[Anders]

Next year I plan to visit America. After having spent some time south of the boarder i plan to make my way up through the country ending in New York. But suggestions of how to get from A to B the most interesting way is the question I ask.

So far the route is up the west coast, across the boarder to Canada, west to east in Canada and down to new york. But its is VERY open to changes

What I want to experience is not necessarily the tourist things. Its hard to explain what I want to experience, probably how culture and nature is mixed together. Some of the best experiences while traveling for me is actually looking through the windows of the train looking at the cultural landscapes.

Oh and I will transport myself either on bus or train. Don´t have a drivers license.

Any suggestions to:

-Where to go?
-How to transport myself?
-How to find good but cheap places to stay?
-Other considerations?

I do have some money to toy around with but not unlimited funds. I would prefer not to use money on hotels IYKWIM.

[Randman]

That is a lot of travelling. I'd suggest picking a coast and seeing as much as you can. East Coast might be the way to go, closer to Europe, more packed and train is a better option with more commuter rail to choose from.

[bubblewrap]

You're going to find our transit system sucks as our economy forces the consumer to buy cars abd use the to support big oil.(Yes, I actually believe this) You can tke the bus or perhaps a charter bus.
Our charter buses are actually comfy European(Man Rolands)models.
The East Coast is very culturally diverse. Especially between the north to the south.

Also, most Europeans don't realize just how BIG the US is.
I have a friend in Hamburg that wanted to just Drive to Texas. Yeah a day trip. It's about 14 hours from Atlanta, GA. And that's just to the state line. So I flew him to Miami instead.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Randman:
That is a lot of travelling. I'd suggest picking a coast and seeing as much as you can. East Coast might be the way to go, closer to Europe, more packed and train is a better option with more commuter rail to choose from.

Rail isn't a good way to see America. The service isn't very good compared to European rail, and at least up and down the East Coast it isn't a very scenic way to travel. The rail lines go through the worst parts of towns. If you want to come away with the misimpression that America is nothing but slums and dirty factories, then rail is the way to go. Besides, it's not a very "American" way to travel. Imagine Thelma & Louise sitting in a smelly Amtrak train staring out the window. It just doesn't work.

No, the way to see America is by car. That way he can experience the great American roadtrip and get a feel for the sheer size of the country.

If I were doing the trip, I'd try to see some of the US' major regions rather than trying to hug the blue states. Starting in California, instead of going along the Canadian border, I'd probably pick up a little of the West - Arizona, New Mexico, then pick up I-20 and travel through Texas and Louisiana, take a side trip to New Orleans, go along the Gulf Coast to Florida, then go up the East Coast on I-95. That way he can discover what South of the Border really means.

[Mithras]

How long do you have for this trip?

The drive across southern Canada is very beautiful, but you want at least 7-10 days just for that.
Another traditional option for west-to-east is Seattle-Idaho-Montana-(Glacier N Park)-(Yellowstone NP)-Wyoming-South Dakota-Minnesota-Wisconsin-Illinois (Chicago)-Indiana-Ohio-Pennsylvania-New York.

The American trip is arguably more interesting in the western part (Banff is beautiful, but Yellowstone is sublimely weird) -- but the Canadian trip is much better in the eastern part (Ontario is much lovelier than Illinois-Indiana-Ohio, and it'd be a shame to miss Toronto and Montreal).

If you want to see the U.S. and not Canada, I'd do the first part of the above western trip, then dip south as Simey suggests, going Colorado-Texas-Louisiana. That makes a much longer trip though.

[Mithras]

Originally posted by Anders:
Oh and I will transport myself either on bus or train. Don´t have a drivers license.

Any suggestions to:

-Where to go?
-How to transport myself?
-How to find good but cheap places to stay?
-Other considerations?

1. Where to go -- i kinda covered above.
2. Bus or train are terribly options. You really need a car. Time to learn to drive, or persuade your friend to.

