Transportation Tips


By Air – a necessity

It is the most practical way of covering the States. Most of the times flying makes sense in terms of money, time and convenience. A 5-hour flight (5000 km) is covered in 3-4 days by train costing $300 - $500, with limited sleeping accommodation. A drive means 5 days, and the gasoline and lodging alone will likely cost considerably more than the airfare. So now you know what’s best.

Busses the economical way

If you are looking for short distance travel and an economical way of doing it, think Busses. Busses are great for urban or suburban transit. But they can be very limited in rural areas. Longer rides are of course not so comfortable.

Renting cars – a good alternative

If you are staying for a long time in the USA, say a few months, rent a car. One just can’t do without it here, especially in places where public transportation is inadequate or non-existent. Also in most large cities, the major shopping centers and sports or entertainment facilities are usually located in the suburban communities far from the metropolitan center. Without a vehicle, sightseeing, shopping and touring can be very inconvenient.

Rental cars in the USA normally come equipped with automatic transmissions, air conditioning and a radio-cassette player. If you request a standard transmission, the rental company will probably have none available when you arrive, as they are extremely uncommon. If you are traveling with children under 2-years of age make sure you have a child's car restraint seat or request one from the rental agency. It is illegal to carry small children in a car without safety restraint seats in most states. An international driver's license is not required in the US. You can usually rent a car and drive with a valid driver's license from your home country.

Unplanned traveling can turn uncomfortable, as there are strict rules barring one from sleeping in train stations or bus stations. That’s just not done here. The police are an alert lot and are bound to wake you up. Moreover it’s not safe. Arriving at a city or town in the middle of the night and looking for a place to stay may not be a good idea. So do try to plan your accommodations in advance. However, if you are on the road and wish to book in to motel rooms along major interstate highways, it’s not a problem. You’ll get a reservation there and then.

Across the country there are an array of hotels to suit every budget. There are hotel chains running specials with double rooms costing as little as $29.95.

Food in USA is not just hamburgers, pizza and fast food. They may be the most talked about all over the world but seriously there’s more to it that just that. This is a place where people from all over the world have come and settled and sure enough that reflects in the food cooked.

But first what the country is famous for. You’ll find Fast Foods across the length and breadth of the country. They come in a wide variety - all sorts of delicacies from American style hamburgers, hot dogs and fried chicken to Italian pizza, Mexican tacos, Greek Gyros and Chinese egg rolls. They are most popular probably because they are delicious and almost always inexpensive.

Now through the rest of the kitchen. Fried chicken, meatloaf, baked potato, corn, baked beans and apple pie would be considered traditional American dishes. They are termed traditional because they are eaten most often. Wholesome and delicious, you may dig in too.

Regionally you’ll find cooking highly influenced by the cultural background of the people living in a particular area. Italian cuisine is popular everywhere. Chinese too. There’s no dearth of health foods here. If you prefer low fat, low calorie or vegetarian food, you will have no trouble finding it. Salad bars are very common and many restaurants feature low calorie or low fat food on their menus.

Home appliances run on 115 volt electrical systems at 60 hertz. So if yours operate on a different voltage, go for a voltage transformer or converter. If you are using small electronics like razors and non-heating appliances, use a 50-watt converter. High-power stuff like heating appliances, hair dryers, irons, coffee makers need a 1600-watt converter. You can also purchase combination converters for both types.
 

You can find many bargains in the US if you know where to shop and how to take advantage of the competitive sales.

The shopping malls and discount stores are located out in the suburbs. Some even lie in the countryside, miles from the nearest major city. So it may be a good idea to rent a car and drive down if you want to do any serious bargain shopping.

You may check out department stores for good quality stuff. Fashion clothing, house wares, appliances, luggage and jewelry mostly well known brands and the latest trends in the market. But these are not low quality products and you can’t bargain prices. But again in July and August, they

have end-of-summer sales, in November, the Thanksgiving Day sale of pre-Christmas merchandise is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and this is when you can bargain your way through. From December 26 through mid-January, they hold big after-Christmas sales. In February, all the winter merchandise goes on sale. In addition, they have many special promotions and clearance sales. So there you go.

You may also check out factory outlets. They sell high quality branded merchandise at discounted prices. But the product may come with slight manufacturing flaws and would be as old as the last season. But considering the 20% and 40% discounts they offer, they are always worth it.