No driving experience can make you act like a crazy person with more regularity than parking. When searching for a parking spot, all rational sense is abandoned. Distances become hazy; our relationship between ourselves and our fellow human beings becomes clouded by anger and distrust; time seems to lose all meaning as we circle parking lots. It doesn’t matter that we could have parked in the back and already been in the store; it’s all about finding that perfect spot.
OK, so perhaps that is an intensified exaggeration of the typical parking experience, but you must admit that there is something about the process of parking that causes people to behave a bit irrationally. Whether it’s a lack of parking, other drivers parking poorly, or the high cost of parking in certain areas, there are a number of significant factors that can make trying to find a parking spot a much more complicated process than it has any right to be.
Fortunately, we have some easy tips to help you park like a pro and avoid nonsensical shenanigans when parking. Let’s dive right in.
Know When to Give Up
Like the song says, sometimes when it comes to parking, you simply need to know when to fold ‘em. It just isn’t worth it to circle a parking lot endlessly looking for the perfect spot. If you’re driving solo, it’s a waste of your time, and if you have passengers, you will slowly drive them insane. Go with the best available spot and save yourself the time and the trouble of searching for that mythical, perfect parking space. It usually only comes to you when you least expect it.
On the flip side, if you’re in a situation where the only available parking is paid parking, you may at some point need to bite the bullet and pay to park. But, on that note…
Don’t Pay Unless You Have To
No one wants to pay for parking, and you shouldn’t, unless you absolutely have to. Before you go anywhere, research your destination and the local parking situation. Read advice from locals. Peruse forums and review sites. Don’t spend some crazy amount of money to park unless you have no choice. Even when you are booking a hotel, check out the parking policy and see if it might be better to get a private rental so you can park in the driveway for free, instead.
Don’t Get Carried Away
When people park like jerks, it can be immensely frustrating. And when you see someone parked poorly – taking up two spots or more, parked over the line, parked illegally – your first instinct might be to give that person a piece of your mind. But here’s the truth – people are crazy. They are absolutely nuts, and you never know what some lunatic is going to do. If they are parked like a crazy person, they probably are one, so don’t get carried away and start some wild scene. Let it go, and park somewhere else.
Park Your Expectations
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when it comes to parking is to park your expectations and remain flexible and ready for whatever might happen. Parking situations can get weird, and at some point you are going to have to adjust and make decisions on the fly. Remain loose, keep your eyes open, and don’t give up on finding that perfect spot – if you do give up on wasting a whole bunch of time trying to find it. Let a little parking zen into your life, and enjoy stress-free parking for years to come.