How much would I need to travel USA for 3 months?

MarkAlexander18

Hi everyone,

I wanted to know what kind of money I would need to travel solo in the USA. I have been considering taking a trip across the West of the US possibly at the end of the year. I have some savings already and am continuing to save, but really not sure how much I would need. I have some questions also about accommodation.

Okay, so the plan was to travel from either south to north of the West USA, or travel from Montana, Utah, Dakota though to Northern California and then down to San Diego. It would be a long journey and that's why I gave myself 3 months as that should be sufficient.

I am just wondering though, I was considering staying in cheap Motels and using Airbnb apartments as hostels aren't appealing to me personally. I don't mind paying out the extra for better accommodation as that's what I would budget for. Do you think this is a good idea?

If there is anything I should be remembering or might have missed, it would be good to hear. Thanks.

PeacefulWaters

Fabulous part of the world. $80 for a national park pass is a must.

I budget £100 a night for motels. Cheaper are available.

Food can be in a range of your choice. $20 a day upwards?

Car hire? Greyhound?

iltisman

Consider hotel loyalty schemes eg Choice Hotels which have a range of properties from grim to great. The points earned will give you free nights .Car hire is fairly cheap but beware of high drop off fees and max hire duration on your long stay. Food is no longer cheap in the US and to eat healthy can be a bit pricey.

rx8wayneo

I lived in the US for 6months between work and travel, there are amazing deals to be had if you look. Food is always cheaper to eat out rather than buy in (If you want to have some vegetables) and places are amazing. Everything is BIG! try a budget of £80-100 to include some of the special things like parks and activities. You will have a blast!

Socajam

As some one who have traveled throughout the US, here is what I would do.
Forget Greyhound/Bolt/Megabus. You want to be comfortable when traveling, especially when it comes to the bathroom.
Take Amtrak. You can break your travel into multicity - for example, if you want to travel from say NY to LA, you could do the following:
from NY to Chicago: - Lake Shore Limited - 19 hours - Frequency: Daily Daily Service between Chicago and New York City, through South Bend, Cleveland and Buffalo, along Some of the Prettiest Shorelines of the USA. You'll travel along the south shore of Lake Michigan, the Mohawk River, and the Erie Canal, following a famous Native American Highway. In New York State, you'll pass through the Finger Lakes region to Albany, capital of the Empire State.

or from DC to Chicago on the Capitol Limited - 18 hours from DC to Chicago traveling through:

• Washington, DC
• Pittsburgh
• Cleveland
• Chicago
• A Historic Journey. The Capitol Limited train runs daily between Washington, DC and Chicago. You'll follow the historic B&O line on your journey through the Potomac Valley, past historic Harpers Ferry and the Allegheny Mountains into Pittsburgh. Cross into Ohio heading north to Cleveland, and then across Ohio and Indiana into the center of Chicago

Once you reach Chicago, you can decide whether to stay a few days and then take Amtrak to up to LA.
The journey is quite long from Chicago to LA, so I would maybe stop in say two places to have a decent nights rest and sight see.

The roomettes on Amtrak are expensive and you share with another person (a stranger unless you are travelling with someone). All meals are included in the roomette fee.
Amtrak is different from UK trains in that everyone is guaranteed a seat, but seats are not reserved.

www.amtrak.com - It's a lot cheaper to book your tickets in advance, the closer to your travel the tickets are more expensive and depending on what time you want to travel the seats might be booked up.
You can do this from the UK and they will email you the tickets.

You can bring food to eat on the train, but you cannot eat your own food in the cafe car, that is reserved for food purchased on the train.
You are allowed two pieces of luggage and one hand luggage. Some trains allowed you to check your luggage.
One thing I like about Amtrak is if you decide that you do not want to travel on that day, you can change your ticket without any charge before the train departs.
You might have to pay the difference for a higher ticket on the day you decide to travel.

Regarding hotels, I always use bookings.com for my hotels, and go for hotels with a kitchenette with breakfast included. Also choose hotels say pay later, that way if you change your mind, provided it is not at the cut off point, you can just cancel without any charge.
I like these hotels: Hampton Inn and Suites, Fairfield Inn and Suites

Traveling by bus is ok. But the train is so much more comfortable with lots of leg room and beautiful scenery, instead of just seeing the highway and concrete.

