Travelling across The USA - HELP
Jul 30th, 2013, 01:29 PM
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Travelling across The USA - HELP
I am looking for advice for my travel plans next summer. I am planning to travel across the US next for 6-7 weeks.
I will be 19 years old, so renting a car is not an option, meaning I will be using Amtrak train service to travel between places. I am not interested in the tour companies due to the lack of freedom in where you want to travel and for how long.
Here is a rough itinerary, and I am looking for any possible suggestions or guidance you could give me:
• Fly into Orlando
• Orlando to Atlanta – here is my main issue of travel, the train takes me via Raleigh and Charlotte (NC) and therefore this hikes up the price a lot, are there any other alternative travel options in this section of my journey?
• Atlanta to Washington DC
• Washington DC to New York
• New York to Niagara Falls
• Niagara Falls to Toronto
• Toronto to Chicago
• Chicago to Glacier National Park
• Glacier National Park to Seattle
• Seattle to San Francisco
• San Francisco to Los Angeles
• Los Angeles to Palm Springs
• Palm Springs to Pheonix
• Pheonix to Gran Canyon
• Grand Canyon to Dallas (and then fly home)
Also, roughly how much money would I need not including the travel? I would be eating on a budget, and staying in cheap hotels.
I am currently in early stages of planning, so any advice is kindly welcomed. Thank you.
I will be 19 years old, so renting a car is not an option, meaning I will be using Amtrak train service to travel between places. I am not interested in the tour companies due to the lack of freedom in where you want to travel and for how long.
Here is a rough itinerary, and I am looking for any possible suggestions or guidance you could give me:
• Fly into Orlando
• Orlando to Atlanta – here is my main issue of travel, the train takes me via Raleigh and Charlotte (NC) and therefore this hikes up the price a lot, are there any other alternative travel options in this section of my journey?
• Atlanta to Washington DC
• Washington DC to New York
• New York to Niagara Falls
• Niagara Falls to Toronto
• Toronto to Chicago
• Chicago to Glacier National Park
• Glacier National Park to Seattle
• Seattle to San Francisco
• San Francisco to Los Angeles
• Los Angeles to Palm Springs
• Palm Springs to Pheonix
• Pheonix to Gran Canyon
• Grand Canyon to Dallas (and then fly home)
Also, roughly how much money would I need not including the travel? I would be eating on a budget, and staying in cheap hotels.
I am currently in early stages of planning, so any advice is kindly welcomed. Thank you.
Jul 30th, 2013, 03:07 PM
#4
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Sounds like quite an adventure!
You can take the Greyhound bus from Orlando to Atlanta for $29. Greyhound is a national bus company: it goes everywhere, and is the cheapest way to travel, as a general rule. The bus stations in the cities can be sketchy, though, so I would suggest if you are a young woman traveling alone (as your username suggests), that you plan to leave and arrive in the stations during daylight hours.
Another well-thought of company is Megabus, which has less coverage. There are some really really cheap bus companies that I wouldn't recommend.
On the east coast Atlanta -- NYC, the train is probably your best option. But look into buses for that Niagara/Toronto bit,
For that Chicago-west part, if it doesn't have to be exactly Glacier NP, might be more cost effective to fly to a west coast city and then take excursion buses from the cities to the national parks. Probably some airfares would compete with Amtrak prices. Try Southwest airlines, which will sell you a one-way ticket.
For excursion buses, I'm thinking something like San Francisco to Yosemite National Park and back to SF. Or Las Vegas to Grand Canyon and back to LV. Lots of companies offer one-day or overnight trips of that sort.
Consider staying in hostels (in addition to cheap hotels). Its hard to generalize about prices, but in the cities I would think it hard to find something for much less than $100 a night.
Re Toronto: be sure your visa is the kind that allows you to leave the US and re-enter.
You can take the Greyhound bus from Orlando to Atlanta for $29. Greyhound is a national bus company: it goes everywhere, and is the cheapest way to travel, as a general rule. The bus stations in the cities can be sketchy, though, so I would suggest if you are a young woman traveling alone (as your username suggests), that you plan to leave and arrive in the stations during daylight hours.
Another well-thought of company is Megabus, which has less coverage. There are some really really cheap bus companies that I wouldn't recommend.
