USA: Getting there & around

Getting There

• plane

  Most visitors arrive by air, and heavy competition on popular routes means that inexpensive flights are often available. The main international airports are in Boston, New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. There are connecting flights from these airports to hundreds of other US cities.

• road

  There are plenty of efficient overland border crossings between the US and Canada and Mexico.

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Getting Around

• bus

  Greyhound has an extensive, cheap and efficient bus network, and travelling by bus enables you to meet the 35 other people stuck in America without a car. In rural areas, local bus services are often less than adequate.

• car

  America created car culture, so don't be surprised by the fact that nearly everyone of legal driving age has a car and uses it at every possible opportunity. Anyone who has seen an American road movie will know that the country's highways are not only nifty ways to cover large distances, they are also rich in mythic resonances. A road trip along Route 66, for example, is no A to B from Chicago to Los Angeles - it's a pilgrimage along America's 'mother road', closely bound up with the history of America's expansionist West, the Dust Bowl refugees and, of course, the sweet voice of Nat King Cole.

  The ubiquity of the automobile often means that local public transportation options are few and far between, but the good news is that Americans tend to be far from stingy with their vehicles, so if you're sticking around for a while you may well find wheels easier to borrow than you think. Rental cars are plentiful and relatively cheap, though major agencies require you to be at least 25 years old. Drive-aways are a peculiarly American phenomenon. It's basically a car delivery system that unites cars that need to be delivered over long distances with willing drivers. If a car needs delivering to a place you're prepared to go, you're given insurance, a delivery date and a set of keys, and Bob's yer uncle.

• walking

  Walking is considered an un-American activity unless it takes place on hiking trails in national parks.

• bicycle

  Cycling is an increasingly popular way to travel around small areas, since roads are good, shoulders are wide and cars generally travel at safe speeds.

• train

  For a country that owes so much to the penetration of railroads and that has such a potent railroad mythology, the US has a train system that can be surprisingly impractical and not always comfortable. Ticket prices vary in value, but the earlier you make a reservation, the cheaper the ticket.

• plane

  The number of domestic airlines, competition on popular routes and frequent discounting makes flying in the US a relatively inexpensive proposition (though fares can be high on less popular routes).

• underground rail

  Urban public transportation is generally quite good; catching the subway in New York or the El in Chicago is as integral a part of the American travelling experience as hopping on a double-decker bus in London.

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