Transportation

   Driving a car is my usuall mode of transportation almost one hundred percent of the time, most certainly in the winter.  I own a car so I make use of it as much as I can.  I use it for every purpose from trips to school, to the store, or to a friends house.  Im not entirely stuck behind the wheel however.  Once I get to campus, I do quite a bit of walking from class to class.  Also in the summer, I use by bike to make some of the shorter trips such as to the local neighborhood store or the library.  As far as vacations go not much changes.  My family probably will never travel out of the country so we mainly travel by car.  If one of us travels alone (usually to Colorado because of family) then we will usually fly because it is cheaper.  Usually if three or more of us are going it is cheaper to drive.
   In the city, most germans will get around by walking or cycling.  For longer distances in the city they might hop on a bus or U-Bahn.  Germany's innercity transportation is renowned for its efficiency.  Driving around in a car in the city is not your best option as space is very limited. If thery are travelling more in the suburb region then it might be more common to take a car but there are aslo other options such as the S-Bahn or Stadtbahn.  As far as travelling cross-country or internationally your best choice would usually be by car or train.  The German autobahn is world famous and its train system is very efficient and affordable. I would say that in America's largest cities the are a lot more similarities between the German and American systems.  However there is just a lot more space in between the big cities in America which makes owning a car and house much more affordable and realistic.  Germany's geography contibutes to the high amount of usage of public transportation.  Space is running out so owning a house out in the German countryside is very expensive so people tend to stick to the city and take advantage of the excellent transportation systems.  I think German's in general are just a little more practical with their money when it comes to living space and transportation.  I don't tink most Germans feel entitled to to their own home and car whereas we have this "American Dream " lifestyle that we tend to gravitate towards. Overall, both systems work pretty well for the part of the world that they occupy.

http://www.studying-in-germany.org/a-foreigners-guide-to-public-transport-in-germany/