BlaBlaCar - Hitchhiking for hipsters

Coming from Australia, getting around Spain is fairly easy due to the different options you have in terms of transport. Trains, plains and automobiles connect most cities, even small pueblos such as Pozoblanco. And if you are unable to get from point A to point B via train, plain or bus, there is blablacar.

As mentioned in my previous post (see here) blablacar is essentially hitchhiking for the technological age (or hipsters). If you are a driver, you put your origin and destination up on the website and blablacar works out a fare per passenger. Then, as a passenger, you do a search typing in your origin, destination and date. NB: The blablar.com doesn’t have a search parameter for dates, however, blablacar.es does. So, use the Spanish site. The search results provide options with drivers, a small bio, their review stats, their full journey details, times and prices. Along with sometimes being more convenient and direct, I’ve also found that blablacar is usually cheaper than buses and trains.

For example, getting to Osuna from Pozoblanco was a bit of a pain using public transport (generally requiring changing trains and waiting around platforms). However, I was very much determined on going and hoping to catch some Game of Thrones action. So, despite being a little unsure of how safe it was, I bit the bullet and booked my first blablacar ride. Of course, being the good girl-scout that I am (figuratively, not literally), I made sure I messaged all the important people the details of my trip and driver, since it was my first time as a solo female travelling with a complete stranger. I needn’t have worried though, as my driver was lovely. We both had the same taste in music and it was a great opportunity to practice speaking Spanish and learn some slang. “Chiquita” is now one of my favourite words for small/little.

If you are considering travelling to the unknown and trains, planes or buses aren’t really looking that appealing, check out blablacar. You may be surprised at what you can find. Of course, use your common sense and check out the drivers, their stats and reviews before booking. However, from what I have seen and experienced first hand, it has been good for me.