# What's the most exotic mode of transportation you've ever used? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 3, 2003, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738 "2003-03-03T08:33:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/41 "2003-03-03T22:33:35Z")
A Hovercraft from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight. A Twin Otter aircraft from Mwanza to Bukoba (and back) in Tanzania. A small helicopter (I was very young and hardly remember it). The People Mover at Disneyland! ---
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/42 "2003-03-03T22:47:29Z")
A single engine Cessna. A Anchorage-to-Denali luxury train. A whale-spotting cruise. ---
**Author:** ![consolid8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@consolid8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/consolid8)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/43 "2003-03-03T23:04:00Z")
A llama. A donkey during a basketball game. A hot air balloon. Everyone should do that once! A freight train locomotive. A boxcar. An ambulance. As a driver, and as an EMT, and as a patient. Not all at the same time, but the same ambulance over a period of time. Everyone should NOT do that. A 100’ aerial ladder truck. ---
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/44 "2003-03-04T00:04:08Z")
Oh, almost forgot: The back of a moving van. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/45 "2003-03-04T00:19:27Z")
For what provided the greatest thrill? I’d say the cruise we went on a few years ago. I stepped aboard the ship and marvelled at its size and general aspect in view of the fact that it was still a self powered oceangoing vessel. Besides, cruises are so evocative of the bygone days of ocean liner travel. I am too young to have experienced that so this is a nice runner up. Flying, generally, still gives me a little zing of excitement, but it’s way less than when I was 6 years old and got a helicopter ride. I would like to fly somewhere in a DC-6, Lockheed Electra, or other vintage, turboprop-driven transport plane. I think flying lower and slower would bring back some of the thrill of my first time in a plane. But I can’t think of where I would find such a flight. They’re certainly not flying in or out of LAX. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/46 "2003-03-04T00:27:20Z")
Private jet, the “Wachovia Shuttle.” I don’t remember what size exactly; I guess I’d say it held about 8-10 passengers. Very cushy. Flew it from Winston-Salem to Atlanta and back. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/47 "2003-03-04T02:23:16Z")
A “cyclo” - Vietnamese three wheeled pedal powered rickshaw thingy in Saigon. A hydrofoil A tram (or streetcar) - shaddup Melburnians, it’s exotic to _me_! 😃 A monorail A miniature steam train A full sized steam train A funicular railway or two (both touristy, and the Hong Kong one is pretty mainstream, but the one near Sydney is the steepest railway in the world) A driverless train The driver’s compartment of a commuter train An articulated bus (bendibus) A double decker bus (not common here) A Sydney train that arrived on time… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/48 "2003-03-04T02:47:29Z")
Oh **UncleBill** , how I hate you. My jealousy knows no bounds. 😉 Does an M113APC with a TOW count? Tripler Someone already said a Huey helicopter. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/49 "2003-03-04T02:56:59Z")
Hmmm…, lots of fellow Bullet Train and helicopter riders here. The chair bridge that used to be under the San Bernard River bridge over I-10. We had a rope we used to swing across Buffalo Bayou when I was a kid. Probably too many have hopped a freight for it to count. > [@](#): > > The back seat of a police car. Way popular; I’d have to think for a bit to figure out how many times I’ve done that. 140 mph in the trunk of a car? A few Super Connies. Several small airplanes. Do parachutes count? They were all the old military model called, IIRC, the B-10. In the trailer of a deadheading 18-wheeler. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/50 "2003-03-04T03:15:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shayna \* > \*\*I’ve been up in hot air balloons many times. But only once in a [countach lamborghini](http://www.redline.co.zw/images/Supercars/Lamboguini/1985-lamborghini-countach.jpg) – and that was enough for me! > \*\* Wow! That countach looks like it’s doing 200 mph just sitting there! Piggy-back. Sure. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/51 "2003-03-04T03:32:22Z")
A horse A WW2ish german bakers bike. Roller blades The Tube ( London) Subway ( NY) EL In Chicago Stolen Golf cart at midnight A Donkey in Ireland. \*\*Hedra’s \*\* tortoise ride just takes the cake, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/52 "2003-03-04T03:33:51Z")
