United States of America Transport & Getting Around

Transport & Getting Around

International airports are found in all the major cities in the USA and are serviced by a great many airlines around the world. There are stringent requirements for entry into the United States so be sure to familiarise yourself with the Travel Requirements section.

Domestic travel is also commonly done by plane as the distances between cities is generally quite large. Domestic services criss cross the country and link up all the major cities. Air travel is quite cheap on busy routes, however smaller towns can be much more expensive and it may pay to travel to a nearby major centre to catch a flight.

Inter city travel is not generally done by train in the US, however there are some services available, many of which are sightseeing journeys rather than long distance journeys. Amtrak the national rail service does not own the tracks on which they run so the timetables and schedules can be unreliable because passenger services may have to yield to the freight carriers using the track. Some of the popular scenic routes include the Boston to Washington DC line, the Californian Zephyr which starts in Emeryville in California and goes to Chicago via Denver and Salt Lake city among other towns. The most weel frequented service of all is the Chicago-Seattle/Portland "Empire Builder" train running via Milwaukee, St. Paul/Minneapolis, Glacier National Park, Whitefish, and Spokane.

Car travel is a famously american way to travel and is particularly common for domestic holidays. Many international visitors will also opt to take a road trip either hiring a car or sometimes buying one on arrival and selling it before leaving. Remember driving is on the right hand side of the road. Also pay attention to the terms of insurance if you are renting a car and consider paying a little extra to waive any excess for damage in the event of an accident.

Bus lines are in wide use throughout the USA and may connect smaller regional towns. There are plenty of options and bus travel is generally cheap and safe, if somewhat slow and uncomfortable.