USA on a shoestring??!!?? (hopefully...please help!)

Bananaleaf

Hi

I am planning a trip to USA this summer and would like to do it on the cheapest budget possible.

My itinerary is as follows and is very loose at the moment:

Flying into TORONTO

TORONTO - NIAGARA FALLS (Booked)
NIAGARA - CHICAGO (Booked - very expensive!)

And this is where I'm at in terms of booking. The aim for the remainder of the trip is to head south - possibly as far as Mississippi - Alabama - Georgia and upwards to Albany where I have accommodation organised.

There are 2 of us and we are backpacking. We will be using public transport to get around and we have a time frame of 4 weeks. The month is July.

We have sit down to start organising things this evening and we have to admit - it's more challenging than we thought to keep costs down. There don't seem to be many hostels available in many towns - are hostels not a common thing in the USA? Are there other accommodation websites that we should be searching?

Our budget? Well .... a lot of accommodation seems to be coming in at 100dollars per night. At 50dollars per night each that may actually be a bargain, but we are looking to do this on as low a budget as possible.

In addition to our accommodation woes - if anyone would like to give us any tips on our itinerary - where we should/must visit. We have purchased the Eastern USA Lonely Planet but it (obviously enough) doesn't contain much info on smaller towns which may be where we need to be looking if we want to lower our expenses (but then - can we get to these places via public transport)

Many Thanks in advance to all who can offer some help!

topnotch

There was a good series recently on Tg4 WWoofail California about . World wide opportunities on organic farms. Its on the tg4 player.
You basically do a few hours work every day for your bed and meals. It would be a good way to keep costs down you could try it for a week. Dont know if you heard of it, just thought it might be something to consider.

http://www.tg4.tv/index.html?c=Faisneis&l={{G?'ie':'en'}}

InTheTrees

Bananaleaf wrote: »

There are 2 of us and we are backpacking.

There don't seem to be many hostels available in many towns - are hostels not a common thing in the USA?

Its a very different culture. You can buy a serviceable van for $1000 and drive across the country. Petrol is cheap. And especially out west the landscape is wide open for camping.

Which is why you dont see a lot of "hostels". The prevalence of motels probably put them out of business, and those would be on the edges of the small towns along the interstate highways.

Bananaleaf

Thank you! Will consider this for one or two of the stops definitely.

InTheTrees

Bananaleaf wrote: »

The aim for the remainder of the trip is to head south - possibly as far as Mississippi - Alabama - Georgia and upwards to Albany where I have accommodation organised.

There are 2 of us and we are backpacking. We will be using public transport to get around and we have a time frame of 4 weeks. The month is July.

I hate to be negative but I'm trying to give valuable advice.

The heat and humidity are at opressive levels throughout the midwest (and even more in the south) in the summer. From Illinois south. My ex-wife was from Missouri and you seriously dont want to be outside in july/august.

Something to bear in mind.

InTheTrees

"Public Transport" will vary wildly between different states. It'll probably be better in northern states.

Besides flying the only interstate public transport would be Greyhound buses or train.

On a "shoestring" i'd be tempted to take the bus south from Chicago down to New Orleans, hang out there for a few days and then start heading north again. Bus to the east coast first, maybe Savannah, then head up the coast towards New York. (You;re headed for Albany in NY right?).

Bananaleaf

InTheTrees wrote: »

I hate to be negative but I'm trying to give valuable advice.

The heat and humidity are at opressive levels throughout the midwest (and even more in the south) in the summer. From Illinois south. My ex-wife was from Missouri and you seriously dont want to be outside in july/august.

Something to bear in mind.

Thank you - God! Why don't I ever think of these things?? I hadn't thought of that although I have looked up weather patterns for the southern parts of the states. Thank you for the advice.

Bananaleaf

InTheTrees wrote: »

"Public Transport" will vary wildly between different states. It'll probably be better in northern states.

Besides flying the only interstate public transport would be Greyhound buses or train.

