America is a big country. Sometimes it can be very difficult to navigate where you want to go while studying in the United States or the USA. The efficiency of transportation facilities depends on the location where you live. Those who study in the city center can enjoy adequate and smooth transportation facilities. And of course, the means of transportation on the outskirts of the city will not be as practical as those in the city center.
This also depends on the city where you study. For example, if you study in Los Angeles, having a private vehicle such as a car will be much easier while studying there. If you are studying in New York, using the Metro is a better option than owning a car because of the congested road conditions.
On the Highway
In the United States, every city and town is connected by roads that can be traversed by public transportation. But the transportation system still varies depending on the location where you are. Usually, the most economical transportation and the easiest to find is the bus. But this depends on your location, where you want to go, and the number of people traveling with you. Sometimes if you go in a group, taking a taxi can be cheaper and save more time than taking the bus.
Each city has a bus station, which will provide various information regarding bus tickets and routes. Apart from that, you can also get information about discounts for students, and weekly or monthly tickets which are cheaper when compared to regular tickets.
Once you arrive on campus, you will receive a welcome pack in the first week (a package that contains various information that will introduce you to your surroundings). In this package, you can find the telephone numbers of well-known taxi companies. If you find that you did not receive this information, don’t worry. You can always ask the students who have lived there for a long time. For your safety, when ordering a taxi, make sure that the taxi belongs to a taxi company with a good reputation.
Several cities in America are encouraging their citizens to use bicycles to reduce congestion and air pollution.
Subway or Metro
In the United States, there are several cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Boston that have underground transportation systems. This transportation system is the most efficient system for traveling between cities.
Metro system provides the cheapest means of transportation. You can buy a monthly card or buy a wealth travel card, depending on how often you travel and where you are going. Some cities also offer student discounts. You can ask for more complete information from the local station or the nearest travel office.
Intercity
Trains in the United States are fairly regular but can be very expensive if you don’t plan your trip neatly in advance. Tickets purchased in advance will certainly be cheaper than tickets with a tight departure schedule. So you should plan your trip well in advance and start buying tickets once you are sure of your itinerary.
You also need to check what type of ticket is the cheapest for your trip. If you only want to visit one city, then two one-way tickets will be cheaper than round-trip tickets. If you want to visit a lot of places, maybe an inter-rail style ticket will be cheaper.
You can also consider traveling by coach. Coach ticket prices tend to be cheaper. However, traveling by coach takes longer when compared to other ground transportation systems.
America is a very large country. To reach your destination, sometimes you have to use two or more different means of transportation. For that, you can contact the nearest travel agent, maybe they can provide economical packages for the destinations you want to go to.
Planning a Trip
A well-planned trip will reduce the hassle that you may face while traveling. You can access the Google Maps journey planner via your laptop or smartphone when you need help. The method is very easy, you just enter your destination, and Google will find it for you!