why are there no hostels in alabama?? (Birmingham, Cherokee: rental, chapel)
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How do you plan on getting around the US without a car? Buses (like Greyhound) are slow and can be very inconvenient, and you would tend to see the not-so-nice parts of cities and towns, and hitchhiking is generally frowned upon.
How do you plan on getting around the US without a car? Buses (like Greyhound) are slow and can be very inconvenient, and you would tend to see the not-so-nice parts of cities and towns, and hitchhiking is generally frowned upon.
Plane (primarily SW airlines) and Amtrak. I am only taking a bus for short trips to smaller towns where trains and planes don't go or are expensive to go (ie: roswell), so the distance would never be more than 300 or so kilometres by bus. I definitely won't be hitch hiking lol.
''How do you plan on getting around the US without a car? Buses (like Greyhound) are slow and can be very inconvenient, and you would tend to see the not-so-nice parts of cities and towns, and hitchhiking is generally frowned upon.''
-fsumike
well.
since this guy from australia sure seems like he has more homework to do.
Most cities in our country do provide adequate public transportation(i would hope so) and you would have no problem getting around
Why the South?
Without a car that's just dumb dude.
Well I don't really want to limit myself to visiting san francisco, las vegas and hollywood like every other tourist does. My trip is predominately not in the true south anyway: LA to northern california, across to NJ for three weeks with family. Then south to NC with a mate for two weeks and another two weeks in florida with family, as well as another two weeks by myself in florida as i really want to spend time there. Then for the remaining couple of weeks i need to get back to los angeles anyway so i am going to be going through the south regardless. plus, i really want to visit roswell. So, rather than taking a plane and landing in los angeles two weeks prior to departure, i might as well take a train or bus to see the sites. I would really like to see the south as it appeals to me quite a bit, there is a lot of stuff that i've always dreamt of seeing. Why would I even want a car? I want to experience the real culture, not drive through everywhere confined in a car by myself. I'm backpacking, a car defeats the whole purpose of that. Anyway, I understand most southern states don't really accomodate for this and have adjusted my plans accordingly.
Autsch!
@@@You are familiar with US visa requirements? Good.
@@@It sounds like you will be spending a lot of time with locals be family or friends so you have transportation.
@@@You will not see much by Amtrack/bus. Some countryside. Interesting but after a while it gets old. Trainstations are mostly in the industrial section of town. Not much to look at. Union Station in DC is a pleasant exception. How do you plan to get from a station to a motel?
@@@Backpackers are generally treated with caution. Somehow they seen to remind locals of transients. Particularly at 95F and 55% humidity they try to keep them downwind.
@@@Unfortunately you will miss out on a lot of sites and what you refer to as local culture as outside metropolitan areas a vehicle is not only a necessity but part of that culture.
@@@What do you want to see? I am sure you will be able to get useful pointers here.
Amtrak used to come through my small town but that stopped about ten years ago. I read somewhere that they're thinking of starting it back up, guess we'll see.
Well I don't really want to limit myself to visiting san francisco, las vegas and hollywood like every other tourist does. My trip is predominately not in the true south anyway: LA to northern california, across to NJ for three weeks with family. Then south to NC with a mate for two weeks and another two weeks in florida with family, as well as another two weeks by myself in florida as i really want to spend time there. Then for the remaining couple of weeks i need to get back to los angeles anyway so i am going to be going through the south regardless. plus, i really want to visit roswell. So, rather than taking a plane and landing in los angeles two weeks prior to departure, i might as well take a train or bus to see the sites. I would really like to see the south as it appeals to me quite a bit, there is a lot of stuff that i've always dreamt of seeing. Why would I even want a car? I want to experience the real culture, not drive through everywhere confined in a car by myself. I'm backpacking, a car defeats the whole purpose of that. Anyway, I understand most southern states don't really accomodate for this and have adjusted my plans accordingly.
If you really want to see places, you might consider biking. I've done bike tours around the South around Kentucky, Gulf Coast, Georgia. Natchez trace From Tennessee down Mississippi is a popular route. If you really want to slow down and see the countryside, that's the way to do it.
Location: College Station, TX now but Snellville is still home.
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Sometimes I think travelling by car is the best way. You don't have to always stay in your car. There are many cities and towns you can visit while also being to drive to state parks. In many parks you can walk on trails and view the scenery.
The good thing about a car is that you're on your own schedule. If you want to stop somewhere, you can. You can't just stop a plane or a train mid-route. You can check out any city you want to.
As for the hostels, I guess southern culture just doesn't embrace hostels. There's not really a large demand for them here.
If you really want to see places, you might consider biking. I've done bike tours around the South around Kentucky, Gulf Coast, Georgia. Natchez trace From Tennessee down Mississippi is a popular route. If you really want to slow down and see the countryside, that's the way to do it.
That's actually a really good idea, I never thought of that, thanks mate.
Anyway I did a bit more research and it turns out Arkansas has a couple of neat hostels, I guess they are aware of the tourism $ it can bring.
You'll need a car in Arkansas, too (it takes about 8 hours to drive across the State). Hopefully your family in Florida will hook you up with a car for your extra two weeks there - it's about a 10 hour drive from North to South Florida, not including the 3 hours from Miami to Key West).
Regarding bikes - I'm not aware of bike rentals (except for some beach areas). I don't know how you'd ride the Natchez Trace without bringing your own bike from Oz or maybe borrowing a bike from bluebeard.
Taking planes gets you to a city, but if you're not in a major city public transit is iffy to non-existent. Amtrack only runs in certain parts of the country (planes are usually cheaper / faster anyway). Buses (like Greyhound) take forever and don't service many areas.
What kinds of sights / places / culture are you looking for? Civil War battlefields? Coastal forts? Indian sites? Nature? Beaches? Cities? Sports?
You might consider hiking part of the Appalachian Trail for a couple of weeks - they're set up for backpackers and some trailheads have public transportation access. The Trail runs 2175 miles (3625 km) from Georgia to Maine.
Getting to the Trail - Appalachian Trail Conservancy (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805499/k.547C/Getting_to_the_Trail.htm - broken link)
How would you get around Gannawarra Shire without V-line or buses?
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