Yes, greyhound busses is what we have been looking at. We weren't sure if there were other options or not. I know there is the Peter Pan company which I think is a sister company of greyhound?

Internal flights to some places don't actually seem cheaper than I thought.

Are there many camping options or is this a bad idea?

InTheTrees

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Yes, greyhound busses is what we have been looking at. We weren't sure if there were other options or not. I know there is the Peter Pan company which I think is a sister company of greyhound?

Internal flights to some places don't actually seem cheaper than I thought.

Are there many camping options or is this a bad idea?

Also Bolt Bus. I think they're in the northeast.

Have you looked at TripAdvisor.com? There can be good advice there.

Camping is a good plan but difficult using pubic transport I imagine.

FatherTed

Motels/budget hotel chains are your best bet. Avoid downtown in the larger cities where they'll be more expensive. There are usually loads near some exits on the highways. Most offer free breakfast like Hampton Inns.

spideog7

Mega Bus is another option, they don't have many routes but if you book ahead of time they are cheap, often just 2 or 3 dollars.

Personally I think it would work out cheaper (and far more convenient) to have your own transportation (rental car). Then you're not restricted to cities where it's going to be expensive to get accommodation. You could camp or use Airbnb or couch surf, buy a cooler and fill it with groceries etc. all of which would likely offset the cost of the car.

iusedtoknow

Hostels are not that common in the US - there are a few HI hostels in some cities but a lot of people confuse hostels/cheap hotels with hotels for homeless people.

1) Do some research on motel chains and plot your trip accordingly - there are some like motel 6 etc which aren't that bad, and if there is two of you it'll be ok price wise.

2) do not even think about hitchhiking - no matter how much you want to keep costs down - just don't do it. Some states have laws against it, some counties have laws against it, and some cops just want to be a*******

3) the weather is going to be awful, truly awful. You are talking about tornado warnings (each town will have alarms) and thunderstorms will be a pretty much daily occurrence the further south you get. Humidity will be nothing like you've ever experienced

dave2pvd

I'd definitely look into Megabus and try to plan my trip around their routes. They often drop off and pick up on the outskirts of cities and towns, which means cheaper motels.

I'd echo what others said - public transport doesn't really exist on an inter city basis. Greyhound can be dangerous. Your route and timing couldn't possibly be hotter/more humid. If you do buy a car/van, you won't have A/C for $1,000.

Have you considered renting a car and bringing tents? National Park camping can be really cool. Also, try to stay in a Yurt.

Bananaleaf

Guys
Thanks a million for all the responses.

Okay - we hadn't considered the humidity and also the lack of reliable public transport the further south we were going to reach.

So ... We have changed our itinerary. The beginning as above remains the same but after Chicago we are going to head to Cleveland in Ohio. From there we are still undecided but we will most likely keep ourselves to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Washington DC and New Jersey. After Albany we will head to Montreal and Maine if time allows then back to Toronto for flight home.

Whatever about going by public transport in north east - it's not impossible but obviously is tricky - there seems to be no hope of achieving it down south and I am not fearless enough for hitchhiking!!

Please keep the advice coming - it's really great!

iusedtoknow

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Guys
Thanks a million for all the responses.

Okay - we hadn't considered the humidity and also the lack of reliable public transport the further south we were going to reach.

So ... We have changed our itinerary. The beginning as above remains the same but after Chicago we are going to head to Cleveland in Ohio. From there we are still undecided but we will most likely keep ourselves to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Washington DC and New Jersey. After Albany we will head to Montreal and Maine if time allows then back to Toronto for flight home.

Whatever about going by public transport in north east - it's not impossible but obviously is tricky - there seems to be no hope of achieving it down south and I am not fearless enough for hitchhiking!!

Please keep the advice coming - it's really great!

Definitely doable - amtrak have a high density network in that area making train travel an easy and fun way to get around. Take a look at Amtrak, they have a lot of deals and packages for getting around that area.

The weather will still be hot, but not 1/4 as bad as down south.