On the east coast Atlanta -- NYC, the train is probably your best option. But look into buses for that Niagara/Toronto bit,
For that Chicago-west part, if it doesn't have to be exactly Glacier NP, might be more cost effective to fly to a west coast city and then take excursion buses from the cities to the national parks. Probably some airfares would compete with Amtrak prices. Try Southwest airlines, which will sell you a one-way ticket.
For excursion buses, I'm thinking something like San Francisco to Yosemite National Park and back to SF. Or Las Vegas to Grand Canyon and back to LV. Lots of companies offer one-day or overnight trips of that sort.
Consider staying in hostels (in addition to cheap hotels). Its hard to generalize about prices, but in the cities I would think it hard to find something for much less than $100 a night.
Re Toronto: be sure your visa is the kind that allows you to leave the US and re-enter.
Jul 30th, 2013, 03:14 PM
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More thoughts: I believe Amtrak offers some sort of one-price travel pass for foreign visitors: might want to look into that to see if the price works. I don't know if Greyhound does the same, but they do have student discounts.
lonelyplanet.com (and their guidebooks) is aimed more at young travelers trying to save money.
lonelyplanet.com (and their guidebooks) is aimed more at young travelers trying to save money.
Jul 30th, 2013, 03:21 PM
#6
I'm curious how you will get from train stations to your destination in some places, like Glacier National Park, for example?
Also in many cities there are simply not any cheap hotels that are safe and central. I know that is true for Seattle (my home) and San Francisco. You need to look at youth hostels, for example Green Tortoise in Seattle is $38/night for a bunk bed in a shared dorm room.
Even eating on a budget, staying in "cheap" places, and not including transportation, I think realistically you need to have at least $100 for each day you are traveling, so $5000 minimum for the length of trip you describe.
Also in many cities there are simply not any cheap hotels that are safe and central. I know that is true for Seattle (my home) and San Francisco. You need to look at youth hostels, for example Green Tortoise in Seattle is $38/night for a bunk bed in a shared dorm room.
Even eating on a budget, staying in "cheap" places, and not including transportation, I think realistically you need to have at least $100 for each day you are traveling, so $5000 minimum for the length of trip you describe.
Jul 30th, 2013, 03:54 PM
#7
The most logical way to do this trip in 45 days is this-
Buy a 45 day USA Rail Pass. Currently they are $859USD.
Order of travel - Orlando to Washington (Silver Meteor overnight). Can you see what you want to see in Washington in 10 hours? Leave Washington at 6:30PM on the Crescent overnight to Atlanta. Spend 24 hours in Atlanta before getting back on the Crescent to New Orleans. You will spend at least 12 hours in NOL. Take the "City of New Orleans" north to Chicago (overnight). Spend a few hours in Chicago before getting on the Lake Shore Limited to Buffalo New York.
Arrange a tour from Buffalo to see Niagara Falls. Do you have the visa to cross into Canada and return to the US? I would still skip Toronto since the Rail Pass doesn't cover travel in Canada. Get back to Buffalo and take one of several daily trains to New York City. When you are done in NYC, get back on the Lake Shore Limited all the way back to Chicago.
Spend another few hours in Chicago before getting on the Empire Builder all the way to West Glacier Montana. Find out what transport you can get from West Glacier through the park.
(Red Jammers?)You may want to spend 2 days before you get on the Empire Builder to Seattle (also overnight).
From Seattle you will ride the Coast Starlight to Emeryville.
Amtrak provides bus service from EMY into San Francisco. Unfortunately these bus trips count as "Segments" just the same as the long distance segments. The way to avoid this would be to take the Coast Starlight only to Martinez and then pay out of pocket for the trip to San Francisco (Ferry Building) on another train/bus.
Leaving EMY go south on the Coast Starlight all the way to Los Angeles. From Los Angeles there is an Amtrak Bus to Las Vegas. You can get a tour bus that goes to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas.
Get on the Amtrak bus back to Los Angeles. Three days a week Amtrak runs the Texas Eagle with the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles. Your ticket should be a Texas Eagle ticket to Dallas. You will spend a couple hours in San Antonio while they split the train. You should get to Dallas in the daytime
If I counted right, this should fill your 18 allowed "segments" on your 45 day USA Rail Pass.
Following this route you should have 12 to 14 nights sleeping in Amtrak coach seats. Plan on paying for 31 at least hotel/motel/hostel rooms. There are HI hostels in New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Buy a 45 day USA Rail Pass. Currently they are $859USD.