I hate cars (why I live in New York), but North America is relatively sparsely populated -- which is why so much of it is still so beautiful -- and hence mass transit is no good.

As for buses, they'll go point A to point B, skipping all of the beautiful or weird or interesting points along the way, then dump you off in the worst part of town, where the only lodging will be (a) lousy, and (b) expensive.

3. Assuming you're driving, there are lots of campgrounds along the way across almost all of the U.S. or Canada. You can spend between $0 and $15/night for a little spot and shower privileges. In some of the sparser parts of Canada, you can just pull over somewhere and set up a tent.

[Anders]

Originally posted by Mithras:
How long do you have for this trip?

As long as it takes. Naa. three, perhaps four weeks for the north american part of the tour.

I am in the wonderful situation that next year I have to write my final thesis and dont have to work or anything else. And I have $25000 to burn on anything I want and I chose to live the sweet traveling life while finishing up my work.

Originally posted by Mithras:
The drive across southern Canada is very beautiful, but you want at least 7-10 days just for that.
Another traditional option for west-to-east is Seattle-Idaho-Montana-(Glacier N Park)-(Yellowstone NP)-Wyoming-South Dakota-Minnesota-Wisconsin-Illinois (Chicago)-Indiana-Ohio-Pennsylvania-New York.

The American trip is arguably more interesting in the western part (Banff is beautiful, but Yellowstone is sublimely weird) -- but the Canadian trip is much better in the eastern part (Ontario is much lovelier than Illinois-Indiana-Ohio, and it'd be a shame to miss Toronto and Montreal).

If you want to see the U.S. and not Canada, I'd do the first part of the above western trip, then dip south as Simey suggests, going Colorado-Texas-Louisiana. That makes a much longer trip though.

Thanks I´ll look into that. I love the Norwegian scenery and Canada looks like that, just much larger.Thats why I want to go there too. But also to experience the difference in "attitude" to life from south america over Mexico, US to Canada.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Where to stay? These are your Roadtrip friends:

Motel 6

Motel 8

Both chains are inexpensive, and generally clean and conveniently located and don't require any kind of reservation. These are the cheaper chains as opposed to chains like Holiday Inn but they have all the basics. They are basically like Novatels, but not as expensive, and with air conditioning that works. Generally, you can save a lot of money by staying in motels on the highway or just outside of town rather than a hotel in town. The only time I'd stay in town is if there are sights you want to see there. Save that for cities like New Orleans, New York, Charleston, South Carolina, Washington, DC, etc. Otherwise stay outside of town.

Oh yes, next tip: bring your iPod (or buy one if you haven't got one) and a cassette adaptor (or preferably two, I find they overheat after a couple of hours) and a car charger. American radio is LOCAL and outside of the cities, tends to be geared toward country music fans. Unless that is your thing, I'd bring my own tunes.

Also: try not to eat only in fast food joints. Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks on the road you will think that is all there is, but it isn't so.

Don't rent one of those teeny-tiny European-style subcompacts. You might save some gas, but you will regret it after the third day on the interstate. With respect to Moderator, I probably wouldn't get a convertible. He lives in Boston. If you do go south, you will discover southern humidity.

[Moderator]

Colorado/Utah/Arizona/New Mexico offer incrededibly jaw dropping beauty...check out some National Parks if you can.

Arches/Bryce/Zion/Sand Dunes/White Sands/Grand Canyon

there are a lot more that I just can't remember..you should camp at a few of em if you can.