InTheTrees

Bananaleaf wrote: »

So ... We have changed our itinerary. The beginning as above remains the same but after Chicago we are going to head to Cleveland in Ohio. From there we are still undecided but we will most likely keep ourselves to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Washington DC and New Jersey. After Albany we will head to Montreal and Maine if time allows then back to Toronto for flight home.

Sounds way more practical. More transport options means you'll have more options to be spontaneous.

"Public" transport still isnt going to be great but you'll have wriggle room.

InTheTrees

Bananaleaf wrote: »

From there we are still undecided but we will most likely keep ourselves to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Washington DC and New Jersey.

Dont forget New York City. You could probably fit Boston in as well.

The Massachusetts coast is very pretty. Old coastal towns, etc.

Bananaleaf

Oh sorry, should have mentioned. We've been to NYC twice so not looking to go there again. Tbh it wasn't our scene.

We have also been to Boston once before and may head back again on this trip. However, we won't be too upset if we don't make it there this time because with family in Albany we will definitely be there again at some stage.

Atlantic city is a place we do want to visit. How long do people advise for Washington DC? I would have said two days no more, even one if one was tight for time.

Dave1442397

You could spend a lot of time in Washington DC if you're into museums. There are many, many different museums and attraction in DC.

Atlantic City is pretty much the boardwalk and the shopping area. You could be done with AC in 10 minutes if you're unlucky at the casinos, but who knows? It's a nice day trip, though.

If you stay in Philadelphia, there's a New Jersey Transit train that will take you from 30th St. Station to Atlantic City. That's how we usually go. The AC station is right by Caesar's Casino and the shopping outlets.

You don't want to venture more than a block or two inland from the boardwalk. Most of AC is fairly sketchy and not the kind of place you want to wander off the mains drags.

spideog7

Depending on your desired level of activity the Great Allegheny Passage is a dedicated bike/walk trail that runs along what was once a railway, between Pittsburgh and DC. You can rent bikes on either end for a one way trip, and lots of small business has popped up catering to travelers on the trail (B&B, Cafés, Campgrounds etc.). It's probably a few days at least though.

InTheTrees

spideog7 wrote: »

Depending on your desired level of activity the Great Allegheny Passage is a dedicated bike/walk trail that runs along what was once a railway, between Pittsburgh and DC. You can rent bikes on either end for a one way trip, and lots of small business has popped up catering to travelers on the trail (B&B, Cafés, Campgrounds etc.). It's probably a few days at least though.

Wow. Really interesting. I didnt know about that. (Not that I would, I'm in Seattle!). It sounds like an interesting trip to take some time. I love the idea of being able to rent a bike.

Perhaps the model for what they're trying to put together between Galway and Clifden, using the old railway line as a biking/walking trail.

I looked up the wiki page for it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Allegheny_Passage

whitey1

Have you looked into just renting a car...believe it or not it may be cheaper than public transport (if you're going to be moving around a lot) and you would have complete autonomy and flexibility of schedule. You could even camp

It would also allow you much more leeway in terms of where you stay.

Eg I looked into Buffalo to Chicago on a bus takes 11.5 hours and would cost $66.50 each. Flying takes about 1.5 hrs and cheapest fare I've seen is $129 each.

A Corolla for a month would cost about $1000 plus gas, parking and tolls.

Just for example there's a campsite near Boston-you could easily do Cape Cod, Boston, Newport, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard on a day trip from here

http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/wompatuck-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=MA&parkId=32628#sr

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g41608-d3225223-Reviews-Wompatuck_State_Park-Hingham_Massachusetts.html

Hingham is a very wealthy town so I highly doubt there's any problems in the campsite.

spideog7

InTheTrees wrote: »

Wow. Really interesting. I didnt know about that. (Not that I would, I'm in Seattle!). It sounds like an interesting trip to take some time. I love the idea of being able to rent a bike.

Perhaps the model for what they're trying to put together between Galway and Clifden, using the old railway line as a biking/walking trail.

