Usa or canada?
 

I've booked a flight from England into and out of toronto from the 22nd of July till the 27th of August. I'm going to spend just over a week in toronto then I want to do some travelling. I'm unsure of whether it will be best to do usa, prob new york down to miami then fly back to toronto or travel within canada. could anyone suggest any interesting routes in canada to take. I'm into pretty much anything history, sport, nightlife, hiking camping and national parks. But i am going to be limited to public transport because i will be travelling alone and so can't afford a car. will probably get a grey houd 30 day pass. Also hopefully this will be more socialble? any ideas much appreciated.

Cheers
Matt

Greyhound is NOT for making friends. Many of the riders are desperate - no other means of travel - and train stations are often at the very wrong end of town - hookers and druggies. APkus the buses stick to the major interstates so you'll see little except a lot of other traffic. If you can't rent a car I would do either plane (if you can get decent fare - and those to Orlando are usually dirt cheap) or Amtrak (OK in the NE corridor - from Boston to DC - but fairly awful outside of that - late, dirty and expensive).

Considering you are flying into Toronto and plan to travel on Greyhound, what comes to mind is to hit whatever cities on the East Coast interest you: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Washington DC, Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, Miami, or the endless smaller towns, beaches, etc.

True, you are not likely to meet the creme de la creme on Greyhound, but, if you are the gregarious type, you are sure to find people who will express points of view that will pique your interest and, with any luck, stupefy you.

From which city will you return to the UK?

HTTY

Since you're traveling in August, you do NOT want to visit Miami. Most of the east coast of the US will be hot and humid at that time, but Miami will be particularly bad, with thunderstorms every afternoon.

I would instead recommend you stay to the north, in Canada and New England, visiting the major cities.

I've done weeks of travel on Greyhound, and still use it for travel between east coast cities. But it's not for everyone. I can't recommend it for a multi-day trip (Toronto to Miami, for instance) unless you can handle travel conditions that are far from ideal for long periods of time.

I wrote assuming that snowie25 is young and looking for an unforgettable experience and that heat and humidity are appropriate accompaniments to travel by Greyhound.

You might want to also look into these two affordable bus companies for trips between major cities in the Northeast-mid-Atlantic:
boltbus.com
and
megabus.com

I'd rather take Canada Rail to Montreal, Quebec, maybe all the way to Halifax or in the other direction through the Rockies to Vancouver.

http://www.viarail.ca/en_index.html

Matt, it is hard to give advice not knowing if you've been to North America before. And if so, where.

I think Jean has a fabulous idea re the train. But I also think you could have a perfectly wonderful time just hanging in the northeast US.

Niagara Falls, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC. All offer wonderful things. But it will be warm.

If you've never been to the USA- don't miss New York, you'd kick yourself later. :)

Safe trip!

Megabus http://www.megabus.com/us/stops/index_northeast.php might be an alternative to Greyhound. I have never tried them - just am aware of them.

I would also opt for the train over the bus. Of course if you are visiting places like NYC, the public transport is outstanding. I would also consider Jean suggestion.

May want to post this on the Canada board also, if you have not.

Boltbus has wifi on board so if you have a laptop or wifi cell phone you can do some planning while on board. It's very "luxurious" compared to Greyhound, mostly college kids on my legs in the northeast US so it might be more sociable.

If I remember correctly, Greyhound passes are not good within the state of New York or for travel into Canada. I take Greyhound often; it tends not to be as sociable as Amtrak (people

What fun; your possibilities are endless...here's a thought that keeps you northish and hits some highlights of USA and Canada... (x days are just a suggestion)

Train or bus to Montreal (4 days); visit Ottawa (2 days) and Quebec City (2 days) while you're at it. Bus from Montreal to Boston (4 days)... bus/train Boston to New York City (5 days). Take SEPTA/NJ Transit to Philadelphia (3 days). Bus/train to Baltimore/DC (4 days). Work your way by train or bus over toward Chicago (3 days), stopping in Pittsburgh (2 days) and maybe Cleveland (2 days) to break up your trip. Then it's probably about time to fly home to Toronto from Chicago.

One of many possibilities... Have fun planning! DANIEL

Thanks for everyone's comments. I am young (25) and looking for an unforgettable experiance (a good one hopefully). My flight is a return flight from Toronto as it seemed a lot cheaper than two one way flights. I have never been out of Europe so it will all be new to me. Any more suggestions are welcome.

Are you certain a car is not the more affordable option to public transportation? There are some pretty great deals on car rentals sometimes. You would not need it for the entire trip.
I love Toronto. Great city! Don't miss Niagara Falls. You will be so close.

There are so many options. As you have probably surmised, public transportation in North America is pretty dismal compared to Europe, especially if you want to visit more rural areas. On the other hand car rentals can be quite inexpensive. You might want to use public transportation to get to major cities, such as Boston, and then rent a car for a few days to hike the White Mountains of New Hampshire, or explore the beautiful villages and beaches of Cape Cod or Maine. As for 'must do' cities - Boston for history, Montreal for nightlife, and New York for everything. If you can travel a bit more, Washington DC is amazing and many of its attractions are free. Quebec City is beautiful but quite European feeling, maybe not what you are looking for.

I agree that short term car rentals are the way to go, however, make sure that you are comfortable driving on "the other side of the road". I agree that compared to Europe, North American public transportation is awful.