And yeah you want a car..convertable would be ideal

[SVass]

Strongly suggest weekly rental of a subcompact (If you are not tall and long legged, a subcompact is easier to maneuver and quite comfortable) auto and driving on old US highways, NOT the interstate because all of the sterile views and large family tourist trash on them. If weather is nice, you can stop and sleep anywhere even in your car. Many small towns have roadside parks. I have driven on both coasts and in between and seen many strange, beautiful sights along the way. (An old school bus in a field with a giant arrow sticking out of it-indian attack?-comes to mind or crossing a bridge that appeared to be 1000 feet above a deep ravine). Any part of any country can be nice. I remember driving through southern England (harrowing considering I had to remember to stay on the wrong side of the road) and seeing old castles, Charleston, etc. A distant second choice is the bus. You didn't say what you wanted to see, scenery or central city museums. sam

[bubblewrap]

Arizona and New Mexico will let you see the "capmy" 50's American tourist areas. Like Roswell NM. American tourist trap at it's best:

http://www.littlealeinn.com/

Also Crater national park is incredible. I didn't realize just how BIG the impact crater was until I saw it in person.

[andi*pandi]

agree with others, taking commercial train or bus lines will not really be fun. If a car is absolutely impossible, you could take a bus TOUR, that is a luxury bus that goes to tourist places, stops, lets you out for an hour, then moves on... you'd risk being seen in a large group of old ladies however.

driving cross country in 3 weeks is doable, I've done it... youth hostels are your friend (excepting the one in new orleans, which was a PIT). I wouldn't drive from mexico up thru cali to canada though, no driving trip to US is complete without the requisite new mexico, arizona, national park tour. The scenery out the window is amazing, and free.

[Trygve]

You really need a car. Sorry, but America's public transport system is mostly limited to planes. Sure buses and trains exist (though the latter are really only an option in the east).

It is also a BIG place. Los Angeles to New York is about like Lisbon to Moscow or Copenhagen to Kuwait.

A car would let you explore the places you can't get by bus - lots of nice plces in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota etc.

[craiger77]

As witnessed here most American are clueless about how to travel America (or anywhere else in the world for that matter) cheaply.

There are a number of train and bus passes available that give you better options and save some money compared to buying tickets as you go. Checkout Amtrak.com and greyhound.com.

If you are traveling alone then hotels are expensive. There are actually a lot of hostels in the states that will save you lots of money if you don't mind staying in a dorm. They are also great for meeting the other travelers who are your best source of travel info. They often run cheap tours that will get you out to remote places.

On the west coast the Green Tortise is your friend ( http://www.greentortoise.com )

Your best bet is to buy a Lonely Planet or Moon guide to the places you are interested in. They have much more advice than I can give here about how to travel without a car. They also have forums on their websites where you can get uptodate info and find traveling companions.

A car is actually the best way to see America and one option you have is to try to find companions online who can drive and want others to share gas and lodging expenses. You can camp cheaply and eat cheaply if you cook for yourself. If you do stay in hostels it is also pretty easy to find people driving who want to share gas expenses to their next destination or want to share the expense of renting a car to see the local area.

Unfortunately hitchhiking is not much of an option these days. Most Americans will not stop and those that do can be kind of scary. The exception is along routes 1 and 101 that go along the west coast. I still see a fair number of hitchers along it during the summer.

As for places to go my bias is towards the West. This is where most of the natural beauty of America is located. I have traveled all over the world and haven't come across anywhere that compare to places like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. Don't come to America for the cities. They don't have much compared to European ones. There are exceptions like NYC, New Orleans, Las Vegas, etc, but put your effort into seeing the natural beauty.

If I was in your situation I would forgo America and see the rest of the world. When I finished my education I had $15,000 saved up and managed to make it last for 3 years of traveling around the world by staying in mostly less developed countries in Africa and Asia. America will always be here for travel later while many of the places in poor countries are being degraded rapidly so you may never get a chance later to check out their natural beauty and wildlife.

Anway, happy travels.
Cheers,
Craig

[budster101]

Originally posted by Anders:
Next year I plan to visit America. After having spent some time south of the boarder i plan to make my way up through the country ending in New York. But suggestions of how to get from A to B the most interesting way is the question I ask.

So far the route is up the west coast, across the boarder to Canada, west to east in Canada and down to new york. But its is VERY open to changes

What I want to experience is not necessarily the tourist things. Its hard to explain what I want to experience, probably how culture and nature is mixed together. Some of the best experiences while traveling for me is actually looking through the windows of the train looking at the cultural landscapes.

