation system. Ferries carry people, cargo, and occasionally vehicles over bodies of water, getting folks from here to there more affordably than water taxis or toll roads.
6. Submarines
We could get into the long history of submarines as military and espionage vehicles, but we won’t. However, it’s likely best if they stay in the military sphere. Submarines are slow, expensive, and generally claustrophobic, and deep-sea submarines won’t get you that one-in-a-million ocean view you’ve always dreamed of.
7. Runabouts
Runabouts are very small motorboats that typically hold no more than eight people. This type of boat moves quickly across the water and is typically used for fishing, water skiing, tubing, and racing.
8. Feluccas
A felucca is a traditional sailing boat that was first used for fishing and transportation in Egypt and the Mediterranean. The boat draft is shallow, making it well-equipped for lakes and rivers, and typically has a cushioned deck for guests to relax on.
9. Punts
A punt is another style of flat-bottomed boat that is used for transportation across small rivers and shallow water. The boat is usually square, and the punter propels the boat forward by pushing against the riverbed with a pole. While originally built as transportation for fishing and cargo, punts are now a popular tourist attraction.
10. Ship’s Tender
The little boat to get you two from the big boat! A ship’s tender is a small boat that transports people and supplies between the larger boat and land, as larger boats can’t always fit in a docking area. The smaller boats are usually carried by the larger boats, and can also be used for life-saving purposes.
1. Jet Plane
The most standard style of flying that you can get - a jet aircraft is a high altitude, incredibly fast method of air travel that is typically used for long-distance journeys. Jet planes cruise at 610 mph (981 km/h), at heights of over 33,000 ft (10,000 m) or more. Also, fun fact! Jets usually achieve maximum efficiency at speeds around the speed of sound.
2. Prop Plane
The sister to the jet plane, prop planes use a rotating propeller to pull air backward, generating the forward motion that moves the machine through the air. Prop planes are usually used for shorter distances and move at a slower speed of about 480 mph (770 km/h).
3. Hot Air Balloons
Hot air balloons gently fly their passengers over the land by heating a giant bag with an open flame. This style of air travel was the first successful human-carrying flight technology; however, the hot air balloon cannot be controlled, which makes it less than ideal for anything other than a tourist attraction.
4. Blimps
Blimps, also known as non-rigid airships, use helium to lift the structure into the air. Blimps are usually used for advertising, surveillance, and observation, due to their slow speed and steady flight. Blimps differ from Zeppelins in that they don’t have any internal structural framework. There are approximately 25 operating blimps left in the world.
Anton Konstantinov on Unsplash
5. Gliders
A glider is an engine-free style of aircraft that uses the surrounding air to propel it forward. Those who use gliders must be well-versed in local meteorology to operate the plane safely and successfully.
Konrad Wojciechowski on Unsplash
6. Hang Gliders
Hang gliding is a more recreational activity that requires an individual to throw themselves off a high cliff and glide through the sky affixed to an arrow-shaped sailcloth. Gliders have been known to sail for hours, and the activity is well-known among extreme sports enthusiasts.
7. Helicopters
Helicopters are a type of aircraft that use lift and thrust through horizontally spinning rotors. This allows them to land vertically, making them a much more efficient way to get in and out of locations that can’t land and take off without a runway. The first working helicopter was created back in 1936.
8. Powered Parachute
Powered parachutes are personal aircraft that contain a motor and wheels. Opposite to a paraglider, powered parachutes are controlled by the feet. They’re a cheaper option for beginner aviators, can travel in the air for about 3 hours, and require short distances for takeoff and landing.
Nima Motaghian Nejad on Unsplash
9. Seaplanes
A seaplane is an aircraft that is capable of taking off and landing on water. While not a popular method of travel anymore, seaplanes were extremely common during World War II and are now used for access to underdeveloped or roadless areas.
10. Hovercrafts
Hovercrafts are vehicles that use a large volume of air to allow them to float slightly above the surface. This method of travel works on land, water, ice, mud, or various other surfaces, and these low, low-flying machines are typically used for disaster relief, security, or sports purposes.
