Best way to travel america solo?

[Adam]

Say if I went traveling in America alone: Would it be better getting a greyhound pass or hire a car?

Money is an object but I really hate coaches. But I could push out to a rental car if it was worth it.

I know big cities its pointless but for in between stuff.

We are talking October/November/December time starting in FL for about 60 days. The rest of the trip may be going west, then north then back east and back to where I started (if I have time). Only thing I want to do is start and end in Orlando (for reasons boring to explain).

[camo]

do it the same way you did it last time (http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/monkey_bike_rider.jpg)

[ms.peachy]

Well it depends on what kind of experience you want to have. If you want to meet lots of poor people and be really uncomfortable, by all means go Greyhound.

[Adam]

Well it depends on what kind of experience you want to have. If you want to meet lots of poor people and be really uncomfortable, by all means go Greyhound.

haha - thanks. That answers my question entirely!

(y)

I'm also thinking of heading to South Africa in the new year - gonna watch some of the England v ZAF tests and then see where it takes me. For some reason, I feel less anxious about South Africa than I do America - just seems safer even though statically it ain't.

[Yorkshire~Rose]

Your trip(s) sound brilliant *jealous*

You could hire one of those humongous winnebago things! God knows what they are like to drive, and let's not get started on the parking, but they look like fun.

[ms.peachy]

haha - thanks. That answers my question entirely!


Ha, well, I was being a little bit facetious. What I said is mostly true, but actually you still might want to do part of your journey by bus or train. Just for the experience of it, and to be able to look at the scenery without having to worry about keeping your eye on the road. You could take an Amtrak train from Florida up the east coast of the country if you fancied (or back down, as part of your return to Orlando. There's not actually a station in Orlando but you can connect from say Jacksonville or Ocala).

I have a friend here in London who is from Italy; a few years ago she traveled across the US by bus and train with a friend, not realising that most Americans do not travel this way, unless they have no other option. So everyone she met was, like, other European students, or migrant workers. She did enjoy it and said it was worth doing but that if she had to do it again she would rent a car for at least part of it as the whole 'traveling with the huddled masses' can be a bit exhausting.

[Adam]

Your trip(s) sound brilliant *jealous*

You could hire one of those humongous winnebago things! God knows what they are like to drive, and let's not get started on the parking, but they look like fun.

Yeah, well this is very early stages obviously. It looks as though we have sold my mums house - although at about 60% of its full value - but that the climate we are I suppose - and after paying off her mortgage we'll probably have about £20k each.

Some of that I am gonna use for traveling - I've always kinda avoid traveling cus people who are up for it always pull out and stuff. But I've been reading about traveling alone and with the interweb and how much smaller the world is these days (figuratively) I'm up for doing it more and spending a little of the money.

Ha, well, I was being a little bit facetious. What I said is mostly true, but actually you still might want to do part of your journey by bus or train. Just for the experience of it, and to be able to look at the scenery without having to worry about keeping your eye on the road. You could take an Amtrak train from Florida up the east coast of the country if you fancied (or back down, as part of your return to Orlando. There's not actually a station in Orlando but you can connect from say Jacksonville or Ocala).

I have a friend here in London who is from Italy; a few years ago she traveled across the US by bus and train with a friend, not realising that most Americans do not travel this way, unless they have no other option. So everyone she met was, like, other European students, or migrant workers. She did enjoy it and said it was worth doing but that if she had to do it again she would rent a car for at least part of it as the whole 'traveling with the huddled masses' can be a bit exhausting.

Yeah, I read the facetious part of ya post :cool:. Thing is; the pro's of greyhound and like is that I will meet other travelers which is part of the plan, but I am not the big city type of person and I know that is where the main connections are - still want to visit the cities but not stay there too long. I do want to be able to change my plan, stop and look around etc. I've read forum posts that saying renting a car is a massive waste of money and others saying that once you have it, you don't know what you would of done without it.

Its not a traditional way of traveling for a Brit - most head south/east to Africa and Asia etc. But I know some1 in Florida and I really do like american culture and want to see more (I know I rip on them but its a friendly way). I did think about heading west from FL and then to South Korea eventually (as I know somewhere there to) but the time I have for this it'd mean spending all of Christmas/New Year period out of England and I'm not sure how I feel about that right now. Although there maybe a chance I will be in South Africa then anyway, but I do want to come home for a bit at least in the winter to appreciate how horrible winters are over here (!)

I'm also not sure about if a month is enough to travel east to west? I don't want to be rushed. And obviously the 2nd month going back west to east a different route.

Plus, the fact that rental places will let you pick up in the east and drop off in the west has its advantages. So I could car one way and then bus it back.

Sorry for the long post - I didn't mean it to be. Like I say, I've been looking at travel forums to but I thought I'd ask here since I know you guys and a bit of different perspective :)

[camo]

can't believe I made a joke that include a monkey and a bike and got no props.

Shame on you all (n)

[ms.peachy]

Just be aware that traveling at that time of year, you might not be able to travel back west-east on a more northerly route, because of the Rockies.

[Adam]

^good point!

[jabumbo]

i would say that the train is the way to go, but most lines tend to have exorbitant amounts of delays for seemingly unknown reasons. plus, people on greyhounds can be of the type that you'd rather not meet along the way, yano?

[Adam]

i would say that the train is the way to go, but most lines tend to have exorbitant amounts of delays for seemingly unknown reasons. plus, people on greyhounds can be of the type that you'd rather not meet along the way, yano?

like tourists and immigrants? :p

[ericlee]

train.

/thread

[jabumbo]

like tourists and immigrants? :p


like poor vagrants who have head chopping tendencies?


i mean, yeah sure you will have a higher incidence of other tourists being on the bus with you, especially if its a long haul trip from one big city to the next, but the other half of the bus will be the creepy folk who get off/on at the stop that you are too afraid to get off the bus and take a leak at. (and when that happens, you're holding in that massive shit for another 4 hours until you stop again)

[ScarySquirrel]

people on greyhounds can be of the type that you'd rather not meet along the way, yano?
Yeah... no shit (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=913f8c61-60c0-4ec0-b5e3-36baba2a8387).

I'd still take the Greyhound bus though. I think it's kind of fun.

[Adam]

I knew what you meant jabumbo.

I think this is why I am more apprehensive about America than Africa. I mean, they all have their bad people but it gets reported more in the news. I'm a media whore. I know there has to be 100 africans die to get the same coverage as one american or britian to die.

I could wear a man-diaper to avoid the toilet situation.

Ok, current thinking. Drive East to West and then get the choo-choo west to east.

[b i o n i c]

if you've got the $$ get a car. end of story

[Adam]

train.

/thread

if you've got the $$ get a car. end of story

^^that is basically ever travel forum I've visited. Not started my own thread as other people have had that idea. Only people who think car was a bad idea is those that didn't get a car.

But I am appreciative of all the responses.

[Helvete]

I know someone who did this quite recently. He hired a 70s muscle car and started on the East Coast. He met up with a few contacts on the way to stay with sometimes but pretty much just freestyled most of it. He said it was amazing and recommended trying it. Cost him about £5000 I think and took like 4-6 weeks (I forget exactly). He said you could probably do it for about £3000 but he is kinda rich and an Officer so he probably spent most of his money on caviar and champagne.