Oh and I will transport myself either on bus or train. Don´t have a drivers license.

Any suggestions to:

-Where to go?
-How to transport myself?
-How to find good but cheap places to stay?
-Other considerations?

I do have some money to toy around with but not unlimited funds. I would prefer not to use money on hotels IYKWIM.

Hike the Apalacian Trail...

[benb]

Originally posted by Moderator:
Colorado/Utah/Arizona/New Mexico offer incrededibly jaw dropping beauty...check out some National Parks if you can.

Arches/Bryce/Zion/Sand Dunes/White Sands/Grand Canyon

there are a lot more that I just can't remember..you should camp at a few of em if you can.

And yeah you want a car..convertable would be ideal

Absolutely. If you do nothing else, go to these six National Parks. Ideally you would want to camp, but there are hotels nearby all the parks you can stay at. And plan on at least one day in each of these places, they are amazing! I would also hit up Mesa Verde if you are in the area, its a cool park where the natives built there homes in the sides of cliffs! And yes, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming are something else as well.

As far as cities go, I would avoid LA if you can. There's better places to spend your time unless you like big, dirty cities.

Here is the park website so you can see what natural wonders there are in the US: National Parks.

[RAILhead]

The best 12 hours of my vacationing life were spent on the drive from South Texas to New Mexico -- straight. No overnight stops.

There's just nothing like getting into a car with friends or family and hitting the road, seeing the sights, taking in the Americana as you go from Big Cities™ to the small podunk town where people actually still sit on benches in the front of gas stations, talking (gasp!).

Point being, drive -- screw the public transport crap. What'll you do when you're in a bus or train and don't get to stop at the little Mom and Pop store you see on the side of the road? If you're driving yourself, you can stop in and visit -- and that may just be the best stop you ever make during your time on this planet.

Maury

[zigzag]

I've crossed the country about a dozen times. My 2 cents:

With only 3-4 weeks, you won't be able to see everything - you need to prioritize. You'll find yourself in SF and NY and want to spend a few days there. Focus on the unique stuff and leave yourself some breathing room.

The Canadian Rockies are certainly wonderful, but you can see snow-capped peaks in Europe. And once you get past the Rockies it's a long slog through the Plains before you get to Montreal, the most interesting Canadian city (I like Toronto but it's not essential). I happen to love the Plains, but I wouldn't make them a priority.

The landscape of the Southwest United States is much more varied and unique than Canada's, so I would take advantage of it and focus on California, Arizona, and Southern Utah. If you insist on seeing snow-capped peaks, there are plenty of them within a day of those areas.

The Southwest states would be easy to combine with visits to LA and SF, the only two essential cities on the West coast (there are other nice cities along the coast, but with only 3-4 weeks to spare, they're not essential). I could spend 3-4 weeks exploring LA-SF alone, and in fact have done so.

If you want basic history and culture, the eastern corridor and New England are pretty much essential. I love the Midwest and South as much as anyone, and have lived and traveled extensively in both, but with your limited time frame I wouldn't prioritize them unless you're a music buff and want to explore Memphis, Nashville, and the Mississippi Delta (which I've also done extensively). New Orleans and the Florida Coast are also unique - if you find yourself with extra time, you could head down there (bear in mind that the South will be particularly hot and humid in summer).

So, if it were me, I would come up from Mexico through Arizona to Utah. That will take you through the Sonoran Desert and through some spectacular landscape changes (along I-17, for instance) on the way to the Grand Canyon and Southern Utah. I would then head west to LA, spend 2-3 days there, and head up Highway 1 to SF, which will take you through some more spectacular scenery (especially around Monterey/Carmel) (you could also reverse this process) After 2-3 days in the Bay Area, I would take a discount plane flight to the East Coast and see D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston, which you could do by train. I would also try to get out into the New England countryside a bit, perhaps Cape Cod and/or the Berkshires and/or the Maine coast.

