Having access to your own car is fantastically convenient. You don’t have to worry about timetables or refilling your fare card or any of the other annoyances that come with public transportation. Want to go somewhere? You just hop in your car and go. No further logistics needed. And perhaps even more important, when you decide you’ve had enough and you want to return home? You go right home!

One of the major inconveniences of owning a car occurs when you reach your destination and you have to find a place to park it. You can always place a frustrated car owner by their mobile search history, which is riddled with “free parking near me” which is inevitably pared down to simply, “parking near me” search queries.

And finding the right parking place is no small feat! You want to find a place that’s safe, well-lit, easy to navigate into and out of (especially if you’re no parallel parking champion), legal and finally, won’t land you with a pile of expensive parking fees. Much easier said than done, right?

The way we see it, finding the ideal parking spot that meets all of the above criteria can be achieved via a few different approaches. We’ve listed them below, but ultimately you’ll have to decide which one is the right one for you!

The Early Bird

Everyone knows the term about the early bird getting the worm. But this well-worn idiom could just as easily be adjusted to “The early bird gets the best parking space.” (Although it’s worth noting that birds don’t need cars because they can fly.) 

So while it’s the least sexy solution, finding that perfect spot often means playing the waiting game. If you want to find the holy grail of parking spots, IE  the one that’s close to your destination, easy to navigate and won’t cost you an arm and a leg — sometimes you just have to leave plenty of time and arrive with plenty of patience.

The Project Manager

As Ben Franklin once said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” And while we very much doubt he had parking in mind when he first uttered these timeless words of wisdom, they most certainly ring true in this respect.

If you’re planning to park in a populated urban area where you can anticipate the competition to snag a spot will be fierce, it can be well worth it to do a little research before you set off for your destination. Reaching out to your network on social media to ask if anyone has suggestions, conducting a quick google to find out about street parking regulations, and maybe even looking at rates for local parking facilities — just in case your hunt for street parking proves unsuccessful — can all be effective methods for formulating your parking strategy.

Not only will they ensure you have a variety of options and fall-back plans, but they will also help you avoid those worst-case scenarios: a ticket on your windshield, a boot on your tire, or your vehicle being towed to an impound lot on the other side of town.

The Tech Guru

If you consider yourself even remotely tech-savvy, you might be more inclined to adopt a more forward-thinking approach to snagging that perfect spot. Depending on which city you’re in, a quick google will no doubt connect you with an array of apps all built to help you take the pain out of the parking game. Many of them are built with convenient features which allow for effortless expensing if you’re a regular business traveller, and can guarantee savings of up to 50%!

And whether you’re looking to park for a few hours or a long-term solution for storing your car, the sharing economy has made it easier than ever to rent from neighbours who have an empty space — or maybe even a cosy climate-controlled garage! There are solutions built for every duration,  price point and operating system, so be sure to do a quick search for the latest and greatest tech solution to finding reliable parking.

The Bolt Rider

Maybe you’re thinking that all of the above “solutions” sound like a whole lot of time and energy. And you’d be 100% correct. The truth is that when you own a vehicle, you’re always going to need a place to store it, and all the parking solutions require you to compromise some amount of money or time.

But what if we told you that there was a way to have all the convenience of owning your own car with none of the hassle of constantly being on the hunt for a parking space? With Bolt, you have your very own private car service at the tap of a button, ready to whisk you away to wherever you want to go. All for a shockingly affordable price. And no parallel parking, ever! Could this be the solution to declare victory on the parking war, once and for all? We certainly think so!

Download Bolt here and try it for yourself today.