Toefl writing: What transport do you choose to travel away from your home?

Topic:

You need to travel from your home to a place 40 miles (64 kilometers) away. Compare the different kinds of transportation you could use. Tell which method of travel you would choose.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Sample Essay:

Choosing the Best Transportation

There are many different types of transportation which I could use to travel 40 miles from my home. The type of transportation I would choose depends mainly on how fast I need to get there and how much money I have. Some possibilities are walking, horseback riding, driving, or using a taxi, bus, or train.

The most economical choice is walking. It costs nothing, is healthful, but it is time consuming. The average person can walk about 4-5 miles per hour, so this trip would take at least 10 hours to complete. That means I would probably have to spend the night somewhere along the way. If I have to spend money for a hotel, then this choice really isn’t free. Plus, I might arrive at the end tired and with sore feet! After walking comes animal transportation. In my area, horses are not common, so it wouldn’t be a likely choice. I believe that a 40-mile trip would take 2 or 3 hours on a horse. If I had free access to a horse, the cost would be minimal. Of course, I’d have to know how to ride!

With a car, the travel time is minimal (under one hour), with only the cost of gasoline to consider. However, I don’t own a car, and car rentals are expensive. Shared taxis are one form of affordable transportation, with 4 or 5 people sharing the cost of a car trip to a common destination. The only downside is finding people to share the fare with me. Fortunately, I live in an urban area, where there are buses and trains to ride. One of these would be my first choice.

In short, the kind of transportation depends on how fast I need to get to my destination and how much money I have. If I need to get there first, and money isn’t important, I can hire a private taxi. Since I don’t own my own car. I don’t have that option, and I have never walked 40 miles ins one trip. I usually depend on the bus and trains, and would do so in this circumstance. They are cheap, dependable and reliable.