Why I’ll Always Choose the Driver’s Seat

Put someone in a Porsche on a mountain road and everything changes. You’re not commuting anymore. You’re driving. You’re engaged with the place in a way that you simply cannot be from the back seat.

Think about it — we all grew up playing driving games, going to amusement parks where you could get behind the wheel. Driving is inherently fun. It’s just that most of us forgot that because our daily driving is sitting in traffic. Put the right car on the right road and that feeling comes flooding back.

The Social Element

Here’s something people don’t talk about enough: the car you drive shapes the social experience of a trip. When you’re pulling up to places in something beautiful — not flashy, but genuinely beautiful and well-made and expensive — people react. I’ve had people walk up at gas stations, at cafes, in parking lots. “Hey, nice car.” “Where are you from?” “What do you do?” It opens doors to conversations that would never happen if you pulled up in a standard rental.

And I want to be clear — it’s not about showing off. It’s about the fact that humans are visual. A beautiful car gets attention the same way a beautiful watch or a well-made suit does. It signals that you care about the details, and that attracts people who care about the same things. Some of the best conversations I’ve had on the road started because someone noticed the Taycan.

The Full Experience Equation

Here’s how I think about it now. A great trip needs four things to click: the food, the hotel, the location, and the car. Most people put thought into the first three and totally neglect the fourth. But the car is the thread that connects everything. It’s how you get from the hotel to the restaurant to the beach to the mountain pass. If that thread is boring, the whole thing is a little bit less than it could be.

When you’re in a car that makes you smile every time you turn the key, every transition between moments becomes a moment in itself. You’re not sitting in traffic wishing you were already there. You’re enjoying the ride. Literally.

Why I’ll Never Go Back

I’ve done both. I’ve been chauffeured in beautiful cars. I’ve taken guided tours. I’ve sat in the back of taxis and Ubers around the world. And none of it compares to driving yourself — not even close.

There are absolutely times when a driver makes sense — in a city, after a few too many glasses of wine, when you’re somewhere that driving is genuinely dangerous or impractical. I’m not a purist about it.

But when it comes to truly experiencing a place — feeling it, not just seeing it — you have to drive. Especially something that puts a smile on your face. Something you’ll remember. Because the feeling of pushing a great car through the Alps, getting a nod from another driver, pulling up to a cliffside cafe with your friends in a car that makes people stop and look — those are the moments you keep.

And you don’t get those from the back seat.

Written by

Tarik Bob

Founder, Seren Mont

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