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United States Transport
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Travel throughout the country is easy with buses, trains and planes all
readily available. Budget deals and promotions are normally easy to
find. Of particular value are the Greyhound bus and Amtrak rail
services. Car Rental is also widely available at all major airports and
many other locations.
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Air |
Every city is served by at least one airport; larger cities have
multiple airports. Strong competition between airlines has resulted in a
wide difference between fares. Categories of fares are first-class,
business class, economy, excursion and discount. Night flights are
generally cheaper, known as “red-eye” flights.
Air Passes
Money-saving schemes for overseas visitors offer discounts on internal
flights with the Visit USA (VUSA) Airpass, offered by the principal US
airlines (often in conjunction with British Airways) and can be
purchased in advance. Delta Airlines offers a similar scheme branded as
Discover America.
These passes are offered as a minimum of three and a maximum of 10
coupons entitling the passenger to that number of flights within the USA
at a discounted fare. A number of restrictions usually apply.
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Rail |
Nearly all the long-distance trains are operated by Amtrak, which serves
more than 500 communities covering 35,000 kilometres. However, rail is
not considered the best or fastest way to travel within the USA, as
trains can be slow and infrequent, as well as expensive. Air travel is
often more economical.
The more popular and reliable rail services exist between Boston, New
York and Washington. The ‘Acela Express’ high-speed rail service along
these routes is capable of travelling up to 240kph (150mph), reducing
the regular train travel time by 30-90 minutes, depending on the route.
Other routes from Washington DC run south to Miami and New Orleans, and
from Boston, New York or Washington, DC to Chicago. From Chicago, daily
services cross the country to Seattle, Portland, Oakland, San Francisco,
Los Angeles, New Orleans and San Antonio (via Fort Worth).
Connections also exist between Los Angeles and San Diego, Los Angeles
and San Francisco, San Francisco and Bakersfield, San Francisco and
Seattle (via Portland), San Antonio and Oklahoma City, New Orleans and
Atlanta, and Kansas City and St Louis, amongst others.
A coast-to-coast train service is provided between Jacksonville and Los
Angeles via Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston and New Orleans.
Nearly all trains have coach seating and air conditioning, with a
variety of sleeping accommodation available for a supplemental charge.
All long-distance trains have waiter-staffed, seated dining facilities.
Cafe cars on shorter trips provide snacks and beverages that guests can
take back to their seats.
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Bus |
Greyhound Bus is the main national coach carrier and covers the whole of
the USA. This 24-hour service is supplemented by over 11,000 other tour
lines, covering the country with reasonably priced and regular services.
Some Greyhound services are available to Canada and Mexico. There are
express bus services between major cities. Air conditioning, toilets and
reclining seats are available on all buses. Meals are not provided,
however, food and non-alcoholic drinks may be consumed on board and
there are regular meal stops on longer routes. Visit www.greyhound.com
for more information.
Greyhound offers a range of Discovery Pass programs, valid for 4 to 60
days in the USA and/or Canada, which can be purchased by US, Canadian
and overseas travellers.
The International Ameripass is 10 to 15 percent cheaper than the
domestic version, but must be purchased outside the USA and Canada. The
Ameripass, gives four, seven, 10, 15, 21, 30, 45 or 60 days unlimited
travel throughout the USA and some points within Mexico. Passes are
validated at the ticket counter at the beginning of the trip and
identification must be shown. Individual tickets are not necessary. The
pass is valid for a continuous period starting from validation.
Unlimited stops are allowed.
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Car |
Driving is a fabulous way to see the USA, although the distances between
cities can be enormous, for example the distance between San Francisco
and New York City is 4716km. This is a great way to see the country,
providing you have plenty of time and a good map to get yourself off the
main highways. A realistic evaluation of travel times should be made to
avoid over-strenuous itineraries. For example, allow no less than 2
weeks if you plan to drive between San Francisco and New York.
Driving conditions are excellent and the road system reaches every town.
Petrol (gas) is cheaper than in Europe. The American Automobile
Association (AAA); (www.aaa.com) offers excellent touring services, maps
and travel advice and emergency road assistance to affiliate auto club
members.
Major international companies have offices at all airports and in most
cities. There are excellent discounts available for foreign visitors. A
drop-off charge will be added if the car is returned in a different city
from the one in which it was hired. Credit-card deposits are generally
required. Minimum ages for hirers vary according to the rental company,
but generally require the driver to be at least 25 years of age.
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Subway/Metro |
There are numerous underground train systems operating in major cities
including New York, Washington, DC, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.
Many others are being planned or built. There are also several tramway
and trolleybus systems, including the wonderful antique trams (cable
cars) found in San Francisco.
Water
There are extensive water communications both along the coastline and
along the major rivers and lakes. The Ohio River carries more water
traffic than any other inland waterway in the world. Tour ships and
passenger and freight lines crisscross all the Great Lakes from ports in
Duluth, Sault Sainte Marie, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo,
Rochester, Cleveland and Toronto.
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