That could easily eat up 3-4 weeks, especially if you're taking the time to absorb things rather than rushing around. If you have extra time you could then head South.

If you want to combine some great mountain scenery with a trip to the Southwest deserts, I would recommend going over to Durango and taking the Silverton railway ride and/or driving the Million Dollar Highway. You'll also get to see some old mining towns and get a taste of what the West was like 150 years ago. Mesa Verde, a great archaeological site, is in the same area, but you can see a similar site along I-17 in Arizona (Montezuma's Castle) in a lot less time - Mesa Verde takes an entire day.

Yellowstone is certainly interesting but in the summer will be jammed with tourists. I don't think it's worth it, but neither would I talk you out of it.

Just my 2 cents. Have fun and don't try to cover everything or you'll just get exhausted and have a bad time.

[dreilly1]

I'll add that the train isn't necessarily a bad option, as long as you understand what the trains are like here. My mother does not want to fly, and after she and my dad retired they took a number of trips out west by train. They said that there was some beautiful scenery, especially when the train was going through the Rockies, that they simply couldn't have seen with any other mode of transportation. For their next big trip, they're looking into boat options to Europe.

But a cross-country train trip is a multi-day affair, even without stopping over in a city every night. My parents booked a sleeper car, and it is much more expensive than just flying across the country on a discount airline and booking two or three nights in a hotel at your destiation. For most people, it simply isn't worth it -- they'd rather spend an extra day or two touring.

Do rail passes still exist for Amtrak? I met two nice British girls once on Amtrak from NYC to Buffalo who were using these passes -- they're just normally not sold to Americans.

My suggestion (assuming you still don't want to drive) would be to spend the bulk of your time on the coasts. Use Amtrack to travel up and down either corridor. Take the time to go further inland if you like (The desert SW qould be a good trip, too), but plan on flying from West to East. Take the time to find out which Amtrak routes are the most scenic: the NYC to Albany route runs literally right along the Hudson River through some beautiful scenery. I'm sure there are other scenic routes scattered around.

If you don't want to fly for a long period of time at once, find an inland city to stop over in for a few days. Denver, Chicago, and Pittsburgh are big cities with a lot to offer that are also major Air hubs. You can probably get to any other city in the country non-stop from one of these. Ther eare others, too -- these are simply three that I've been to.

But make sure you list all your destinations and the time it would take to travel between them; you may find that adding three or four smaller Air segments between major cities will really cut down your travel time. Especially since Amtrak only has a handful of true long-haul routes, and you might find that taking the train brings you too far out of your way. Definitely plan out your trips before making up your mind!

[villalobos]

Looks like everybody here gave a variety of advices that you can pick from. I just wanted to chime in for the Greyhound trip. It is indeed not very convenient, not necessarily very comfortable but it is definitely an unique experience. I had the luck to travel from Denver to Phoenix : and yes changing buses at 3 am in Albuquerque was a pain, and that mexican worker without half of his teeth who insisted in singing me 'german' children songs was a little freaky, but i was certainly ready to forego all that when I woke up right before dawn in the middle if the Arizona desert, watching the sun rise : it was a magnificent sight. And I did not have to worry about driving, just looking around and being in awe.
There are buses all over America, just not like what you might be used to in Europe as far as scheduling is concerned. The NA continent is huge, there are marvels everywhere : the US Park system is still second to none IMHO. A car would be the most flexible way but buses and train might give you a different perspective, as well as the opportunity to talk to local people. I would consider a mixture of the different means of transportation.
My SO went across the US over 5 weeks, driving with friends and camping pretty much everywhere (except near San Diego and LA). She took close to 2000 pictures (thanks to digital technology and her faithful iBook that she used for storage). Best time she had.
Utah, Arizona and California are a must. After that it's all a matter of preferences. I think Chicago is worth the trip, as well as Boston, NYC and DC.
You sure you don't wannt spend 4 months?