A horse A WW2ish german bakers bike. Roller blades The Tube ( London) Subway ( NY) EL In Chicago Stolen Golf cart at midnight A pony cart in Ireland. ( It poured. I was about 7) \*\*Hedra’s \*\* tortoise ride just takes the cake, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/53 "2003-03-04T03:39:47Z")
Whilst apologizing for pounding the enter key in frustration, I’d like to add, belatedly, I’ve survived Mexican taxi drivers, numerous hydroplane crossing to Mackinac Island, Car ferry crossings, and German rail in the heat of the summer ( no air or deoderant) I thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/54 "2003-03-04T03:41:27Z")
Ohhhh, and I once fulfilled two Life Goals ™ at once by a) driving our tractor on a main road, and b) fricking up traffic for miles because no one could pass me. 🙂 That was fun. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/55 "2003-03-04T06:52:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DesertGeezer \* > **Robot Arm** , what’s a maglev like? Is it quiet? Where was it? There was a demonstration track at the World’s Fair in Vancouver in '86. Quiet, and smooth with a capital “smoo”. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/56 "2003-03-04T11:00:39Z")
yak in Tibet (horses there too). Did the old cross a river while sitting on an inverted T bar as the pully slid down the cable trick a couple of times in Tibet as well. Some pretty odd tractor like contraptions in China. Really old propeller planes of Russian origen. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/57 "2003-03-04T11:20:57Z")
A little boat drawn by two dolphins in gear. Really! I was 6 years old, visiting the Dolfinarium (Dolphin-show) at Harderwijk, Netherlands. I was picked out of the audience for the ride across the large pool because it was my birthday. Or maybe it wasn’t my birthday, but I had an ambitious and determined mother. Riding the ski-lift in Switzerland in summer was nice too. It is like flying across this beautiful view at a height of 4 metres, in total silence with almost no people around. **originally posted by Sunspace** > [@](#): > > Hydrofoil across Lake Ontario What is that? It sounds interesting! ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/58 "2003-03-04T13:15:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GingerOfTheNorth \* > \*\*Kamik. Otherwise known as dog-sled. I don’t know how exotic that is, given that most of the people I know in the north have ridden and/or driven a team. \*\* I would like to point out my (just noticed this second) error. A _kamik_ is a boot, whilst a _komatik_ is a sled. Sorry. Also, I see tractor on the list somewhere in here - I learned how to drive on a tractor at the age of 11 or 12, so it didn’t strike me as exotic. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/59 "2003-03-04T16:56:43Z")
Oh yeah, riding on a huge farm combine is pretty cool. I mean, it’s commonplace for some people, but I didn’t grow up on a farm. When my uncle farmed, I loved going in that huge rig with him. His toddler daughter would go with and fall asleep on the floor of the cab. Which is incredible, because those things really vibrate. ---
**Author:** ![Beija](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@Beija](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beija)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738/60 "2003-03-04T18:08:51Z")
When I first opened this thread I thought, nah, I’ve never done anything exotic. Reading through jogged my memory… – If parachutes count, me too (and all by myself, not in tandem) – A hanglider on skis (in tandem) – A funicular up the inside of a mountain (very dark and creepy and claustrophobic) – Sleeper car to the alps (before, but next month too) – The cable car over the East River in Manhattan – Monorail – The TGV (bullet train) every summer from Paris to the south of France – The Cog Railway steam train up Mt. Washington in NH – Hovercraft across the channel – Donkey up to Santorini, Greece from – The cruise ship I was on – Gondola in Venice (water taxi too) – The disco taxi in Aspen, Colorado: [http://www.ultimatetaxi.com/index.htm](http://www.ultimatetaxi.com/index.htm) – My uncle’s 1957 Bentley – 200 kph in a Mercedes on the autobahn outside of Nürnberg (I was driving) – 5 g’s in a bobsled (I’ll _never_ do that again!) – Bateaux Mouches along the Seine in Paris – Circle Line Jazz cruise around Manhattan – A motorboat in Boston Harbor about 10 feet from the landing strip at Logan Airport (you could reach up and touch the planes) Wow. I _have_ done a thing or two! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-exotic-mode-of-transportation-youve-ever-used/158738.md?page=4)