Order of travel - Orlando to Washington (Silver Meteor overnight). Can you see what you want to see in Washington in 10 hours? Leave Washington at 6:30PM on the Crescent overnight to Atlanta. Spend 24 hours in Atlanta before getting back on the Crescent to New Orleans. You will spend at least 12 hours in NOL. Take the "City of New Orleans" north to Chicago (overnight). Spend a few hours in Chicago before getting on the Lake Shore Limited to Buffalo New York.
Arrange a tour from Buffalo to see Niagara Falls. Do you have the visa to cross into Canada and return to the US? I would still skip Toronto since the Rail Pass doesn't cover travel in Canada. Get back to Buffalo and take one of several daily trains to New York City. When you are done in NYC, get back on the Lake Shore Limited all the way back to Chicago.
Spend another few hours in Chicago before getting on the Empire Builder all the way to West Glacier Montana. Find out what transport you can get from West Glacier through the park.
(Red Jammers?)You may want to spend 2 days before you get on the Empire Builder to Seattle (also overnight).
From Seattle you will ride the Coast Starlight to Emeryville.
Amtrak provides bus service from EMY into San Francisco. Unfortunately these bus trips count as "Segments" just the same as the long distance segments. The way to avoid this would be to take the Coast Starlight only to Martinez and then pay out of pocket for the trip to San Francisco (Ferry Building) on another train/bus.
Leaving EMY go south on the Coast Starlight all the way to Los Angeles. From Los Angeles there is an Amtrak Bus to Las Vegas. You can get a tour bus that goes to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas.
Get on the Amtrak bus back to Los Angeles. Three days a week Amtrak runs the Texas Eagle with the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles. Your ticket should be a Texas Eagle ticket to Dallas. You will spend a couple hours in San Antonio while they split the train. You should get to Dallas in the daytime
If I counted right, this should fill your 18 allowed "segments" on your 45 day USA Rail Pass.
Following this route you should have 12 to 14 nights sleeping in Amtrak coach seats. Plan on paying for 31 at least hotel/motel/hostel rooms. There are HI hostels in New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Jul 30th, 2013, 05:10 PM
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Not sure where you are from but you need to understand that the in the US train travel options are extremely limited. The trains in the NE corridor between boston and DC are a reasonable option - they are usually on time or close and they run every 30 minutes or so except during the middle of the night.
However, for the rest of the country - road (car or bus) and plane are generally a much faster and more convenient choice. Several of the places you want to go simply cannot be reached by train at all. And where the trains do run they are often hours late (the tracks are owned by the freight companies and passenger trains have to give way to passenger ones - and frequently there is only one train per day. Also, train tickets are very expensive, often more than flying and way more than buses. And the cost of a sleeping compartment is outrageous.
I strongly suggest that you get the Let's Go student guides to get more info on how to realistically travel across the country on a budget.
As for where to stay, decent hostels are often much safer and more pleasant than cheap hotels (which are frequently in unsafe neighborhoods) as well as much less expensive. This will let you connect with other young people with whom you can tour the various areas and even travel on to the next. You should be able to get a bed/locker in a decent hostel for $40 or $45 per night. In most places hostels - even poor ones - are going to be more than $100 per night.
I think you have a substantial amount of time - but need to do a lot more research to understand what is possible within the US (where travel is much different than in europe.
The other point is that outside of a relatively few large cities local public transit is extremely limited - it's assumed that everyone will have access to a car. For the trips to some of the national parks a bus tour may be your only realistic option.
However, for the rest of the country - road (car or bus) and plane are generally a much faster and more convenient choice. Several of the places you want to go simply cannot be reached by train at all. And where the trains do run they are often hours late (the tracks are owned by the freight companies and passenger trains have to give way to passenger ones - and frequently there is only one train per day. Also, train tickets are very expensive, often more than flying and way more than buses. And the cost of a sleeping compartment is outrageous.
I strongly suggest that you get the Let's Go student guides to get more info on how to realistically travel across the country on a budget.
As for where to stay, decent hostels are often much safer and more pleasant than cheap hotels (which are frequently in unsafe neighborhoods) as well as much less expensive. This will let you connect with other young people with whom you can tour the various areas and even travel on to the next. You should be able to get a bed/locker in a decent hostel for $40 or $45 per night. In most places hostels - even poor ones - are going to be more than $100 per night.
