USA Coast to Coast

[lankeela]

Got this daft idea about going to the States and travelling east to west by Greyhound Bus/Train stopping off at some small towns on the way. Any ideas on how feasible this would be, sort of costs, and any other advice/tips. Really only at the idea stage, so general comments would be appreciated.

[Buenchico]

A 30 day pass, for unlimited travel on Greyhound services, costs $522. A 60 day pass is $645. (There are also 7 and 15 day passes available but I'm assuming that you're planning a leisurely journey):
http://www.discoverypass.com/

If you were to travel from New York to San Francisco (without any stop offs) with Greyhound, the estimated journey time is 68 hours.

A route map would obviously help:
http://www.discoverypass.com/rtmap.asp

A 30 day pass for Amtrak services costs $599 during peak periods and $469 off-peak. (There are also 15 day passes available, as well as passes which just cover either the east or west of the USA):
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pa gename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Simple_Copy_Page&c=am2Co py&cid=1081442673945&ssid=296

There's a route map here:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pa gename=Amtrak/Page/Routes_Index_Page&c=Page&ci d=1080072922209&ssid=4

Links to other rail companies can be found here:
http://www.itravelnet.com/transport/rail/na/ra ilusa.html

Chris

[sunflower68]

lankeela you need a lot of cash to be able to do this effectively.
I did this for a while , following a boyfriend who was on tour over there(!) and I found that the depots are in the seediest parts of town 9 times out of 10. Cheapest accommodation would be hostels (also seedy) so getting to see the states would not necessarily mean seeing an awful lot unless you are loaded.
I was on one bus from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale; I nearly lost the plot by day 4! If you want to get anywhere, the bus only makes 15 minute stops every couple of hours so it can keep moving.
You would have to have an over nite stop or a long wait for the next bus.
Some of the oddest and largest people I ever saw were on those buses, I nearly got stabbed in Memphis and spent 12 hours next to a guy with a knife in his hand......

[sunflower68]

Why not work the ski season in Europe, best time of my life.