I’m almost 20 and attend a local community college but don’t have a car to get anywhere! I know that it’s possible to get to these places by Train, Plain, or Bus but when I look online they don’t don’t always provide full details. I would like to travel to Chicago, New York, Washington D.C, Saint Louis, Boston, Baltimore, San Diego, los angeles, maybe one of the big cities in Texas, New orleans, Atlanta, a Beach maybe on the east coast or in New England, or a national park such as Yellowstone or Grand Canyon. what are the best transportation options in these cities? What cost of a hotel am i looking at each night(I know in Chicago it can be $100 a night)? What restaurants are reccomended in these cities? I wanna go to the cities for the museums, Zoos, or Aquariums but I would like to go to the beach or mountains for the peace, Beauty of these places, and maybe find animals. What all would I need to figure out the costs for besides transportation, food, hotel, and admission costs? I would most likely have to do this alone because I don’t really have any family or friends To travel with! Can anybody rate the best city from top to bottom? The only place on this list I’ve been to is Florida!
Okay so first off, take it step by step. Where is the first place you wish to go? If it is Chicago, pick a date/available period and then you go from there. You also have to remember that there are Airbnb’s which are basically like sublet apartments that usually are located in places close to major bus stops or in walking distance from attractions like zoos, museums. You just have to do your research and take it step by step. Figure out where you wish to go first and decide the time period, then go from there. If you need any help, you can always message me.
What area do you live in now? Washington DC has may attractions (the Smithsonians and zoo) open free of charge. The public transportation is good and there are a variety of accommodations to fit most budgets.
@Proudmama2 I live in Lafayette Indiana which is two hours from Chicago and one hour from Indianapolis!
Well you can get a plane, bus, or train to most places from there. First start with a budget and then decide where you can afford from there.
@SuperGeo, Amtrak is awesome for traveling the country. The good news is that Chicago is a hub for several coast-to-coast routes on Amtrak. I imagine you could get to Chicago on Greyhound? There are Amtrak routes going though/near Glacier National Park, the Grand Canyon, the mountains of Colorado,etc., with transportation links for actually getting into the park areas. Routes go through many majors cities. Look on the Amtrak website. For general travel info, get onto TripAdvisor.com. I have planned many great trips within the U.S. and abroad with TripAdvisor. There are travel forums within TripAdvisor for every region/state of the U.S. and throughout the world, with posters (travelers and residents of the areas) that answer questions and give every kind of imaginable advice about what to see, where to stay on your budget and how to get from point A to point B. It’s really a fun way to plan your travels, and you can learn about unique things to see and do that you didn’t know existed. It’s great yo have an adventurous spirit!
@inthegarden have you gone on trips by yourself? This is the thing that worries me regarding traveling is going by myself! Have you had the opportunity to travel as a kid or did you not have the opportunity until you became An adult?
You can often sign yourself up for a tour in major cities, both for the day or several days. Years ago, I did one day double-decker bus tours of NYC and San Francisco. The tour guides described the sites and made timed stops along the way. This year, DS and I took a MegoBus from his college town to NYC. It was cheap. Yes, do your budget so we can suggest housing and travel methods. If you haven’t been to Chicago, I would go there first since it is close.
Amtrak is awesome as long as you have the time to take a train vs fly. I love trains personally. You can try to stay in AirBnB. It’s often much cheaper than hotels - just make sure the host has lots of good reviews.
If you want to look for flights, try to use flights.google.com, or if you’re booking far enough in advance southwest can be super cheap.
What is your budget?
Do you have anyone to travel with?
Do you have a friend with a car?
DO you have relatives that live near somewhere you would like to visit?
You are too young to rent a car, so you would need to go somewhere where you can get around by public transportation…and that usually means cities…but cities can be expensive to stay in.
@booper no I don’t have anyone to travel with, a friend with a car,or relatives In the places that I live at! I told you I told you In the first post that i don’t! Why do you have to ask that again?
You can take Amtrak from Lafayette Indiana to Chicago for about $50 round trip with their student fare, you should be able to find a bed at a chicago youth hostel for $50 a night. Google about youth hostels, great way to meet other young people traveling. You need to make reservations in advance. Hosts at youth hostels usually are helpful with giving direction to local public transit.
@SuperGeo5999, I looked on the Amtrak website and noticed that Lafayette, Ind (you live there, right?) is a stop on the Cardinal Route. That puts you within about four quick stops to get to Chicago. Going the other direction, the Cardinal Route dips into Ohio, West Virginia, then back north to Washington D.C. and NYC. Though the train trip is long, it allows you to see a lot of countryside along the way. Since you are interested in Geology and Environmental Science, you might enjoy cutting through some fairly wild Appalachian territory. Some Amtrak trains have a sightseeing car with large windows and skylights, and seats facing the windows. It’s very relaxing! You can buy food on the train (or take your own with you to save money.)
