CatherineUSA

Hello,
I'm planning to tour America for 3 months from mid-August 2016 and wondering if anyone has suggestions.
I'm a Kiwi (New Zealander), and thinking to start with a visit to friends in Texas for a couple of weeks. While I’m not super young anymore, I’m adaptable (I think), and seeing the diversity of nature (peaceful places) would be my primary interest... though would certainly like to visit NY & Chicago as some of the city stops.
Aim is to see & experience as much as I can working a modest budget. Not so keen to drive, but would when necessary. Short tours and train travel would be good.
If anyone would be willing to give me some suggested routes / 'must sees' / things to consider, I'd be most grateful.
Thanks,
Catherine

txgirlinbda

My first thought is: Texas in August!? August and Sept are the hottest months. Think high 30s. Is your travel time flexible?

Train travel is not a practical and efficient way to get around the US. Start thinking flights between cities and public transportation in cities. But realistically, a car is going to be a necessity to get the best out of some areas.

A budget, in dollars, is going to drive the suggestions you'll get here. If you consider what your total budget is, and deduct your flight from NZ, that gives us a working idea.

Must-see ideas: too early for that. Narrow down where you really want to go. Figure out how you're getting around. Then we can help fill in the details.

Hope that helps!

nytraveler

Agree that train is not a viable option in the US except in the northeast corridor (DC up to Boston) where trains run frequently (at least once per hour) and are usually on or near time (not off more than 15 minutes). Fares can be quite reasonable if tickets are bought several weeks in advance. For the rest of the country train does not go many places at all and for most there is one train per day and they are often many hours late, since freight companies own the tracks and their trains have precedence, and we just don't have high speed anything. Also train fares are often more than air fares.

In terms of your itinerary you really need to look at timing/weather versus location. Texas is hellishly hot in summer and much of the west (including a lot of CA) is desert and also not for the faint hearted. Once you have identified your key spots you can set your itinerary - but definitely leave the south/desert areas for the October part of you trip.

janisj

You have tagged your thread for places scattered all over the USA. Are those the places you want to visit?

Or are you just asking about places to visit anywhere in the country?

suze

Your question is so open it's hard to know how to reply! You can't count on train travel to go all those places you list. I would start with trying to prioritize what exactly interests you, and group things together.

For instance you can fly into Portland or Seattle, to spend time in the Pacific Northwest. You could fly into New York City, then go onward to Boston or the New England states.

What's up in Montana?

Three months is a good chunk of time and you should be able to see a lot. Using only public transportation is going to limit you. Car rental would be what works best in most places (flying the big distances, then car rental for a given region).

tomfuller

Where do you intend to fly into the US in mid-August?
Get to Texas sometime after October 1.
The two parts of your trip that I would consider for train travel would be Chicago to Denver and Chicago to New York City. New York is a good public transit city so you would not need a rental car there.
Getting around Chicago is fairly easy on buses and the El.
You will want a rental car in Colorado, Texas and Oregon.
What do you want to see in Oregon?
Please don't make blanket statements about Amtrak if you have never been west of Chicago on a train.
My first long distance solo train trip was in Oct/Nov 2001 and my most recent was in March 2015.
My style is taking a train to someplace I can rent a car and spend several days to a week driving to places I can't get to on Amtrak. It works for me rather than driving across Kansas or Nebraska.

suze

I agree about not completely writing of trians. Ammtrak works between Seattle and Los Angeles, for example.

nytraveler

Flying from Chicago to NYC takes about 2.5 hours. Taking the train would take more than 20 hours - including overnight and the cost for a bed, versus sitting up all night in a chair - would be at least $400 or so. Flying can cost a little as $60 or so - with a lot of fights in the $100 range if you purchase tickets in advance, and there are dozens of flights daily except for the wee hours of the morning.

You need to understand that Tom F is a train buff and will always reco trains above other means of transit since he just loves riding them.

suze

For the trip this person is asking about, I think she will likely end up with a combination of transportation. No one way is going to accomplish what she's asking about. She'll need flights and rental car for sure. But also trains, busses, shuttles, tours could come into play.

jamie99

If you are traveling on the Visa Waiver Program, you can stay in the US for 90 days, not a full 3 months.
Where in Texas are your friends? Most places in Texas you will need a rental car. Look into renting using a third party broker like traveljigsaw.com.au, they will include all the insurance you need.
NYC and Chicago have good public transport. Other parts of the US do not, so it depends on where else you plan on visiting. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

nytraveler

There are actually a few other places in the US that have decent local public transit - DC, SF, Boston - besides NYC and chicago. But in most places car is really necessary if you are to avoid a lot of either very long, complicated, time-consuming multi-stop trips - or expensive cabs.

Between cities flights are often necessary unless you want to look at bus tours. I would be very careful about the latter since they often move very quickly - with limited time in each place and long days on a bus in between.

nytraveler

Oh - and my understanding is that you are allowed to stay for 90 days as a tourist.

CatherineUSA

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I am very grateful.
Great ideas and advice here.
Yes, my timing is flexible, so I'm persuaded that time in Texas would need to be later due to heat.
I am noting all the things down you have said, to formulate a clearer plan to bring back to this forum. I'll then have some more specific things to ask, and know what budget I am working to.
Yes... 90 days.
BIG thanks, Catherine.

thursdaysd

For info on train travel in the US go here:

http://seat61.com/UnitedStates.htm

It is useful for the east coast, the west coast and a few cross country routes, but realistically you are going to be driving part of this trip. Unfortunately, while I know that buses/coaches work well in NZ, I would not recommend them for the US.