I think you have a substantial amount of time - but need to do a lot more research to understand what is possible within the US (where travel is much different than in europe.
The other point is that outside of a relatively few large cities local public transit is extremely limited - it's assumed that everyone will have access to a car. For the trips to some of the national parks a bus tour may be your only realistic option.
Jul 30th, 2013, 06:13 PM
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I'd start by asking why you have chosen some of those destinations before trying to figure out a detailed itinerary.
Why Orlando? Atlanta? Palm Springs/Phoenix?
If you're going to Orlando for the theme parks, keep in mind they have them in Los Angeles as well. There's no need to complicate your flight/train plans if Orlando isn't convenient.
Atlanta is OK but there are better cities to visit in the South.
I'm assuming you included Palm Springs and Phoenix because they are stops on an Amtrak route that will get you partway to the Grand Canyon. If that's the case, then fair enough. But otherwise I don't think you need to include those cities in your itinerary.
There is a daily shuttle from Phoenix to Flagstaff, then a different shuttle from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. I believe you could also just take a Greyhound bus to Flagstaff and then take the shuttle to the Grand Canyon.
Like others have said, there are cheaper bus options rather than sticking with Amtrak exclusively. I'd take the bus for the shorter segments and save the train for the longer segments. Since the bus doesn't have to stay on a track (literally) they have many more locations they serve, so check out the Greyhound/Megabus websites and see where they go - you may wind up adjusting your preferred destinations when you see the various options available to you.
Why Orlando? Atlanta? Palm Springs/Phoenix?
If you're going to Orlando for the theme parks, keep in mind they have them in Los Angeles as well. There's no need to complicate your flight/train plans if Orlando isn't convenient.
Atlanta is OK but there are better cities to visit in the South.
I'm assuming you included Palm Springs and Phoenix because they are stops on an Amtrak route that will get you partway to the Grand Canyon. If that's the case, then fair enough. But otherwise I don't think you need to include those cities in your itinerary.
There is a daily shuttle from Phoenix to Flagstaff, then a different shuttle from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. I believe you could also just take a Greyhound bus to Flagstaff and then take the shuttle to the Grand Canyon.
Like others have said, there are cheaper bus options rather than sticking with Amtrak exclusively. I'd take the bus for the shorter segments and save the train for the longer segments. Since the bus doesn't have to stay on a track (literally) they have many more locations they serve, so check out the Greyhound/Megabus websites and see where they go - you may wind up adjusting your preferred destinations when you see the various options available to you.
Jul 30th, 2013, 07:00 PM
#11
Amtrak serves every city mentioned in the original post except Palm Springs, Phoenix (Closest Maricopa) and Grand Canyon (Closest Williams or Flagstaff).
It is unfortunate that the Senators from Arizona don't think that Amtrak serves their state. McCain and Flake are not friends of Amtrak. Neither are several people on this forum.
If you want to spend 2 or 3 days in Tucson, you could add it on and still stay within the 18 segments. The trip I described above totals about 222.2 hours on trains and about 15 hours on Amtrak California buses. What you do with the other 33 days is up to you.
Yes you can get to Toronto using Amtrak or several other methods from Buffalo if you have the passport and the proper visa.
I also wonder why you start in Orlando. If it is a Disney fix you need, spend an extra day in Los Angeles or Anaheim.
It is unfortunate that the Senators from Arizona don't think that Amtrak serves their state. McCain and Flake are not friends of Amtrak. Neither are several people on this forum.
If you want to spend 2 or 3 days in Tucson, you could add it on and still stay within the 18 segments. The trip I described above totals about 222.2 hours on trains and about 15 hours on Amtrak California buses. What you do with the other 33 days is up to you.
Yes you can get to Toronto using Amtrak or several other methods from Buffalo if you have the passport and the proper visa.
I also wonder why you start in Orlando. If it is a Disney fix you need, spend an extra day in Los Angeles or Anaheim.
Jul 31st, 2013, 10:28 AM
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If you're going to Orlando for the theme parks, keep in mind they have them in Los Angeles as well.
I also wonder why you start in Orlando. If it is a Disney fix you need, spend an extra day in Los Angeles or Anaheim.
If you have never been to Orlando, you would not realize that the experience is quite different. It's not a case of one is as good as another.
