Subways are a fast way to get the outlay of a new city. Most subways also offer free maps that you can use to guide you around the city, helping you avoid traffic, and the need to ask for directions. In Europe and most other countries, this is standard practice. However, in North America, it is a skill one must develop as the culture there is more car-oriented.
By using subway stops as reference points, you can immediately familiarize yourself with a new city. Use these landmarks as points of reference as you look for other locations in the city. This will help you keep track of where you are as you walk around the city.
Freighter Travel
This is around $139 per day, which includes room, meals, and transportation.
Container ships allow limited space for SLF (self-loading freight). Meals are shared with the crew, and the food is usually simple. Otherwise, you are left to care for yourself. The ports are generally not close to the desirable places, so you’ll have to make your own arrangements to go sightseeing.
Some of the places you visit on freight ships don't have access by plane. One of the best places to use freighter travel is in the Pacific. There is an awesome trip you can take to all of French Polynesia or through all of the Marquesa Islands for 6 weeks. Without Freighter ships, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to see these islands. These particular trips can be booked up to the day of departure.
Other Pacific routes can be booked up to one year in advance. Check out TravlTips.com and CruisePeople.co.uk. For freight travel to New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific, check FreighterTravel.co.nz.
Trains
It used to take six months to get from the midwest to California by wagon train, and one out of every ten passengers died. Once the transcontinental railroad was completed, a person could travel from New York to California in comfort and safety in under a week.
Trains are one of the most comfortable and environmentally friendly ways to travel. Trains are much safer and more comfortable than a car or a bus, and you get to see natural environments. Wherever there is a road, there is environmental degradation. Trains, on the other hand, take the path of least resistance through mountains and areas that would not be safe for a car or bus. Therefore these spaces tend to have the best scenery and have the best-preserved natural landscape. Trains offer you a continually changing environment outside your window with time to sit back and enjoy the view or create your own activities.
When you drive long distances on a highway, you're sure to see billboards and businesses catering to the needs of drivers. When you're on a train, you'll see neither as the trains are self-contained and there aren't enough travelers to warrant the marketing investment in these routes.
Flying is convenient for crossing over steep terrain, faster, creates a lot of pollution, but you miss out on all the sites below. A train is much slower and environmentally friendly, but you're going to have an authentic experience. Keep in mind that a train is part of the travel experience, while the plane is the fastest way to get somewhere.
Trains offer two types of travel coach (seat) or sleeping car (includes a seat that converts to a bed). Some trains also offer a business class option with more luxuries. It is best to plan out-train trips in advance as seats do fill up, especially sleeper cars and even more during the summer. Amtrak also offers travel packages, that save on buying a bundle that includes train fare, hotel, and tours.
If you book a trip in coach the train cars are air-conditioned, so pack a blanket and an inflatable pillow. Neither are provided, although they can be for sale on trains they can be expensive and not always available.
Some trains allow for bicycle storage for an extra fee. Check with the train company ahead of time, as some trains only allow bikes on local trains.
Seats in the middle of the train as well as on the second floor will be quieter, smoother, and have the best view.
If you book a trip and there are no sleepers available, there are still two ways you can get a sleeper car last minute. The first is to board the train and immediately ask the conductor if there are any vacancies available. If someone did not make their reservation, you could buy the available sleeper car vacancy. The second is to call Amtrak 1-800-USA-RAIL at 3:30 AM eastern time and ask for vacancies. At 3:15 AM the computers erase all of the reservations that people have made and not confirmed. This opens up seats in every category and will give you the first opportunity to buy them as they become available.
Another option is to combine a plane and a train trip on the same journey. For example, you could fly to New York from Los Angeles and ride the train back to Los Angeles. This would save you some time, but still, allow you to see the entire train route.
Individual ticket prices vary according to how flexible you want the ticket to be. The further in advance and the more rigid the time frames, the lower the cost. Typically when you buy tickets on short notice and with fixed travel dates, that’s going to cost you more.
Rail passes in Europe, USA, and other places are more economical and give you more flexibility. You can buy a rail pass that comes with multiple trips to be used within a set amount of time in a predetermined region. For example, in the USA Amtrak sells passes as indicated below;
| Amtrak Passes | California Pass 21 Days, 7 Segments | National Pass 15 Days, 8 Segments | National Pass 30 Days,12 Segments | National Pass 45 Days, 18 Segments |
| Adult 16+ | $159.00 | $459.00 | $689.00 | $899.00 |
| Youth 13-15 | $459.00 | $689.00 | $899.00 | |
| Child 2-12 | $79.50 | $229.50 | $344.50 | $449.50 |
Rental Cars
If you're flying somewhere or taking a train and the local transportation will only get you so far, consider renting a car to increase your possibilities. Renting a car will allow you to plan your own trip, bypass things you don’t like, and spend more time soaking in experiences that you’re enjoying. Rental cars are a good option for hard to get to places and for saving wear and tear on your own vehicle.
Rental cars can be more cost-effective if you’re traveling in a group or traveling in a country with limited travel options.
I looked up an African Safari in Kruger National Park, South Africa, and the best price I could find was $1,200 for 6 days per person. I rented a car for $25 a day ($750 for the month), paid $25 a day per person for the entrance fee, and drove the park ourselves. There were three of us on the trip so we would have spent $3600 for 6 days of travel instead we paid $800 for all us or $266 each. On this trip, we traveled through 12 countries on our own, which saved us over $35,000 in six weeks, off the lowest priced tours we could find.
In some cases, the more difficult the travel challenge, the more rewarding it is to achieve. Driving and hitchhiking to Cancún was a crazy life-experience; flying there would have just been a ‘trip.’
Cruise Ships
Avoid boarding early, or you’ll have to wait in more lines and for extended periods of time.
Avoid parking at the port that is usually the most expensive parking. At least one of the nearby hotels or parking lots will have discounted rates for cruisers.
Cruise ships do have their own jails, in case someone gets out of line.
Casino payouts on cruise ships are the worst of any casino anywhere. However the poker tables are full of rookies, so if you’re a poker player, it’s a great place to clean up.
Baggage limitations are the same as planes and trains 2 bags per person with a 50 lb limit. As long as you're reasonable, there are no constraints on liquids.
Most of the stuff for sale in the cruise ship stores go on sale at the end of the cruise.
When you arrived in port walk a couple of blocks to avoid the highest price transportation.
Be extra clean on a cruise and practice good hand hygiene as a virus such as the Norovirus spread quickly.
Large ships have a morgue in case someone dies.
Larger cruise ships will offer private in-room babysitting, while you go out to party.
When you arrive on the cruise, ask how much for an upgrade, and sometimes you can get a good deal. If someone the better rooms haven't sold.
Cruise ship prices are the same on every website.
It's cheaper to cruise when kids are back in school.
Turn your phone on airplane mode on the ship, or you’ll get charged high roaming charges.
Interior cabins are usually the lowest priced.
Just like on airlines, authorities check passenger lists and arrest you when you arrive back in port.
For people that get seasick. Cabins in the lower and middle of the ship have less movement.
If you're booking a flight to catch your cruise, arrive the day before for the best airfare.
To avoid long lines, pay your cruise account late at night or early in the morning.
Buy cruise gift cards at a supermarket to get the highest amount of rewards then pay off your cruise with those gift cards.
Repositioning cruises typically give you the best deals.