USA on a budget without a car – really!

How many days could you make this last?

I write this entry a few weeks after arriving in the USA. I was here for two months in 2010, and for ten days on my way to Europe in 2008. I think this year, more than any other, is the first time that I’m truly able to understand and draw comparison between the extent to which ‘budget’ is something within the realms of possibility here. In 2010, it had been two years since being in Europe and I couldn’t quite recall hostel prices, plus in 2008’s Euro trip I was, on average ,in more expensive cities than this trip. The exchange rate also didn’t work in my favour in 2008 and it was a lot better in 2010 so it really wasn’t a fair comparison. However this year, I’ve gone from the Eastern European prices to arriving in New York City in summer – my bank account is groaning in misery, after being quite delighted in Europe at how slowly its size shrank.

When I was in Europe and I’d tell people that I’m continuing on with my budget travel adventures in the United States, I often got some strange looks. Condemnation from other Australians (‘You mean Canada for the whole time, right?’ they ask. ‘Why would you want to go to America!’) and the Americans ask, ‘how?’ They assume I must be renting a car, roadtripping, camping – and that this is the only way to do it on a budget. I shake my head and inform them I’ll be flying, bussing and training around and they shake their head back at me, feeling sorrow for my stupidity.

I think the first thing to be clear on is that the word ‘budget’ must be realigned in the States. When I say that I’m budget travelling in the USA, by no means can this be compared to Europe. You could travel for twice as long on the same budget in Europe. Budget travelling is just about making smart choices. When presented with two options, one which is the more expensive but easier more luxurious way – I chose the second option, the cheaper often harder route.

Transportation

Free bus in Baltimore, undoubtedly one of the most wonderful services I've encountered in the USA.

The United States is a driving country. Now, as an Australian, I get this. Concepts of distances to travel and time in a car are different for people from driving countries.  I’m not sure if it is a lack of transportation infrastructure that makes a country become a driving country, or if it is the fact that a country is a driving country that prevents the ‘need’ to establish good transit systems – it’s kind of like a case of what came first, the chicken or the egg. I know that in Australia, I would think nothing of driving an hour and a half to pick someone up at the airport, even if there is a train they could take. My friends and I once drove five hours south to Coffs Harbour to spend a couple of hours filming scenes for a video we were making for our other friends birthday, and then turned around and drove five hours back.

The USA is similar – a friend drove four hours to visit me in Baltimore, coming with her big van, three kids and a picnic lunch from coastal Virginia. I have plans to visit a friend in Ohio, with talks that her parents will be happy to drive three hours to an airport to pick me up. When I was in England visiting my friend Amy down south, I asked how long it would take to drive to London from where we were. She said, maybe an hour and a half. I joked that she should just turn off onto the motorway and take me back and the look I got back from her was such a reflection of the mentality of people who live in a country where you don’t need to drive an hour and a half and battle with the motorway and traffic and parking; when from where we were she could drive ten minutes in any direction and drop me off at a train station where I could get back just as easily. I accept that her point is more than valid and I am jealous of people who live in countries with transportation infrastructure to feel this way.

The flow on affect is that for the budget traveller, getting around cheaply is difficult in countries like the United States. When you’ve just come from Europe, you feel this even more so. There are some bargains out there, if you can snap them up – especially with budget airlines. Megabus, Bolt Bus and other similar carriers do have a presence in the USA however their routes are limited, and you have to be care to observe where they actually serve in the city because in lots of cities they don’t go right into the city centre – they go to an outskirts stop, a mall or another park and ride type location. Amtrak can in some situations work out cheaper than flying, if you book ahead of time – for example I will pay about $70 to train from New York to Montreal; a flight which would cost about $300 minimum, plus associated expenses of getting to the airport and inevitably buying expensive airport food. Because of the general dramatics you go through with an international flight – being at the airport early, extra security, customs – I’ll only be taking a few extra hours. However, if you’re looking at a route like San Francisco to Seattle, or any across country flight, it is cheaper to fly than get the train, even when you take into account the added expenses. Amtrak and Greyhound have passes available but just like a Eurolines or Eurail pass, these can be deceptively attractive and leave you out of pocket. Not all cities have public transportation geared to tourists - generally, it is focused on transit for locals, from the suburbs to work in the city centre. 

The overall result of this is that you need to be organised. If you’re trying to adhere to a budget, you can’t just wake up in the morning and decide if you’re going to stay another night, or think about jumping on a random train and going where the wind takes you, like so many people I met in Europe were doing.

Hostels

Wonderful outdoor space at my hostel in New York City - out in Brooklyn!

