One of the things that I always try to do when I travel is to help fellow travelers out whenever I see one. If you are leaving a city and you have a transit ticket/pass that is still valid, you can give a free train ride to someone in need. Sometimes I see them looking around confused, walking aimlessly with a backpack on or maybe just stressed out from the language barrier or poor directions. I have been victims of all of these and it’s a bit frustrating.
One of the simplest ways that I help my fellow traveler out is by giving away any valid mass transit tickets/passes that I have as I am leaving a city.
I have done this several times with my New York City Metro Cards at the airport as I’m about to catch a flight out of the city. I’m usually only in the city for about 5 days at a time visiting a buddy of mine. I always opt for the 7 day Metro Card so I only have to buy one and its more than valid for my stay 24/7. A MetroCard is an important part of my NYC Survival Kit.
I hate to just throw away a Metro Card with a couple full days of transit left on it. Especially if I can save someone a few bucks and more importantly save them some time and hassle. It makes me feel good and I have only gotten kind words for doing it. Try it. See what happens.
What I didn’t know is that I’m not the only one who does this.
I found this out the best way possible when I was recently in Barcelona. I was at BCN Airport’s Terminal 2 and there is an enclosed walking bridge that takes you over to the airport train station. I could see that there was a train sitting at the station and would be leaving soon. I quickly made my way to the ticket machines so as to buy a ticket before the train left (they only come every 30 mins).
I was at the ticket machine about to hastily put money into the machine when a rather cute Aussie girl with a backpack much like mine came up to me and said “Do you need a ticket?” in the most beautiful Aussie accent. It took me a second to figure out what was going on but I managed to utter the word “Yeah”. She promptly offered hers to me and said “Here. Take this one. It’s still good”. I said “oh… thanks.” She put it in my hand and was gone just as quickly as she came.
As I raced for the train I realized what just happened. I was just on the receiving end of a traveler helping out another traveler. It seems that my gesture had come around full circle and I was on my way to downtown Barcelona for a couple bucks less and more importantly, less time and hassle than I would have otherwise been without the help of my lovely Aussie encounter. Had she not given me that ticket, I could have missed the train and had to wait another 30 mins and spend €3.
I’m glad I’m not the only one with this quirky habit.
In case you need some ideas, here’s 3 simple ways to give away your valid mass transit pass before you leave a city
– Offer it to someone at a ticket/pass machine or maybe someone waiting in the line. This is often a huge burden lifted for someone who can’t read the machine to buy tickets.
– Offer it to people as they get off of a plane. This takes a little more guts as people are often in a hurry and they are a little harder to approach. I like to target obvious foreigners to show them some US hospitality.
– Tape it to a ticket/pass machine with a notice of expiration date. I plan on doing this on my next trip to NYC.
If you are ever about to dispose of some sort of valid mass transit card as you’re leaving a city, maybe take a second to step out of your comfort zone for a moment and give a free train ride to a fellow traveler. It might mean more to them than you realize.
