Backpacking in the US
Filed Under Travel, Travel Writing and Guidebooks
Can you backpack every country in the world? Europe is easy, Asia was almost built for it, the parts of South America not currently under cartel administration are fairly easy to navigate. Time Warner Cable Deals . Australia and New Zealand require a little more in the way of currency for flight and are fairly easy. Africa doesnt have the infrastructure yet; the Middle-East is somewhat of a risk; Russia is just plain hostile, but the Indian subcontinent shows promising signs of opening up.You can tell the more accommodating places by travel insurance prices. The safer the place; the cheaper the rate. Check out Direct-Travel and see what they say when you mention backpacker travel insurance with regards to a particular country. Chances are North Korea and Iran may prove a little troublesomeBut what of the good old USA?Holidaymakers have flocked to the states for years, but you would hardly call them backpackers. It is somewhat strange to say, but America doesnt really have the infrastructure that make backpacking possible. The public transport networks that are so handy for the backpacking traveller just dont exist in the USThere are almost no rail links and the bus system in the states is something of a national joke. For a fun few minutes of stereotyping ask an American about the Greyhound bus clientele and youll see what I mean. There is also a dispiriting lack of hostels. Some big cities didn’t have any at all and a couple of the ones that do have them so far out of the way as to make them all but useless. Some cities do have good public transport, but outside of New York, Chicago, the SF/Bay area, Atlanta, and Washington D.C., it can be difficult to get around as a backpacker without a car.So what is the answer? Well, to be honest, there are only really two options: drive or fly. The general consensus is that the country is so damn big the only real way to do it is by air, especially if you can purchase an inexpensive air pass of some type before you come to the US. You can also book your tickets in advance to get the lowest possible fares and shave off a little of the price by looking at fares on your discount airlines like Southwest. Ask about student discount, Visit USA fares, etc. You can save a few dollars and not have to pay US federal tax on domestic air tickets if you provide your international ticket number when booking.The second alternative is to drive. This is the classic method of seeing the states, and the majority of Americans wish to drive their own country. If you have a group, do consider a car rental. This will give you the ability to get around easier both across long and short distances and within cities. Make sure you get unlimited miles and shop around for a rental.America has thousands and thousands of miles of road, and unlike most other countries these roads are almost tourist attractions themselves. Drive Route 66 and youll see what I mean.In conclusion, you can backpack America, but not in the way you would any other country. Expenditure will be on different things and you will need to plan much more carefully in order to make the most of your trip. It wont be like Thailand where you have a hundred touts clamouring for your custom. In America, you need to be that little bit more independent.
