See the USA on the Cheap
Want to see the USA but you don’t have a lot of cash? Here are some useful tips for stretching your USA travel dollars. America is a very large country, from a travel perspective. You won’t see anywhere near all of it on one trip. You can however, see a great deal of it without going broke in the process. Bargains are there if you spend a little time looking for them.
Stay away for the tourist traps. Every major tourist destination has them. You’ve probably seen them. Whether it’s a restaurant or a souvenir store, they are usually the places that are the most colorful and brightly lit. Normally, if you travel a little further from the attraction, you will find better values. Airport shops and restaurants are the worst.
Regardless of your chosen type of accommodations, the same applies to the hotels, motels and campgrounds that are the closest to the attraction. It is usually worth a little extra travel time to save some money.
Are you flying to your destination? If so, you should know that the best fares, especially to high traffic tourist destinations, are available with advance purchased tickets. Usually, three weeks is enough, but give it as much time as possible. Round trip tickets that span a Saturday night will be much cheaper than a pair of one-way tickets. Believe it or not, even if you only need a one-way ticket, it may be cheaper to buy a round trip ticket and throw away the unused portion. Be sure to investigate the other nearby airports. They are often cheaper than the main ones. You will have to balance the convenience and the local travel time and costs against the savings in airfare.
The same applies to car rentals. However, first decide if you really need a car at your destination. Often, there are inexpensive rides available to and from the airport and your accommodations, as well as between your accommodations and the attractions.
Don’t forget to look into package deals. These can include not only your plane travel, but often local travel or car rental, hotel/motel accommodations as well as tickets and passes to the attractions too.
Depending on where you are going and how much time you will have, you may consider bus or train travel. In many cases, it is cheaper and often the views are spectacular. Both Greyhound, the primary cross-country bus service, and Amtrak, virtually the only passenger train service, offer a variety of discounts. Check into which ones may apply to you. In addition, they both have travel passes that allow unlimited travel.
This is only a brief list of ideas to help you get the most out of your USA travel dollars. With a little effort, you will be able to find many good deals out there that offer great experiences and still don’t hurt your budget. It is easier than you may think to find many cheap USA travel deals.