The air bag: Getting back behind the wheel in a foreign country

It has been argued before that once you acquire a car, you acquire freedom. Before moving to Abu ­Dhabi from the United States, I drove a car for a majority of the time I lived in Boston – a city known for not being too driver-friendly. I never actually had many problems and quite enjoyed having a car, but when I decided to move to the UAE, driving and owning a car weren’t at the top of my list of things to focus on.

For the first two-and-a-half years of being an expat, I never felt a strong need to have my own car. Whether it was because of the low cost of taxi fares or having friends with their own vehicles, I was OK with having someone else take the wheel, while I sat content in the passenger seat. It wasn’t always the most convenient arrangement, but it worked for me.

However, this all changed when I had to make a trip to Dubai for an event and then a few days later find my way to Bani Yas early in the morning before work.

Instead of booking a taxi, I decided to try my luck by renting a car and turning on Google Maps. I was a little nervous about the venture, but I figured it couldn’t be that bad compared to some of the driving I experienced back in ­Boston.

It actually felt good to be back in the driver’s seat.

The trips went smoothly, although it did take some adjustments when it came to understanding the changing speed limits and paying attention to the speed radars alongside the roads.

But just being able to get from one place to another, without having to wait in a queue or call ahead of time, was really nice. So much so, I ended up extending my car rental agreement for another week.

Being able to pick up my friends for once or hopping inside the car and going where I wanted on a whim felt refreshing. It felt like I was experiencing Abu Dhabi for the first time.

Suddenly, I was able to give more attention to roads, restaurants and shops that I hadn’t discovered before.

With my own car, I was beginning to do things on my own terms instead of depending on someone else.

Looking back, I wish I had got a car earlier. Or at least rented one sooner.

Naturally, there are also a host of issues that come with having a car: where to park, avoiding traffic and speeding fines, and sometimes dealing with aggressive drivers on the road. But for me, the ability to be where you want, when you want, is something that outweighs those problems.

Whether it’s driving to the mall to meet up with friends or spontaneously taking a solo trip somewhere else, there’s so much possibility whenever you get behind the wheel.

Instead of asking myself now whether I should rent a car or just take a taxi, I have moved on to a bigger car issue: should I rent or should I buy?