5 Cheap Ways to Travel Around the US
Written by
Gina Hagler
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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When you’re considering travel within the United States, walking, cycling, driving, or taking a bus, train, commercial airliner, or private jet comes to mind. Which one you choose comes down to how far you want to go, how quickly you want to get there and how much you’re willing to spend.
Here are 5 inexpensive methods of travel within the United States:
- Use smaller regional airports over national ones. These domestic airports tend to have cheaper airfares. They are still relatively accessible to major cities such as Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, New York or Hollywood Burbank outside Los Angeles. You can also save money on flights from May to June and August to September by traveling on days with lower traffic, like Monday to Wednesday. Try also to book your flight a month or two in advance.
- If you’re going a long distance, trains tend to be cheaper than flights. Consider something like Amtrak’s USA Rail Passes, which offer a great way to explore the country. It has a multi-segment (10 rides, one board-disembark cycle = one segment) 30-day trip to your choice of over 500 destinations. You can “hop from town to town across the country.” This option will help you if you want to visit several places throughout a long-distance trip.
- Use credit cards for more daily transactions. If you still prefer the quicker journey of flying, Delta SkyMiles American Express Card or Chase Sapphire offer ways to slowly but surely earn your next trip; they reward cardholders with discounted tickets, hotel bookings, dining and car rentals.
- Take a bus. Greyhound offers an affordable way to get to nearly 2,300 destinations. You can reserve your seat and take advantage of real-time tracking to help you plan. You can get lower fares by booking in advance and/or during the mid-week when there is less demand. There are also travel deals during the Winter. If you’re traveling in the Northeast to and from states like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey, Peter Pan Bus Lines offers low fares.
- Rent a car rather than drive your own. Depending on the car you own, you may benefit from renting a more fuel-efficient vehicle, which will save you money on a nice, long road trip. Another option is to relocate someone else’s vehicle for them through a company like Transfercar, which will have you assist a rental car company. You could plan a trip around driving one vehicle from point A to point B, then returning the way you came with another vehicle.
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