I'm 20 and from England and next summer I really want to travel across america. The past summer I travelled around Europe by train but there doesn't seem to be the same opportunities to travel around america and see everything whilst relying only on public transport. Because I don't drive parts such as the grand canyon etc would have to be skipped.

So what I am looking for is a road trip buddy, so if anyone is wanting to road trip next summer and is looking for company/cost share for the whole or part of the journey I'm that person!

I suggest, rather than rely on finding someone with whom to travel, that you choose the destinations most of interest to you and join hospitality organizations. The 2 I know and have used extensively are hospitalityclub.org (free, people of all ages) and one headquartered in England but with members everywhere, http://www.womenwelcomewomen.uk/info-page/home.aspx (modest membership fee, generally older group but very generous members). You could train, bus, fly between places and have local hostesses to show you their hometowns. I've found both to be great resources with the added benefit of free lodging. If you want to stay longer than 2 or 3 days in a place, just line up more than 1 host.

Thank you, mmeperdu the issue isn't really where to stay, rather that it is nearly impossible to travel to certain locations without a car but I'll definitely look into that.

The people on this board are primarily older and this isn't a place for generating ride shares.

You would be better off looking at student organization web sites and publications to find one or more college kids looking for someone to hare expenses. Start with the Let's Go Student guides and the Thorn Tree section of the the Lonely Planet website. You will need to find a kid with his/her own car since renting a car is very difficult/expensive for anyone under the age of 25.

You might also find some options by looking at student web sites of some of the major universities.

Separately, you can do a lot of the country via budget flights or greyhound bus (not very pleasant but does go many places - although not the major national parks, esp in the west).

Charlotte, my point was less free accommodations and more having hosts anywhere you decide interests you, who will pick you up, who know the best places to see and will drive you there, thereby directly addressing the lack of public transport options and trying to figure it all out. Then sending you on your way to the next helpful member.

The biggest difficulty, even if you have a companion with a car, is knowing what places along your route have to offer. Having local hosts takes care of it. I have no wish to twist your arm, but the chances of an enjoyable tour of the country go up appreciably if you have the help of a string of knowledgeable people helping. There's also the issue of your chances of a stranger turning out to be someone whose company you enjoy for weeks at a stretch while traveling cross-country. That could be the biggest challenge of all.

Check on the places you can get to using Amtrak. They have 15,30 and 45 day USA rail Passes.
You can ride on the Grand Canyon Railroad from Williams AZ up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
You get off the Amtrak Southwest Chief at night and have to spend the night there before the train heads north to the canyon.
Try to pick a few places that you can get to by taxi or bus from the Amtrak station.
Check into Hostelling International. Many HI hostels have walking tours led by local guides.
The largest HI hostel in the US is in Chicago. Chicago is also the mid-west hub of Amtrak.

There is also the possibility of a guided tour to a place like the Grand Canyon.
I think Mmperdu's idea deserves a look--who knew such existed.
I would be very leery of just hooking up with a college student, etc.
The hostelling idea is interesting. Amtrak is not.

Charlotte:
The ideas in above post by NYTraveler are excellent. You're more likely to find advice there.

Lots will depend on your budget and your traveling preferences.

When you toured Europe last summer by train, were you one of the "backpackers", did you stay in hostels or hotels, were you with friends or tour by self, were you with an organized tour group? On that trip, what did you like the most about how you traveled and what did you like the least? Do you most like cities or the countryside? Do you like hiking and the outdoors?

Answers to the above are critical to making a decision about where and how you'd enjoy touring.

Have you heard of The Ramblers in the UK (http://www.ramblers.org.uk/)? That's a huge walking and hiking club and many of its members travel worldwide ... you could meet and talk with people about their experiences. They have a separate organization for semi-commercial tours that are much more adventurous than normal commercial tours https://www.ramblersholidays.co.uk/. They have no tour that does the whole US, but they may have some that interested you. You could inquire with them about hooking up with one or several of their trips while over here in the US.

Many from the UK have no concept of the HUGE distances in the US. Example: (I am NOT suggesting this circle tour, just comparing distances): circling the US going from New York to the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles to San Francisco to Seattle to Chicago to Boston to New York, via the most direct routes via auto is about 7,400 miles - almost DOUBLE the 4,000 miles circling Europe from London to Berlin to Rome to Madrid to Paris to London.

On top of that, the US does NOT have high speed trains ... they are MUCH slower and MUCH MUCH less frequent on FAR FAR FAR less routes.

What would I recommend?

1. Answer some of the questions above (in your own head first, then on here and the other websites)

2. Study some guidebooks and choose some of the places you'd really like to see. Then focus in and inquire about them. Although the ways to get there aren't always obvious, there usually ARE ways to get there if you research the locality (sometimes by train, or by scheduled bus, or by tour bus, or via local groups who tour or hike, or by buddying up with someone in youth hostels (there are far fewer hostels in the US than in Europe) and renting a car, but there are some in or near almost all destinations.)

Examples: although the ways are sometimes not apparent, you CAN get to places via commercial transport like the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Utah Canyons, Yosemite in California, the Redwood and scenic coast of California and Oregon, the Olympics and North Cascades of Washington, Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks of Montana and Wyoming.

3. Amtrak, as tomfuller suggested above, is a good way to get between important places while looking out a window. Because of the distances involved, you may choose to fly for some of the 1,000 to 2,000 mile legs.

4. Also consider Canada, either in lieu of, or in addition to the US.

5. One thing I would NOT recommend: don't just fly between the big cities. Make sure you travel much of it by train or bus to get a feet for the vastness and the extraordinary natural sites.

Depending on what you like for traveling, if you're adventurous and the backpacker sort, look at the website for the Green Tortiose ... bus trips for young people .. short 2 or 3 day local trips to many days long trips across the entire US http://www.greentortoise.com/adventure.travel.html
Be sure to look at some of their videos