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I also wonder why you start in Orlando. If it is a Disney fix you need, spend an extra day in Los Angeles or Anaheim.
If you have never been to Orlando, you would not realize that the experience is quite different. It's not a case of one is as good as another.
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Aug 26th, 2013, 07:20 PM
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You said you were 19 and renting a car wasn't an option. With 6 to 7 weeks, to really see America, a car is the best option. Train service is limited to certain areas. Bus stations are usually not too nice! How do you plan to get from train station to sights? The large urban areas have public transportation; but much of America is "Car Country".
Aug 27th, 2013, 12:36 AM
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If cost is an issue, you might want to look at http://www.greentortoise.com/adventu...s-country.html
Aug 27th, 2013, 01:39 PM
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Look: Tomfuller is the largest (and perhaps only) proponent of Amtrak on this board.
The reasons are legion: the trains are slow, they are invariably late, the service is questionable and the utility is minimal because there are so few options. You don't have 30 trains per day from Dallas to Houston like you do from Tokyo to Osaka, Madrid to Barcelona, Paris to Lyon, or Rome to Milan. And Amtrak doesn't have priority - the majority of rail in the US is privately owned freight tracks, so Amtrak waits if a 250-container laden Union Pacific train needs the right of way.
Outside the northeast corridor, Amtrak sucks. Within the northeast corridor, it pales in comparison to equivalent service in high-traffic lines in Europe or Japan (36 second average variation PER YEAR relative to schedule on shinkansen trains).
The easiest way to do this may well be to string together bus tours with layovers in places of high interest. The Aussies do this for their Europe tours - take 2-3 short Contiki trips, add a stayover for extra nights on your own in ___ (DC, NYC, LA, SF) and stitch it together.
Note also that you may need a double or multiple entry visa if you want to leave the US and return before going home.
The reasons are legion: the trains are slow, they are invariably late, the service is questionable and the utility is minimal because there are so few options. You don't have 30 trains per day from Dallas to Houston like you do from Tokyo to Osaka, Madrid to Barcelona, Paris to Lyon, or Rome to Milan. And Amtrak doesn't have priority - the majority of rail in the US is privately owned freight tracks, so Amtrak waits if a 250-container laden Union Pacific train needs the right of way.
Outside the northeast corridor, Amtrak sucks. Within the northeast corridor, it pales in comparison to equivalent service in high-traffic lines in Europe or Japan (36 second average variation PER YEAR relative to schedule on shinkansen trains).
The easiest way to do this may well be to string together bus tours with layovers in places of high interest. The Aussies do this for their Europe tours - take 2-3 short Contiki trips, add a stayover for extra nights on your own in ___ (DC, NYC, LA, SF) and stitch it together.
Note also that you may need a double or multiple entry visa if you want to leave the US and return before going home.
Aug 28th, 2013, 02:17 AM
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"Outside the northeast corridor, Amtrak sucks." Dude you simply have no freakin clue what you are talking about, zip, nada, zilch. Obviously the Amtrak service is not up to either European or Japanese standards but the OPer is on a vacation.
"they are invariably late" this statement is simply a stone cold lie.
People from all over the world tour America on Amtrak and enjoy it.
"they are invariably late" this statement is simply a stone cold lie.
People from all over the world tour America on Amtrak and enjoy it.
Aug 28th, 2013, 06:26 AM
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Amtrak is a very poor chioce in most of the country. There are very few trains and many places have no trainservice at all.
It is often - not always, but often - late - and it can be hours late. (It once took my elderly uncle - how no longer drove - 6 hours from DC to VA - should have been about an hour)
While trains are more comfy than planes - on long trips it wears very thin.
The food is what you would expect at a fast food chain - and on long trips gets stale.
This is really NOT the best way to see the US (although I do take NY to Boston Acela for business - since it's just as fast as flying and more comfy/reliable - FOR THAT SMALL PART OF THE NETWORK.
It is often - not always, but often - late - and it can be hours late. (It once took my elderly uncle - how no longer drove - 6 hours from DC to VA - should have been about an hour)
While trains are more comfy than planes - on long trips it wears very thin.
The food is what you would expect at a fast food chain - and on long trips gets stale.
This is really NOT the best way to see the US (although I do take NY to Boston Acela for business - since it's just as fast as flying and more comfy/reliable - FOR THAT SMALL PART OF THE NETWORK.