Point blank – hostels more expensive in the USA than in Europe, particularly central and eastern Europe. The way that you wince at weekend prices in Paris during summer is like New York City, every day. If you can get a hostel for $20 a night then you’re laughing. Then they’ll add tax. This is one of the most frustrating things in the USA – sales tax and hotel tax. The price you’re looking at (whether you be in a shop or looking at a hostel price online) is never the final price. In major cities (NYC, Boston, San Francisco) expect to be paying $50 a night, plus tax, for a decent hostel. If it is cheaper, it may be located out of the city centre (i.e. in NYC, in Queens closer to LaGuardia airport than Manhattan) or something is wrong with it.

There’s a completely different vibe in hostels in the USA than in Europe. There are more Americans, for starters. At a hostel in Poland, I wouldn’t expect many Polish people to be staying at the hostel. Hostelling International has a larger presence than in Europe, because there isn’t as much competition from independent hostels or other hostel chains. HI hostels often have a no alcohol policy, causing a whole different vibe in the hostel. You’ll be staying among families, groups of kids, Americans doing weekend getaways to look at prospective colleges, as well as other budget travellers. Therefore it is harder to weave through and meet other people. However, in a lot of cities, you are likely to wind up at a HI if you want a good location, wi-fi, breakfast and a generally good hostel rating. So on that note – get a Hostelling International membership or be prepared to pay the $3 a night non-member fee!

Not all cities have a hostel – or if they do, the hostel may be located far outside of the city centre – it is there for people who are driving, located a ten minute drive from town, or if it is a ideal transit city it is just off the interstate. So if you’re assuming that any major city will have a hostel – think again. And because there are fewer hostels, beds book out faster, so you need to research and book ahead.

Destinations - Planning Your Itinerary

One of the famous New Orleans street cars - a tourist attraction in itself.

As a summation of the above two topics – your itinerary will be chosen for you. As a budget traveller who is not using a car, the first thing to note is that your itinerary will be worked around cities that you can get to and travel around accessibly. If you’re trying to adhere to a strict budget, then the reality is that your travels will purely be focused on major cities and even then, not all the major cities are remarkably tourist friendly. Public transportation systems lack efficiency and thoroughness. The trains and buses don’t arrive in the city centre, and so getting from where your transportation comes into town to your accommodation can involve three buses and a walk through a not so pretty or safe part of town.

You want to be in a city that has public transport. The USA isn’t like Europe where you have these cute walkable city centres which flow out from the town square, with the majority of attractions within the old town or just on the outskirts. You need to be able to arrive in the city centre, or, do research on how to get there from where your transit arrives – for example, if Megabus drops you off at the White Marsh Mall in Baltimore, you can get a bus to Penn Station which will take about an hour. If you might be arriving after dark, I would avoid any scenario that involves having to fiddle around changing buses – a lot of the time, these buses and stations are in the not so pretty and not so safe parts of town.

If your budget is a little bit more flexible, then you may not be relying on the presence of a hostel – you may be able to spring for a hotel. The cheapest of the cheap hotels in town may be so cheap for a reason, so be prepared for things to not meet your standards, or for the accommodation to provide all the specs it indicates it does online. I stayed at a budget apartment style accommodation in Atlanta, Georgia. “High speed internet in all rooms” meant “weak, slow, mostly not working internet.” “Full kitchen” meant “Microwave, hotplate, no crockery or cooking utensils.” However, I saved $50 a night by putting up with this and sure, I had to walk an extra four blocks if I wanted to avoid the homeless shelter and the overspill onto the street which was in between my accommodation and the subway, but walking is good for you, right? Similarly I will be paying for a hotel in Cleveland (just the one night and I am paying a lot more than I wanted to!) and in 2010 I paid for a hotel in Milwaukee.

Eating and Drinking

 

Admittedly delicious. Don't look at the calories though!

The USA has a reputation for a reason. If you want to eat on the cheap and not feel grease coming out of your pores, then I would make it a priority to ensure you have kitchen facilities and to get to the supermarket as soon as you can, before the allure of burgers and curly fries wins you over.

USA on a budget – it can be done!

 As I said in my intro, the ‘budget’ aspect must be taken in context. The amount of cash which I spend in my 7 weeks here is what a non-budget traveller might spend in 2 weeks. If you stayed at hotels instead of hostels, got transfers from the airport instead of taking public transport, caught cabs instead of walking, ate out at restaurants instead of aiming to self-cater at least one meal a day. The money adds up. Depending on where you are coming from, sometimes it is in the long term, more economically efficient to spend more time travelling – for me, I have to pay so much for airfares to come from Australia, that I want to make the most of every trip and go to multiple destinations and spend a little more time at each. This is a personal preference though, and it suits my lifestyle now. If I was in a well paying job then you could perhaps justify an amazing whirlwind two week vacation. However even then, it’s worth keeping in mind the tourist friendly nature of the potential cities on your itinerary before making your travel plans.

Follow my my blog over the next couple of months to see exactly how I went about approaching budget travel in a series of US cities, including New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more!