I looked up the wiki page for it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Allegheny_Passage

Can't say I've ever done it but it's on the list to at least travel a portion. The Greenway at home will be great if they can link all the little pieces up, Galway to Achill.

It's quite bike friendly here (well trying to be, still not sure I'd ride on the road) but I'm not sure how much of the rest of the US could be biked.

Uno my Uno.

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Guys
Thanks a million for all the responses.

Okay - we hadn't considered the humidity and also the lack of reliable public transport the further south we were going to reach.

So ... We have changed our itinerary. The beginning as above remains the same but after Chicago we are going to head to Cleveland in Ohio. From there we are still undecided but we will most likely keep ourselves to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Washington DC and New Jersey. After Albany we will head to Montreal and Maine if time allows then back to Toronto for flight home.

Whatever about going by public transport in north east - it's not impossible but obviously is tricky - there seems to be no hope of achieving it down south and I am not fearless enough for hitchhiking!!

Please keep the advice coming - it's really great!

I think you might be underestimating the travel times involved and travel options between some of these places particularly if you are hoping to include Montreal and Maine. Chicago to Cleveland is a 6 hour drive, Washington to Albany much the same and they will probably take longer by public transport. Obviously in 4 weeks they are all doable but they aren't short hops and you don't want to spend all your time on buses and trains.

Amtrak is comfortable but slow and expensive (you could probably find flights that aren't much more expensive), Greyhound is cheap and regular but really unpleasant for anything but the shortest journey, I wouldn't ride greyhound again unless I really had to. Frequently the only public transport option available is a greyhound or similar bus company.

It has been mentioned several times on the thread already but if you want to tour around the US then a car really is by far the best way to do it. Its true when they say that everyone drives everywhere in the US, its just how they live. The road network is excellent, fuel is cheap and a comfortable rental probably wouldn't be any more expensive than what you might spend on travel. Whats more you won't be limited to the centre of the towns and cities and will be able to see and do much more.

The freedom is the main positive however, eg if Washington turns out to be a bust you could spend a few days visiting the Civil War Battlefields.

Sounds like a great trip either way!

Paul_Hacket

OP - your itenerary is going to be tough without a car. Public transport in the US is dire. Your best bet will be Grehound and its rivals, Megabus, etc, they're okay but not exactly a pleasant experience a lot of the time. And they mainly take the interstate between cities so you miss out on all of the scenery. Personally I find traveling on them pretty grim.

Can I ask why you're going to these particular spots? Cleveland, Atlantic City, etc. aren't exactly known for their natural beauty. Neither is Niagara Falls once you've seen the Falls itself, the surrounding towns are pretty crappy. At that time of year my advice would be to consider New England instead, it's got some amazing scenery, much better summer climate, nice people, great food and micro brews, and it's more progressive up there so there is better transport in places like Maine and Massachusetts.

If at all possible though you should consider either buying a car and selling at end of trip or doing a rental. It will almost certainly work out cheaper and give you a ton more options.

Bananaleaf

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

I think you might be underestimating the travel times involved and travel options between some of these places particularly if you are hoping to include Montreal and Maine. Chicago to Cleveland is a 6 hour drive, Washington to Albany much the same and they will probably take longer by public transport. Obviously in 4 weeks they are all doable but they aren't short hops and you don't want to spend all your time on buses and trains.

Amtrak is comfortable but slow and expensive (you could probably find flights that aren't much more expensive), Greyhound is cheap and regular but really unpleasant for anything but the shortest journey, I wouldn't ride greyhound again unless I really had to. Frequently the only public transport option available is a greyhound or similar bus company.

It has been mentioned several times on the thread already but if you want to tour around the US then a car really is by far the best way to do it. Its true when they say that everyone drives everywhere in the US, its just how they live. The road network is excellent, fuel is cheap and a comfortable rental probably wouldn't be any more expensive than what you might spend on travel. Whats more you won't be limited to the centre of the towns and cities and will be able to see and do much more.

The freedom is the main positive however, eg if Washington turns out to be a bust you could spend a few days visiting the Civil War Battlefields.

