The US fascinates me. The culture bleeds into the UK, along with the rest of the world, and we have a strong perception of "Americans". I've always wanted to experience the country from the inside, rather than just looking in through movies and TV etc. Never had the chance so far, but the few months between school and university will hopefully be perfect.
I'd originally intended to get a car and drive, but that's not gonna be possible with my age. My friends are uninterested, solely for the lack of availability of alcohol (something that I cannot bring myself to understand). I'm happy alone, though; my interests are fairly exclusive within my circles. I'll be taking some camera stuff, photography being an interest of mine. And I also love mountain biking - something I hope to pursue a lot of.
So Amtrak seems the best option. They do relatively cheap 45 day passes, and trains move quicker than cars. It'll also give me an opportunity to meet other people. I'll be staying in hostels in the big cities, and whatever equivalent I can find in the quieter places. I may also try and get some overnight trains, so I can sleep for free occasionally.
Red lines are Amtrak trains, orange are buses, and the blue is a Canadian Via Rail service. Oh and the yellow arcs are flights, clearly.
- Washington, D.C.
- New York City, NY
- Niagara Falls, NY
- Windsor, ON (Canada)
- Chicago, IL
- Jackson Hole, WY
- Idaho Falls, ID
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Green River, UT
- Glenwood Springs, CO
- Denver, CO
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Santa Fe, NM
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Las Vegas, NV
- Victorville, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
I also hope to stop off in Vancouver for a few days to a week on the way back from LA.
I'd love to hear from anyone who has had similar experience in the past, and anything they would recommend. Are young rail-trippers common in the States?
And how much should I expect to spend on food? I don't need fine dining - I'm sure I'll be having my fair share of burgers, and I'm more than happy with that. Just a rough idea? On the subject of tipping: is that expected to the same extent of a student traveller like me? I have zero experience with it...
Also, if there's anything I should know about being in the US generally.
And does anyone know of any walls that I might run into being under 18? Aside from the drinking etc., which as I said doesn't bother me.
Can't wait. I'll be arriving on about the 8th of July, returning at the very end of August. Flights should be flexible.