Secondly: Rail
The American Amtrack service is a great relaxing way to travel and see a lot of the US without using much physical effort. Trains are comfortable with the option of booking small cabin rooms for overnight trips or for a little privacy. Room (or rather cabin/couchette) prices often include meals and other services and so are worth considering for longer trips.
This is a leisurely way to get around the US. It can take a few days to complete a journey from start to end, and that’s without leaving the train. However, you can usually buy a ticket that will allow you to break your main journey into “stages” so that you can stop off at points of interest en route and then catch the next train towards your final destination. If you aren’t too sure about booking this yourself, Amtrack actually offer this kind of trip in their menu of travel services.
On the Amtrack you will find a mixture of people mostly enthusiastic about travelling. In my experience, you wont find many Americans, but you will find an international set of tourists who are full of tales of where they’ve been, what they’ve seen and who are eager to hear your travel stories too. Amtrack staff are a great source of information about the places you are travelling through as well as the main destination of the train.
There are a variety of Amtrack passes available from one that is only valid on the East Coast, to one that covers the entire mainland US. You can also choose the duration of the pass. Make sure that you make your seat reservation (and cabin reservation if required) well ahead of time, especially on more popular routes in the summer season.
Thirdly: Air
If you are pressed for time on your trip and wish to see specific places or cities, then using the internal flight system within the US might be the solution. Many airlines offer extensive coverage of the US and flights can be relatively cheap. Remember when planning your vacation to allow for check-in times and factor in the time it takes to get to/from the airport especially if you are only thinking about spending a couple of days in a particular place. If you are a tourist from outside the US, make sure you read the internal airline flight information carefully – you will probably be allowed less baggage than your overseas flight and there may be specific rules about how much weight you can have in each suitcase/backpack etc.