In Chicago, you would probably enjoy the Field Museum and seeing Lake Michigan. Even if you’re not an “arts” person you might like seeing the famous Art Insitute of Chicago. There are boat tours that take you on waterways in the city to view the skyscrapers. As to Washington D.C., all its Smithsonian Museums (including the National Zoo, Museum of Natural History, Air and Space and many, many more, are free of charge to enter. Most of the Smithsonian Museums are lined up together in a parklike space around the Capital, so it’s easy to go from one to another, then eat a picnic lunch outside, under the trees (lots of outdoor food vendors.) The Amtrak station in D.C. is right on the D.C. Metro (subway line) and connects you to the Zoo, Smithsonian, and most areas of the city that you would want to visit. The Metro is clean and graffiti-free (so, to me, at least, seems much less daunting than subways in other big cities.) D.C. doesn’t have skyscrapers inside the city (though there are some further out) and is full of trees and parks, so to me, it seems less intimidating in some ways for a young, unexperienced traveler to manage.
I second the idea of checking out Air B and B’s. As someone said, be open and friendly in yor travels, but my caveat is, be also safe and sensible. Don’t go with someone you don’t know in a car or into any situation that you can’t get out of easily or call for help. In cities, keep to streets with a lot of people walking out and about…avoid outlying or run-down areas. Especially if you are alone, avoid going out at all at night unless you can keep to very busy, very well-lit areas with lots of residents and/or tourists walking about and then take a cab to the doorstep of wherever you are staying. And, of course, avoid alcohol and drugs, or any situation where someone could slip something into your drink! This would be true anyway at your age, but critically important when you are traveling alone, to keep your wits about you and not be taken advantage of.
Yes, I have traveled alone, including backpacking on other continents in pretty rough areas, but was a decade older than you when I did, and an experienced traveler by then. I did travel a lot with my family growing up (car/train/[plane/camping trips) . I lived with host families for a few weeks at a time in Europe as a teen and later was a Peace Corps volunteer so by the time I did it alone I had more of a feel for it. I think a combination of being open-minded yet cautious…friendly but not 100% trusting either, maintaining your independence, is the way to go. Traveling is one of the best ways to get an education and gain confidence, and I think it could be very good for you. Good luck!
As you plan, maybe you can set a goal about what you want to see: famous museums, national parks, landmarks, amusements. I have a friend who set out to visit all 50 states. I’ve travelled by train, bus, car, airplane and love it all.
I think Washington DC would make a great #2 trip. Go see the White House – outside the fence is pretty cool and a tour inside if you can. Walk on the Mall. Look at Lincoln.
Set up an Uber account.
@inthegarden how was peace corps? Were than any opportunities to travel from the college you attended such as groups,organizations,and classes? What was your Major? I know Science Majors can get the opportunity to travel especially the areas of science I’m interested in! I know In universities students can get the opportunity to travel abroad which the university I plan on transfering to which is Purdue University has opportunities like that! What are the requirements to study abroad? Can you reccomend restaurants in the cities I’m interested in? I know if I ever travel out west I wanna try in-out-burger and if I go to Chicago I wanna try Gino’s or Chicago style pizza.
As a community college student (by choice) myself, I’m actually planning a trip later this summer to go to Mexico. My dad and I were supposed to go on one for me graduating early from HS, but never did. So we are planning it now and I’ve realized that besides flight and hotel, the price of everything is really cheap in Mexico. Also, in Texas, you might have issues getting around without a car or bike. I lived in Lewisville, and now in Fairview (between McKinney and Allen), so from my experience, Texas is a big state and you need a car. I’ve never seen a bus stop in my life :P. Dallas might be different but I’ve never been so I can’t say.
Your comment is so rude @QuadCFreshie. You need to keep your comments to yourself because someone could Be suicidal!
Regarding visiting Houston - we have cabs and Uber. You could get to Houston however, look into hotel shuttles, general airport shuttles, or take the Metro Train into downtown. Cab/Uber from there is necessary. Check into your hotel and there is probably a cab out front. Uber is plentiful. You can see down town and the Galleria area with out a car, for sure. Metro Train goes right past NRG Stadium.
tripadvisor.com will have everything you need to for the details, include recommendations of eateries near where you want to stay.
What in the world did they say lol
@philbegas that he hasn’t ever seen a bus stop in his life with a Laughing face! Not everybody is lucky to have a car!