How to Survive When Your Car is Stuck at the Shop for the Weekend

How to Survive When Your Car is Stuck at the Shop for the Weekend

When you’ve grown accustomed to driving everywhere day-in and day-out, having your car stuck at the mechanic’s for the weekend is a surefire way to disrupt your daily routine.

After all, what are you supposed to do if you’re a one-car family? What if the public transportation in your area leaves much to be desired or is totally non-existent? Are you stuck?

Thankfully, there are ways to survive a weekend without your vehicle without having to pay for a rental car. Although not everyone’s situation is the same, consider the following four tips to surviving without your ride for the weekend.

Embrace the Ride-Sharing Revolution

Rather than rely on a taxi, ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft are booming in popularity for those who either need a quick lift or find themselves in a situation where they don’t have a vehicle.

The benefits of such services are twofold: they’re way cheaper than a traditional taxi and are likewise much more pleasant. After all, ride-sharing drivers use their own vehicles and go to great lengths to ensure that their passengers enjoy their experiences. If you find yourself needing to leave the house and want to give ride-sharing a shot, bear in mind you can find promo codes for Uber online to further sweeten an already great deal.

Call in a Favor

Whether it’s the vehicle of a friend or family member, you can always call in a favor if you truly need a vehicle for the weekend. That said, you shouldn’t automatically expect such generosity as few people would be willing to inconvenience themselves unless they really owe you something. Giving up your car is a big commitment with a lot of potential headaches involved if anything goes wrong on the road, so don’t be surprised if somebody says “no.”

On the other hand, asking for a ride to or from a destination isn’t as big of a deal. As long as you compensate whoever offers you a helping hand with lunch or gas money, you can consider yourselves even.

Consider Hoofing It

Depending on your specific situation, there’s always the option of traveling on foot or busting out your bike to get wherever you might need to go.

If nothing else, not having your car is a good excuse to go outside and get some exercise. Of course, your ability to do so depends on factors such as the climate, time of day and distance of where you’re trying to go.

While you can probably manage a mile or two on-foot, going much further than that probably isn’t worthwhile unless you’re desperate or have major time to kill. Biking affords you some speed, but can be tricky if you’re dealing with the dark or harsh weather conditions.

Make the Most of the Situation

Finally, consider how you can actually take your lack of vehicle and spin it into a positive. What better excuse to knock out some yard-work or catch up on the latest Netflix show if you’re stuck at home with nothing else to do?

Obviously you should have some sort of back-up plan in case of an emergency or need for an unexpected trip. That said, sometimes not having a car is a good reason to kick back and spend more time with your family. Just because you don’t have your car doesn’t mean your weekend has to be total gloom and doom, by the way.

Nobody wants their car to break down; however, you can undoubtedly survive your situation when you think about your options and plan ahead. From ride-sharing or borrowing a car to going on-foot or simply staying home, you can make it through the weekend with the peace of mind that you’re not going to be stranded and miserable.