Sounds like a great trip either way!

Hi there
Thank you for your reply.

We have actually cut Maine out of the itinerary and will just head straight to Montreal from Albany and then back to Toronto on our return journey.

I appreciate your very valid point about the bus journeys but we haven't over estimated the Times. In fact, we are undertaking these journeys overnight so as to save on a nights accommodation AND make sure that we maximise our time. Tbh, we have travelled greyhound quite a few times before and have found them grand! We are going prepared with sleeping tablets too though. Overnight bus journeys may not be to most people's tastes I know, but hey, it's USA on a shoestring! Ironically, you have the freedom to do this when using public transport - something which is not possible when driving.

I also agree with you that a car would be the way to go. We have considered what not having a car means and with that in mind, we omitted the southern part of our trip. We will leave that for another year, when we are more confident renting a car again (got very badly ripped off the last time we rented a car, not in USA, but in Europe) As busses take the interstates we would be missing scenery anyway, so no extra loss travelling at night.

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

OP - your itenerary is going to be tough without a car. Public transport in the US is dire. Your best bet will be Grehound and its rivals, Megabus, etc, they're okay but not exactly a pleasant experience a lot of the time. And they mainly take the interstate between cities so you miss out on all of the scenery. Personally I find traveling on them pretty grim.

Can I ask why you're going to these particular spots? Cleveland, Atlantic City, etc. aren't exactly known for their natural beauty. Neither is Niagara Falls once you've seen the Falls itself, the surrounding towns are pretty crappy. At that time of year my advice would be to consider New England instead, it's got some amazing scenery, much better summer climate, nice people, great food and micro brews, and it's more progressive up there so there is better transport in places like Maine and Massachusetts.

If at all possible though you should consider either buying a car and selling at end of trip or doing a rental. It will almost certainly work out cheaper and give you a ton more options.

Hi Paul_Hackett

Of course you can ask why we are going to these particular places. Well, we are only staying one night in Niagara. Just to see the falls and that is it. I myself have been before but my OH hasn't. We would like to visit Chicago as it is a city we have not yet visited. We have already been to NYC, which we didn't like at all and to Boston, which we did. We would like to go to Cleveland, honestly, because it's nearby and on the public transport route. That's the honest truth. However, since choosing it we have looked into it and it seems a lovely place - there is a direct public transport link to the Erie Islands, we have managed to source a way of getting to an Amish community while there too, which I am looking forward to.

Washington DC is probably self explanatory.

The OH has read some literature set in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania and his brother in law, an American, lived there for some time so has given us some tips on where to go. We haven't 100% researched that part of the trip yet so don't know what else we will do there. We felt that from Albany - staying there with relatives - to Maine would be too far, so we have left it off the list for this year's trip. There will be more trips though, which is maybe why we are not overly concerned with trying to squeeze everything into the one holiday.

I should also mention that we sometimes like to visit places that wouldnt exactly be on the front covers of lonely planet so to speak. We were thinking, big bustling city, relaxed, what-some-might-consider-boring city, etc.. in TORONTO, Niagara, CHICAGO, Cleveland, WASHINGTON DC, Philadelphia, BOSTON. We are also not staying in any one place longer than 4days

Thanks for replies.

Ruu

There is an Amtrak train that goes from Chicago to New Orleans, you could give that a try, bus is probably cheaper though.

Dave1442397

There's also the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. I went there on a chilly Friday in March and had the place almost to myself.

Cleveland is one of the few major cities where the population has declined over the years. It's nowhere near as bad as Detroit, but it sound like you found the main attractions anyway.

