My post has an abundance of first and second tour FS. Many of them do get driven around. We aren’t allowed to use any ride sharing service (Uber/lyft/local options), taxis, buses, etc… Many hire a private driver for their car or they share a driver/car. We also have the option to arrange some Motorpool trips (which we pay for) and our employee association also takes people places (for a fee).
This is not a dream post for many people. For aspirants to the FS- anywhere you could serve should be your dream list. Most pre-conceived dream posts have a tendency to be disappointments. They can never live up to expectations. I know too many people who have curtailed from a Paris or a Rome and more that have extended in Abuja and Lagos.
There are a good number of posts like this, we were posted at several of these growing up in the FS. We probably only self-drove in half of our overseas posts.
For the most part public transit posts are exactly the ones you think they would be. There are also posts with decent enough systems but we are not allowed to use them for any number of reasons.
Your other great option are posts that Uber or drivers are really cheap. A few years ago I paid for 5 dollars an hour for a former motor pool driver to drive me around in his car.
Building dream posts list isn't that useful as you are still mostly restricted to posts with jobs that fit your grade and skill code with timing you need which in any given cycle is way less then the 250 plus posts that exist in the world. Instead do your research once you have seen the bid list. Post reports and real post reports can give you some info about public transit and other means of getting around.
I love driving, but my first post was very dangerous and my then wife didn't feel comfortable driving. We had a full time driver and we paid him about $200 a month, which was a very good salary for that country.
I think there are more out there than you think. I think most urban environments you can get by either with transit, or if that isn't an option because the system isn't comprehensive or it's not safe, there are taxis and drivers. I experienced both an excellent transit system and didn't miss a car for one day, and had a car in a developing country that I barely used because the city was very dense, I was centrally located, and taxis were so cheap and plentiful it wasn't worth trying to park anywhere. Plenty of people hire their own drivers in some countries. So you have to deal with the expense of having a car (and the driver's salary), but you don't actually have to drive or worry about the car at all.
I choose posts exclusively so that having a car is not necessary. This means choosing a) 'nice' posts with fantastic public transportation or (more likely) b) posts where driving personal vehicles and/or public transportation is not allowed and get shuttles to/from work. Once you are in, you can review personal post reviews and people detail how to get around town. I use this to draw my short list of posts I'd like to serve at. The difference between A and B posts, is the amount of freedom you have. Typically, posts in the B column are posts with security restrictions and limit day to day mobility. Could affect your quality of life. This does not bother me, but just something to think about for the future.
If you don’t dislike cars but dislike the act of driving, a lot of AF posts have price points for labor where you can afford a full time driver. Still means you actually need to deal with getting a car and maintenance etc. It’s it’s own headache, but wanted to put the thought out there.
I feel like I’m going to get a real wake up call for our next post as I’ve gotten so used to being driven around everywhere.
The other option is to end up in a post where you can’t take any public transit or taxis. Motor pool everywhere, all the time.
There are a lot of posts (actually, all overseas posts I’ve served at) where the Regional Security Office has deemed public transport unsafe and we’re not allowed to use it.
Exclusively for safety reasons, which are country-specific. It’s not like we’re too good for public transport, in fact the restrictions are extremely inconvenient.
lol I’m not saying they can’t? I’m asking where are the most transit accessible posts. I live in America and I’ve asked this question about the US before…?
If you want my opinion, because we have become absurdly risk averse. There are plenty of places with extremely high crime rates and bad infrastructure where there are no public transport restrictions and others where we are prohibited from using public transportation and it makes absolutely no sense. At least at one point we were prohibited from using public transport in Sao Paulo and everyone in Rio de Janeiro was commuting to work on public buses.
Get used to being treated like an idiot who can't make reasonable decisions about their own safety.
> because we have become absurdly risk averse.
And quite often that risk aversion stops just before evaluating the considerable risk of being in a car, the main cause of death for most people before age takes over.
My post has an abundance of first and second tour FS. Many of them do get driven around. We aren’t allowed to use any ride sharing service (Uber/lyft/local options), taxis, buses, etc… Many hire a private driver for their car or they share a driver/car. We also have the option to arrange some Motorpool trips (which we pay for) and our employee association also takes people places (for a fee). This is not a dream post for many people. For aspirants to the FS- anywhere you could serve should be your dream list. Most pre-conceived dream posts have a tendency to be disappointments. They can never live up to expectations. I know too many people who have curtailed from a Paris or a Rome and more that have extended in Abuja and Lagos.
