yharn17

Hi, I'm going to plan a holiday to spend in the U.S for one month (late-Aug to late-Sept).
I don't have any initial plan now but would like to receive some suggestions about that.

(1)There are some states that I'm planning to visit:
New York
Los Angeles
New Orleans
San Francisco
Washington
Philadelphia
Niagara Falls
Las Vegas
I am planning to go as much places as I can within a month but I know its kinda hard to fit all in.
Does anyone have any suggestion in terms of transportation and the best route for this?

(2) Where can I find an accommodation that is within 100USD/night. (Possibly any website?)
I'm open up to either hotel or hostel that is safe to stay.

(3) I would like to visit both urban and nature places. Is there any suggestion places that I must visit in the U.S?

(4)Which places would you suggest to stay longer etc.

I haven't have a budget for the trip but it is better to have lower as possible as well as it is not too bad.
Any suggestion will be grateful. Thanks.

marvelousmouse

Hostels would be my tip. Look up Hostelling international. But the bulk of your budget is going to go towards airfare- so sort out exactly where you want to go first.

marvelousmouse

Also it would probably help if you put where you're from (if you want itinerary suggestions) and your maximum budget (you must have one of you want lodging below 100.)

nytraveler

The only lodgings that will work for less than $100 per night are either hostels or couchsurfing. There are notell motels at the side of the road in remote areas for a lot less than this but not in big cities or resort areas. Hostels would be a bed and locker in a shared dorm room - NOT private room.

Agree that airfare will be your biggest cost - unless you elect to do buses. These can take a VERY long time and often run to inconvenient schedules, dropping you off at the wrong end of town in the middle of the night. You can look at train from NYC to DC (but you need to buy discount tickets far in advance) or you can get supercheap buses - which will take longer since you are likely to be stuck in the massive traffic in that area.

The only "nature" place you have is Niagara Falls. You can also do Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. Probably would have to do a tour since public transit in that part of the country is minimal and I can't imagine you want to spend for a rental car.

There are many other wonderful parks out west but they won't fit into your itinerary unless you drop some cities. And typically lodging in the parks sells out many months in advance and again you may need a tour since most people do them by car.

tomfuller

Are you coming into the US from Europe or Asia?
I know that nytraveler hates Amtrak trains but I think they are OK if you need basic transport from city center to city center without taxi or other ground transport from an airport. The 30 day USA Rail Pass (12 segments) is now $689.
https://www.amtrak.com/take-the-trai...-usa-rail-pass
Starting in New York City since you listed it first, Pick up the Rail Pass at Penn Station when you are ready to leave the city. Take one of the Empire Service trains to Buffalo and find transport to Niagara Falls OR take the Maple Leaf directly to Niagara Falls NY.
Leaving Buffalo (about midnight) you will be on the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago.
Spend about 5 hours in Chicago before getting on the California Zephyr all the way to Glenwood Springs Colorado.
Spend 24 hours in Glenwood Springs before getting on the CZ again and going to Sacramento.
Spend a night in my favorite HI hostel at 10th & H in Sacramento and then rent a car to go from there to San Francisco and then south along the coast as far as Monterey. There is a HI hostel at Pigeon Point lighthouse about 50 miles south of SF with great scenery.
There is also a HI Hostel in Monterey within walking distance of Cannery Row and the aquarium.
Return the car to Sacramento and then take the Coast Starlight (about 6:30AM) to Los Angeles (9PM if on time).
Rent another car to see Los Angeles and see if you still want to go to Las Vegas.
Return the car to Los Angeles and take the Sunset Limited (3 day/week) through San Antonio and all the way to New Orleans. See New Orleans without a car and then use one of your remaining segments to go on the Crescent from NOL to Washington.
If you still have segments left on your Rail Pass, take a NE Regional from Washington to Philadelphia and from Philadelphia to New York if you have to fly home from there.
Otherwise you could just fly home from Philadelphia.
My first 30 day Rail Pass started in October 2001 and I have used several since then.
There are 3 HI Hostels in San Francisco if you decide to spend a night in the city, otherwise just head for Pigeon Point.

clarkgriswold

8 cities in 30 days gives you just under 3 days per spot once you include all the days that you'll be traveling between cities.

New York - Washington- Philadelphia use Amtrak train.
Fly Phila to New Orleans ($120 on delta.com)
Fly New Orleans to San Francisco ($140 on delta.com)
Drive San Francisco to Los Angeles to Las Vegas

Budget accomodations:
New York : Larchmont Hotel or Leo House
Washington: Holiday Inn Dupont Circle or Baron Hotel
New Orleans: French Market Inn or Hotel Provincial
Las Vegas: Super 8 on Koval Lane, (2 block walk to strip)
Los Angeles : Wilshire Motel (stay on westside of L.A. as Sept is blazing hot in Hollywood)
San Francisco: San Remo Hotel or Marina Motel (booking.com)

For the hotels with free cancellation policy, book soon while you continue to work on your plan...budget places do fill up 6 months in advance.

jamie99

I think clark has a good plan, not too many hotels in LA for $100 per night (remember there is a 15% room tax per night so if you cannot spend more than $100 you are really looking for a room that costs $85 pn - very tough).
Maybe take a look at Motel 6 in Hollywood on Whitely Avenue, or the Wilshire Crest.
Hopefully you have a car in LA, you really need one since buses take a long time and do not go everywhere.
I'd drop Niagara Falls.
Also remember the US Labor Day weekend is the first weekend in September so books up faster and rates are higher, sometimes with minimum stay requirements.

suze

Since your budget is so low, why not cut down your list and not try to visit so many cities? The airfare (train, car rental) going between those 8 places is going to be a real budget-buster.