natalieandmonkey89

I think you have some great ideas for your trip however just really wanted to clarify what some posters have put above. I've lived and worked in the states and travelled a lot so have quite a lot of first hand experience!
I know the poster above recommended Amtrak and in the Northeast it's fantastic- from Boston down to Washington (and Richmond depending on schedule) you'll have frequent, reserved seating with friendly staff and generally pretty reliable schedules. Out West, it's a different story entirely and trains can be very infrequent with awful arrival/departure times. Roomettes are quite nice and include meals but they are going to be more expensive than a hotel for 1 night (that said, I've travelled solo on a number of Amtrak routes and have never had to share with a stranger!)
Cali coast can be done by train and if you purely skirt your way up the Pacific to Seattle it is a stunning route and really worth doing! The train is beautiful, I love it and would do it again in a heartbeat but you need to plan your route by the train and be aware things may change such as tracks getting washed out/blocked (happened twice to me) schedule changes or just a little bit of bad luck.
If you are really serious about Wyoming/the Dakotas/Montana you will need a car- train and bus routes can be pretty patchy especially if you're looking at the big spots like Yellowstone/Mt Rushmore/Little Bighorn etc. The car is king there and to do it any other way can get awkward unless you have one specific town eg Deadwood that you're desperate to go to and don't mind what it costs.
The costs and hotel recommendations are pretty spot on- the US has got more expensive (no more $2 to the £1 trips any more!) but flight costs have come down dramatically so you can make savings, especially with the aforementioned loyalty schemes.
Hope that's helpful

Socajam

I fully read what the poster wanted, my response was an example of taking the train from the North East to Chicago. The poster can then decide if this is something worth exploring.
The poster obviously will need to sit down and plan the trip if she/he decides to use Amtrak.
Roomettes are expensive and it makes more sense once the person makes up their mind to use a multi city ticket which gives more options, like stopping off, staying in a hotel, hire a car and explore. Rejoin the train and continue your journey.
Obviously in some cases a car will be needed and this also depends on the day chosen as this can work out expensive.
I referred Amtrak because of the comfort in regards to Greyground/Megabus/Bolt/Peterpan.
Amtrak also goes to some of the national parks - that is something the poster will have to decide if it is worth the cost.
Traveling in the US takes great research as the East Coast is different to the West, is different to the South and different to the middle of the country.
The time of travel also is important. Weekend train journey can be a nightmare because the train tracks are not owned by Amtrak, most are owned by the freight companies, so Amtrak have to give way for the freight trains.
Me personally I would not travel during the summer months: too hot and most places can be overcrowded as the children are out of school.
Not sure when the OP was thinking of traveling, but September thru November are cooler and beautiful months for fall foliage.
Hotels depends on the poster's pocket, but a hotel that provides breakfast obviously saves on cost. I refuse to stay in hotels like motel 6, 8 etc. You get what you pay for.
There is also Airbnb which is a lot cheaper than a hotel.

blindman

MarkAlexander18 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I wanted to know what kind of money I would need to travel solo in the USA. I have been considering taking a trip across the West of the US possibly at the end of the year. I have some savings already and am continuing to save, but really not sure how much I would need. I have some questions also about accommodation.

Okay, so the plan was to travel from either south to north of the West USA, or travel from Montana, Utah, Dakota though to Northern California and then down to San Diego. It would be a long journey and that's why I gave myself 3 months as that should be sufficient.

I am just wondering though, I was considering staying in cheap Motels and using Airbnb apartments as hostels aren't appealing to me personally. I don't mind paying out the extra for better accommodation as that's what I would budget for. Do you think this is a good idea?

If there is anything I should be remembering or might have missed, it would be good to hear. Thanks.

Good thread about Southwest USA with many personal itineraries.

Car is king:- No one way drop off fees in California. Good way to travel around Canyonlands.

Costs?
Many hotels\Motels are in coupon books found in Gas stations and tourist information centres so a room can be picked quite cheaply.
Though some are cheap for a reason so do your research.

AirBnb can be cheap however they tend to be not in city centres so transport to them can add a cost of travelling by train\bus.

Food can be cheap if you shop in Walmart for lunch\breakfast-even dinner.

We used to go in at 18:00, pick up a roast chicken $5 + some rolls and that fed the two of us for the night, plus there may be leftovers for sandwiches.

Breakfast can be pancakes at ihop-Huge stack for $5 and endless coffee.

Subway sub of the day used to do for lunch if needed.

Fuel is no longer cheap now (USA standards) so $3 per gallon and the £ to $ is woeful.

So mimimum daily costs guestimate could be $70 + fuel

3 months would be a great time on the West coast\Souhwest, just avoid July\August and their associated crowds\heat.

getmore4less

90 days @ $150pd $13,500 say £10k + travel + do stuff costs.

Everytime I have needed a hotel in the US Airbnb was no cheaper especially for short stays the places I was looking.