Travelling the USA for 6 Weeks - Need urgent help to plan!

New to the forum and it seems that everyone has different problems!

Anyway , I plan to travel the USA for 6 weeks in the summer 2010. From the beginning of July to August.

We are going to start in California - for maybe a week - then fly to texas. How much do u think these flights will be?

After Texas we then plan to fly to chicago. On average how much are these flights normally?

What airlines are the best to book these flights from whilst im in the UK?

After chicago we plan to use the greyhound to cover places like new york and philly in the east coast. Does anyone have any advice on states in the east that are unmissable?

Can this be done in around 45 days?

We plan to stay hostels. How much money will we need for about 45 nights in diff cities. Would just like an average amount for those who have done this before.

The same goes with food? How much money will we need? I can kind of cook so that wont be much of a problem.

As you can see im in the very early stages of planning. Just trying to guess at figures.

We plan to go check out the nightlife in most cities and will go to some of the attractions. How much spending money ?

Sorry for all the questions but i just need help from people who have done it before!

Thanks in advance

I want to say that each of those flights will cost you at least two hundred dollars each probably closer to three. The U.S. is unlike Europe where hostels are limited. I would suggest that if you are traveling with a partner for budget hotels. However the few hostels that I have visited were reasonably priced. If you really want to see the country I would suggest trying to rent a car and driving from California to New York.If you do decide to fly my favorite airline is delta however if you are looking for cheap flights and are flexible with the dates and times your going to arrive I would try Jet Blue. Just as an FYI I drove from New York to California and back for about two thousand dollars and that included gas, food, hotels and activities... Although I didn't have the cost of a rental. It may be more cost effective and it is the best time of year for it. If you fly from California to Chicago you miss the entire West Coast. Las Vegas, Grand Canyon Seattle. All awesome spots.

In California don't miss the height district (in San Fransico) at night.. Very interesting crowd and lots of fun stuff to do. Alcatraz Island off of the coast of San Francisco is a must see. San Diego Zoo is also lots of fun but be sure to wear comfortable shoes and light weight clothes. I went in January and it was still hot.
Im not at all familiar with Chicago sorry.

New York- Stay at HI New York Hostel. Its on the Upper West Side of the Island and easily accessible by subway. You will be in New York at a great time of year there is so much to do.
Shakespeare in the park (free event in central park)
All of the Museums (they are all free Except for the Museum of Modern Art.. if you are into art then its prob worth it... if not go to the Museum of Natural History and visit some of the impressive art works there)
If you are interested in seeing a comdey show don't buy tickets on the street at Times Square. Take a flyer and go to the club there is usually no cover fee and they will almost always allow you in for a two drink minimum (which you had to get anyway even if you had the tickets) Really don't buy anything off the street except for maybe a hot dog.
You can get anywhere in NYC using public transit if you are going to be there for a few days and want to see many different sites I suggest you get a weekly pass that will get you on everything. However if you are a walker you can get to most spots walking.

As for other spots on the East Coast worth visiting I would try to make it to Boston and Maine. Boston is a fun city (although not at much as NYC) and Maine is just a beautiful state.

Good Luck

hey. thanks for the reply. Some great information. How long did it take you to drive across the country then?

I did it in 28 days stopping in Chalreston S.C., New Orleans, Memphis, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Austin Texas, Atlanta and back to New York.

Hi! im from the UK and doing a similar trip to you with 2 friends. We are spending about 8 weeks though, starting in LA and ending up in New York. At the moment our plan is to use the greyhound buses, we did want to rent a car but as we are under 25 it worked out way too expensive with the extra tax the put on. We want to do a few extra stops to what you have planned which is why we have chosen not to fly as a lot ends up gettin cut out.

I also have a question for Jude1019...how easy is it to buy a car and then sell it? we have heard that is an option if in america for longer than 5 weeks but we want to know whether it will just end up being an extra stress when we are out there.

My advice for all young Europeans trying to see the USA - bring plenty $$$$$ - the USA is one expensive place! Biggest ripoff has to be Los Angeles - very hard to get around on a Greyhound bus since it's so large, and by the way, no moviestars live here anymore!

My suggestion is get a greyhound bus pass and use it to get around. Also check out differnt tour companies like Greentourtise.

Adri

If you're going to fly between a few cities, my suggestion would be for you to book the flights altogether when you book your initial flights, all in the same itinerary. Think of it like a RTW trip, except it's for USA. It should work out cheaper than if you buy your flights all separately by a couple of hundred quids. (That's what I found when I booked flights last summer for multiple cities in the midwest.)

Abbey88- it is very difficult to buy and sell a used car in the U.S. You have to have a local address to insure it at plus an international drivers license. I think greyhound or amtrak will be your best bet. You get to see more of the country that way as opposed to flying and it can be more cost affective. Jet blue has the best deals on flights over here so you should look them up if you are interested in flying longer sections of your journey..

Hope that helps..

BTW I am under 25 as well and sometimes Thrifty car rental company will waive the youth fee if you haggle with them.. Good luck

[ Edit: Edited on 08-Jan-2010, at 18:50 by Jude1019 ]

Could you name any of these thrifty car rental companies?? lol

Daawgon...we are not going to LA to see celebs. We just wanted to start at one side of the country and work across so LA seemed like the best place.

[ Edit: Edited on 09-Jan-2010, at 07:45 by Abbey88 ]