usroadman

I think nytraveler's point was that buying a regular ticket on Amtrak from NYP to WAS can be really pricy unless you plan ahead. I agree with Tom though that a 30-day pass is a reasonably inexpensive way to get around the country (& actually see the country as you go) especially if you're OK sleeping in a coach seat, and much nicer than attempting buses.
One correction on the Niagara Falls segment, any train that goes to Buffalo also goes to Niagara Falls, NY (except the LSL, but that gets in around midnight so I wouldn't take it anyway), so might as well go all the way, even though the station is quite aways from the falls. The Maple Leaf would get you to Niagara Falls, Canada, though I'm not certain if the pass allows crossing the bridge. I'd definitely recommend seeing the falls from the Canadian side, but make sure all of your visas are in order to enter Canada and still get back into the US. As Tom said you'd need to take the LSL out of Buffalo-Depew (at around midnight, but hey that's 1 less room you have to pay for). There are city buses (NFTA) that run from Niagara Falls to Buffalo ($5 for a day pass) if you're really trying to stay cheap.

tomfuller

Using the route that I outlined above, you can leave New York City and not pay for a hotel room until you get to Glenwood Springs Colorado.
Take the Maple Leaf from NYP to NFL (Niagara Falls NY) arriving about 4:30PM. That gives you about 7 hours to see the falls and get back to the BUF (Depew) station to catch the Lake Shore Limited overnight to Chicago.
If you decide to spend a night in Chicago before boarding the California Zephyr, the HI hostel (on Congress) is a good choice.
There is a hostel in Glenwood Springs (not HI).
On a 30 day USA Rail Pass, you can expect to be sleeping in a coach seat for at least 10 nights. This is a bargain when you consider what you would pay for hotel rooms and airfare.
If you didn't want to drive through the Mojave desert, you can fly for not too much from LAX to Las Vegas.

tomfuller

The Sunset Limited leaves Los Angeles Union Station at 10 PM on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. It takes about 46 hours to get to New Orleans. The food in the dining car is not cheap.
https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/924/670...nd-train,0.pdf
You can bring your own food on board in Los Angeles to serve for a couple of meals. Breakfast is the best meal to eat in the dining car.

clarkgriswold

46 hours on a train does not sound like a great idea for someone who is trying to fit 8 or 9 cities into 30 days. And the train fare is more than airfare plus a night's hotel...in fact about triple if you want a sleeping berth.

nytraveler

Taking the train all over the country is fine IF you have unlimited time (they are very slow and often late) and the train ride is a major part of your trip (versus seeing cities and national parks).

IMHO sitting up on a train all night is close to madness and rooms are very expensive. In fact, for most segments train is much more expensive than plane. And $700 seems a big chunk of money considering the time it takes.

Tom is a train buff and he recos trains to everyone who posts - never mind their specific conditions.

Agree the dozens and dozens of hours of the trains makes little sense when you are trying to stuff so many places in so few days.

mlgb

Discount airlines if you can plan even a week ahead

www.jetblue.com
www.spirit.com
www.southwest.com

Also look at this bus company that offers super cheap fares Bolt Bus (which is owned by Greyhound). I think there are others of this type

www.boltbus.com

Motel6.com is a good option for cheap hotels. Usually the least expensive option. You can also use www.booking.com etc to search for small independent hotels that offer low prices, just be sure to read the reviews as some of them can be pretty bad.

nytraveler

In major cities any hotel for less that $100 per night is quite likely to rent by the hour (for use by prostitutes) or for housing homeless people rather than tourists (unless you bid using Priceline discounts of similar and that in very low season (dead of winter in many places).

As for Motel 6, it does not typically have locations in center cities (none in/near NYC) but in far distant areas (often an hour or so away) and those that seem to be not far (Niagara Falls) often cost more than $100. And most of them assume you have a car to get from the motel to the tourist sights.

Hobbert

I think you've underestimated how large the US really is. My suggestion for saving money would be to stick to either the west coast or east coast and to shorten the trip. Hostels and buses/trains will be your friend here. Buses, especially. Does it suck to spend 5 hours on a bus from DC to NYC? Yep but it'll get you there for ~$30. If you can sleep sitting up, you can also save a night's accommodation by taking a bus or train to your next stop. Tomfuller's itinerary is great but think about how much time you want to spend traveling. I'd pick 3 or 4 east or west coast destinations and spend time enjoying them, not rushing to the next box to tick off.

janisj

yharn17: Your budget is woefully inadequate for major cites (much more doable in some smaller cities)

Instead of staying for a month on a tiny budget, why not stay 2 or 3 weeks in one or two regions and have enough budget to really enjoy yourself.

nytraveler

Agree that it might help if you let us know your entire budget. You may just be trying to do lodging on a super low budget - but if your budget for meals, transit and sightseeing is similar you may just not have sufficient funds for a full month trip.

suze

The $100/night budget could work, say for a road trip to the state and national parks, and camping or staying in cabins along the way. It's simply not going to be possible in the downtown areas of most of the major cities you mentioned.

clarkgriswold

Why would he have to stay in the downtown/center of every city, suze? The hotels that I listed, with 5 mins of research, average out to $105 per night in September, are well reviewed and centrally located. Yes that $105 is before taxes but the point is, it's not an impossible feat to stay in decent places and stick to a low budget..especially with some more digging and with staying, say in Long Island City or Chelsea instead of Times Square, etc. He also said he's willing to stay in hostels.

And those airfares are probably a lot lower than what he was budgeting as well, giving him a few more dollars for lodging.