# 10:  Traveling Within The U.S.

Travelling on your day off/Travelling after camp

Although the U.S. is a large country, depending on where your camp is located, you might not have access to public transportation for travelling somewhere on your weekly day off. One possible way of getting out of camp on your days off would be to find someone at camp with a car who has the same day off, and go with them if they have room. Another possibility would be to rent a car for the day, but most major car rental companies require that you be at least 25 years old and have a major credit card. If you decide to rent a car, find out whether any daily free unlimited mileage is included, or, if not, what the charge per mile is. Also ask about insurance, as without collision/damage/theft insurance, you will be responsible to pay for any damage to the vehicle in case of accident or theft.

You could ask the camp or camp staff if it would be possible to borrow a bicycle for a half day or the whole day, and do some exploring in the area near the camp. That could be an inexpensive and enjoyable way of finding out what is right around you, and also getting a change of scenery for the day. If you do bicycle, it is advisable to wear a helmet (you only have one head!), as most car drivers in the U.S. are not accustomed to sharing the road with bicyclists.

When bicycling you should always keep to the right (ride with traffic, never against it), signal before turning, come to a full stop at stop lights and stop signs (the highway code requires that bicyclists obey all traffic laws, just as vehicle drivers do) and use caution on any busy street or road. Bicycles are not generally permitted on interstate, limited access highways or toll roads.

Hitchhiking

Many years ago hitchhiking in the U.S. was a more common and acceptable way of getting around, but it is no longer safe or advisable to hitchhike. Do not hitchhike!

Bus,Train or Plane?

Greyhound and other bus companies offer the cheapest means of travelling between cities, and Greyhound offers 15 and 30 day passes at a good discount. Amtrak, the national railway company has some routes between major cities as well as some long distance routes, but tickets tend to be more expensive. If your camp is not far from a major city, there might be some kind of commuter rail service which operates frequently and offers cheaper tickets. Ask your camp director whether there are any bus or train connections close to camp.

For coast to coast travelling, travelling by air is the most economical, considering that it takes more than three days to go by bus or train, and four or five days to drive. There are some very cheap coast-to-coast airfares available on the Internet, and also offered by travel consolidators in major cities (you can find their ads in the travel section of the Sunday edition of major metropolitan newspapers).

Some U.S. airlines also offer special discount coupons for flights within the U.S. for foreign travellers, but you have to purchase these tickets in your home country (they cannot be purchased in the U.S.) You can check the airlines’ websites to see what special offers they might have.

Money/Valuables

It is a good idea to have some cash on hand with you when you travel, for small purchases, snacks and other things, but it is advisable to keep most of your money in travellers cheques, as these can be replaced if they are lost or stolen, while cash cannot be replaced. Always keep two copies of the verification numbers of your travellers cheques: keep one with you, and the other in a secure place.

Whenever you travel outside of camp, you should have your passport and the appropriate documents with you that show that you are in the U.S. legally. It is also advisable to keep a copy of each of these important documents in a secure place at camp.

We recommend that you carry your passport and money in a thin money belt, which can be worn around the waist, under your shirt or t-shirt.

Use common sense, and listen to your intuition

Most people you will meet during your days off and travelling after camp will be honest, helpful and open. However, sometimes there are people hanging out around bus and train stations, airports and on street corners who are looking for naive or inexperienced travellers to take advantage of. If someone approaches you and you feel uncomfortable about them, simply ignore them and walk away. Listen to your intuition. All of us constantly receive a lot of useful and important information about other people and our surroundings from our intuition, but sometimes we do not pay enough attention because we are too busy, or we don’t think it is important. If a situation doesn’t feel okay to you, avoid it, or find a way to get out of it immediately. Your intuition is a valuable asset. Listen to it, pay attention to it, trust it. It will serve you well.

Know where you are going, and know your surroundings

Whether you are just going out of camp on your day off or travelling after camp, it is a good idea to do some research before you set out so you know where you are going and which route is best. If you aren’t sure about the best route/s to take, you could ask one of the camp staff who is a member of the American Automobile Association(AAA) to get the necessary maps for you and have the route/s marked in yellow highlight(this service is free for members of the AAA).  During the summer, there may a lot of highway, interstate or other road construction in the part/s of the U.S. where you are travelling, and this could result in lengthy delays because of slowly moving or rerouted traffic. The AAA is a good source of information about which roads and highways are undergoing roadwork or repairs, and can suggest alternative routes.

It could be very disorienting to suddenly find yourself having to exit a highway because of road construction, and then not being able to find your way again(this happened to me at night on several occasions, even though I was already somewhat familiar with the area).

Have a good map with you, and pay careful attention to all road signs and  special highway information boards (these are often illuminated or flashing) when you are driving.

Obey the speed limit! Speeding tickets are very expensive, and one ticket could end up costing you half or more of your pocket money for the whole summer! The only exception to this is if traffic is heavy and everyone else is driving above the speed limit (this is often the case). In this situation it could be dangerous to drive much more slowly than everyone else, so it would be better to drive with the flow of traffic (you will have to use your own judgement in this, and every situation).

Pay attention to your surroundings. Make a note of landmarks, sights and places which you could easily recognize again, should you become lost or disoriented for any reason.

Take a compass with you. There are situations in which it can be difficult to know which direction you are driving or walking in, and if you at least know whether you are travelling north, south, east or west, you have a better chance of navigating in your surroundings and finding your way again.