Exploring washington D.C. by scooter

Arriving in Washington D.C. during summer was quite the shock to the system. Especially because, as a South African, I had it in my head that us in the southern hemisphere were the fortunate ones most privy to endless balmy summer days while those in the north were lucky if they got a couple of weeks of decent warm weather.

As it turns out, I was completely wrong.

We stepped off that plane into a wall of dense, heavy air and the sweat started to bead wherever it could find a spot.

This continued past that first day and past that first week. Everywhere we walked to explore our new surroundings included the sensation of sweat dripping down our backs.

Ah, I remember it well…

Of course, as we showed in our last video, we did manage to navigate the Washington D.C. metro system, which helped a lot thanks to the air conditioning.

But in between stops, we were melting.

It was on one of our expeditions between monuments that we realised how popular electric scooters seemed to be as a viable mode of transport.

And that was when we decided we needed a life upgrade!

Watch now: Exploring Washington D.C. on Electric Scooters

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We feel like 12 year old kids again!

Abigail K

VEGAN, MINIMALIST NOMAD OVER-40

Micromobility in Washington, D.C.

This was the first time I’d heard about the term ‘micromobility’ which refers to a mode of personal transport using a ‘vehicle’ that is either self-powered or electrically powered, is below a certain threshold of weight and is limited by a certain distance within a given trip.

In other words, micromobility refers to walkers, cyclists, scooterists and the like.

There are even entire neighbourhoods that are created around the micromobility lifestyle. We actually stayed in one not long ago which we’ll be sharing in our next video.

It turns out, micromobility is the way of the future as fuel prices sky-rocket across the planet and more people are either working from home or choosing to work in the same neighbourhood as their work.

E-Scooter Rentals in Washington D.C.

We chose to buy our own scooters to zip around on, but it’s not necessary to purchase one. Especially if you’d like to trial it out as a viable means to get around, or if you’re still a car owner and don’t need to an additional permanent mode of transport..

If that’s the case, then there’s always the rental option for you.

Washington D.C. has opened up it’s city to 2 or 3 E-Scooter rental companies who operate on a similar model as Uber or Lyft, except that the company owns all the scooters, as opposed to individual owners.

There are docking stations dotted across the city and surrounds where you’re able to unlock and jump on any freely available E-Scooter that you like, using their app to manage the locking and payment functionality.

For $1 you can unlock the scooter and then you’re charged via app for each minute that you’re using the scooter until such time that you re-lock the scooter and indicate that your trip is complete. Depending on the company, you’ll pay anywhere from 30 to 50 cents per minute.

It’s a convenient system because the app will show you where your closest available scooter is, and when you’re done, you can simply lock and leave the scooter wherever your journey ended.

If we were tourists in DC, this would definitely be the way we would choose to see the city, and going forward, when we get the chance to visit other cities in The States or in Europe, we’ll definitely be looking out for their scooter rental options.

A new season of having Good Clean Fun on our E-Scooters in Washington, D.C.

As well as being a functional means of getting from A to B quicker and cooler, investing in these scooters has brought some much needed fun into our lives.

Scooting along on the trails and bicycle lanes has brought an element of playfulness to our adventures. Moving to a new country could arguably be considered a fairly heavy life change to navigate for anyone, no matter their age, but scooting along to do boring adult things like banking or grocery shopping suddenly feels like something to look forward to.

We feel like kids again… bringing childlike joy into our ‘far too serious’ adult lives.

And as Autumn… (ahem, Fall!) arrives, we’re getting to feel the cooler air and changing colours while we’re out scootin’ and tootin’.

Washington DC – A walker’s, cyclist’s & scooterist’s paradise

What I’ve loved most about each new neighbourhood we’ve stayed in so far is discovering the nearby nature trails.

On our scooters, we’re able to venture further and faster to appreciate more of what each area has to offer.

Over the course of just a few days, we already felt a greater sense of freedom thanks to our little sets of wheels.

Freedom to explore and breathe in the sights, sounds and fresh air.

What makes DC so great to scoot around is that they’ve equipped the roads, parks and neighbourhoods for scooterists, cyclists and walkers with designated lanes and trails all across the city.

What’s your favourite way to explore a new city?

Before we discovered E-Scooters, whenever we went to a new city for the first time, we’d hop on the Big Red Bus Tours to get a lay of the land.

Now I think we’ll be taking a different approach.

My Explorer archetype LOVES the freedom and adventure of experiencing even more new sights and sounds than we could manage on foot while my Innocent archetype ADORES the feeling of playing like a 12 year old girl again, gliding through the enchanted forests.

What’s your favourite way to explore a new city?

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