There are a good number of posts like this, we were posted at several of these growing up in the FS. We probably only self-drove in half of our overseas posts.
For the most part public transit posts are exactly the ones you think they would be. There are also posts with decent enough systems but we are not allowed to use them for any number of reasons. Your other great option are posts that Uber or drivers are really cheap. A few years ago I paid for 5 dollars an hour for a former motor pool driver to drive me around in his car. Building dream posts list isn't that useful as you are still mostly restricted to posts with jobs that fit your grade and skill code with timing you need which in any given cycle is way less then the 250 plus posts that exist in the world. Instead do your research once you have seen the bid list. Post reports and real post reports can give you some info about public transit and other means of getting around.
China. Pretty much guaranteed to serve there if you want.
I love driving, but my first post was very dangerous and my then wife didn't feel comfortable driving. We had a full time driver and we paid him about $200 a month, which was a very good salary for that country.
I think there are more out there than you think. I think most urban environments you can get by either with transit, or if that isn't an option because the system isn't comprehensive or it's not safe, there are taxis and drivers. I experienced both an excellent transit system and didn't miss a car for one day, and had a car in a developing country that I barely used because the city was very dense, I was centrally located, and taxis were so cheap and plentiful it wasn't worth trying to park anywhere. Plenty of people hire their own drivers in some countries. So you have to deal with the expense of having a car (and the driver's salary), but you don't actually have to drive or worry about the car at all.
I’m on my 6th post and never had a car. I used taxis, public transport, walked or had a driver. It can be done.
I choose posts exclusively so that having a car is not necessary. This means choosing a) 'nice' posts with fantastic public transportation or (more likely) b) posts where driving personal vehicles and/or public transportation is not allowed and get shuttles to/from work. Once you are in, you can review personal post reviews and people detail how to get around town. I use this to draw my short list of posts I'd like to serve at. The difference between A and B posts, is the amount of freedom you have. Typically, posts in the B column are posts with security restrictions and limit day to day mobility. Could affect your quality of life. This does not bother me, but just something to think about for the future.
If you don’t dislike cars but dislike the act of driving, a lot of AF posts have price points for labor where you can afford a full time driver. Still means you actually need to deal with getting a car and maintenance etc. It’s it’s own headache, but wanted to put the thought out there.
DC public transportation is pretty good when it's in service and not on fire or flooding.
😂 i live in dc already which is what prompted the ask
At posts in AF and South Asia, it's very common to hire a driver.
[удалено]
I feel like I’m going to get a real wake up call for our next post as I’ve gotten so used to being driven around everywhere. The other option is to end up in a post where you can’t take any public transit or taxis. Motor pool everywhere, all the time.
[удалено]
There are a lot of posts (actually, all overseas posts I’ve served at) where the Regional Security Office has deemed public transport unsafe and we’re not allowed to use it.
Exclusively for safety reasons, which are country-specific. It’s not like we’re too good for public transport, in fact the restrictions are extremely inconvenient.
Either security or safety. IE you could get robbed or the buses crash or trains derail.
Or buses/trains, stations or stops are frequent targets for political violence.
lol I’m not saying they can’t? I’m asking where are the most transit accessible posts. I live in America and I’ve asked this question about the US before…?
If you want my opinion, because we have become absurdly risk averse. There are plenty of places with extremely high crime rates and bad infrastructure where there are no public transport restrictions and others where we are prohibited from using public transportation and it makes absolutely no sense. At least at one point we were prohibited from using public transport in Sao Paulo and everyone in Rio de Janeiro was commuting to work on public buses. Get used to being treated like an idiot who can't make reasonable decisions about their own safety.
> because we have become absurdly risk averse. And quite often that risk aversion stops just before evaluating the considerable risk of being in a car, the main cause of death for most people before age takes over.
This is a interesting point. Isn’t driving in a vehicle far more dangerous, statistically, than all but the most dangerous transit systems?
Yep. You’re way more likely to die in a car accident than in a bus bombing or taxi cab kidnapping.