If you're into movie trivia, there's this too - http://news.moviefone.com/2010/05/18/famous-movie-locations-ralphie-parker-house-christmas-story/

I'll be in Cleveland on business next weekend.

whitey1

Each to their own, but with a car you would have a much better time and you could potentially save a bundle on accomadation etc as you would need to chose your accomadation based on where you get get via public transport


TBH your travel plans might sound doable on paper, but I honestly think you will have a hard time pll it off. Public transport svcks in the US and many unsavory characters use Greyhound bus to get around

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/list.asp?region=2&country=USA&prov=Ohio&city=Cleveland&terminal=Bus+Station#.VPozy4o8LCQ

Bananaleaf

whitey1 wrote: »

Each to their own, but with a car you would have a much better time and you could potentially save a bundle on accomadation etc as you would need to chose your accomadation based on where you get get via public transport


TBH your travel plans might sound doable on paper, but I honestly think you will have a hard time pll it off. Public transport svcks in the US and many unsavory characters use Greyhound bus to get around

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/list.asp?region=2&country=USA&prov=Ohio&city=Cleveland&terminal=Bus+Station#.VPozy4o8LCQ

Thanks for the reply. The car may have saved us money on accommodation alright, and there is no doubt that we could get around a lot easier and quicker if we had one.

Out of curiosity - are there many people here who have actually travelled parts of the US by car and/or public transport? I'm not ungrateful for the advice given, just wondering is it opinion or experience?

I've previously travelled west to east coast by car before. There are costs involved in driving that you may not think of initially. For starters, parking. During my previous trip we had the benefit of being able to stay in cheap accommodation, but every day you had to drive to get close to the city, which, if you are staying in a place a few days, does add up. You then had to pay parking too. I remember San Fran and NYC being particularly bad. In fact, it was so expensive to park in NYC that we couldn't afford it and would park the car in NJ and get shuttle bus and subway into the city each day. I honestly can't remember if the roads were tolled but I think I recall that they were.

We are quite well travelled and know what to expect at bus stations. Also, with respect, the link you posted is about people sleeping in the bus stations. We are not going to be sleeping in the bus stations, I would consider that crazy. We are getting overnight busses. They depart at times like 11pm or so and go through the night.

There is one holiday bus journey that I will never forget. It was Copacabana, Bolivia (yes, there is a Copacabana in Bolivia) to Cuzco, Peru. I can't remember the duration of the trip, but I was the only foreigner on a bus full of Bolivians trying to sneak knitted goods and that kind of thing into Peru, presumably to sell at a more inflated prices. I presumed not drugs as they would have been hauled off the busses if that were the case. Roughly every hour, the bus stopped and these customs officers would get on and rip the bus apart looking for goods. During one visit one of the officers put his hands up a woman's dress to look for goods (incidentally they were hiding goods up their dresses) she jumped up to confront him, shouting. With the most forceful slap, he knocked her back into the seat. This man is standing inches from me as he does this and I can see the very real gun by his side.

Greyhound may be bad, but I'm assuming it's not going to be that bad. I do admit though, I don't know. I could be eating my words in July.

Edit: oh and those motel6/8 chains. The unsavoury characters I met in some of them were just as scary as ones you'd meet at a bus station. I remember one night a guy with a ghetto blaster on his shoulder stood outside our room all night. No phone in room to call reception. Too afraid to leave the room. I didn't sleep all night that night.

whitey1

I have limited experience traveling by bus, but living in Boston, the local discount busses to NYC were always in the news for accidents, breaking down or being unsafe, or some combination of all three.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/fung-wah-bus-new-york


I understand that you don't intend to sleep in the bus station, but the reason I posted that link was that if your bus is cancelled or delayed (which is quite likely) you may have no option.

A car makes sense for this trip because of where you're going.....it would not make sense if you had to pay big city parking charges. You can get great bargains on nice hotels in the suburbs of a lot of cities...some with kitchenette...so you would save on food as well.....and just hop the subway into the city.

I attempted one "shoestring" trip where we drive to Toronto from Boston and slept in the car for 2 nights. No sleep, no showers, high temps.....lets just say I got a dose of athletes foot that Still gives me the chills.

I wish you the best on the trip, just I've seen so many Irish people try to cut the kind of corners you can cut in Europe, here in the States and end up spending just as much money for a thoroughly miserable experience