cheap airfares in american (north and south)?

[Spell]

Hello.
i'm coming again to u.s.a. for a whole year, and this time i do want to do some proper travelling.
i have searched for cheap flights with google, but the only companies i could find seem to focus on u.s. only flight (or, at best, u.s. to canada).

can anyone suggest any company that would go to, say, mexico city, kingston (jamaica), buenos aires, and / or rio de janeiro, especially during christmas or easter time?

if it helps, i will be in austin, texas.

also, is train cheap in u.s.a? if i took a train through texas and mexico, would i spend a fortune?

thanks a lot for your help!

 

[buzzard]

First off don't expect anything as useful as a Eurail pass. We don't have anything quite so simple. Now depending on what you are doing for the year, you will have a number of options. If you are on liesure you can do the priceline.com thing a book tickets at the last moment for flights to wherever. There really isn't a point to sticking to any one airline unless you are in search of frequent flyer miles. Generally airfares are pretty comparable across airlines if you are doing the same sorts of constraints (non stop, one stop, etc.). If you do have to follow a schedule just pick a travel web site and book the flights you need.

As for trains here, well unless you really like rail travel(or hate Air/car travel), they are to be avoided. They are overpriced, have vicarious schedules, and don't really go everywhere. The rail system here is pretty much used for freight not passenger service (other than in select corridors).

buzzard

 

[Spell]

thanks.

As for trains here, well unless you really like rail travel(or hate Air/car travel), they are to be avoided. They are overpriced, have vicarious schedules, and don't really go everywhere. The rail system here is pretty much used for freight not passenger service (other than in select corridors).

cool! i can catch a freight train! how blues is that?

 

[Thunderfoot]

No, while tramping may be glorified, it is illeagal and VERY dangerous.

While I was in Europe I loved the ease of travel between countries adn longed for something similar ere in the States, until I realized that the whole of Europe is still smaller than the continental US. One of the things that the Army did with Nazi prisoners in WWII was to put them on trains to POW camps in the midwest. The sheer size of the country and the lack of wall to wall people was the biggest demoralizing factor to POWs.

One of the things I hated about Europe is that people are stacked six deep, you can't really travel 100 miles in a straight line without running into civilization - it inot only possible if you are traveling from east to west or vice versa in the US, it is an absolute. especially in the midwest.

Basically, if you don't have a travel itenerary you will end up wasting a lot of time with unneccessary travel. I suggest getting a travel agency and hitting all the places you want with a well thought out schedule.

 

[Spell]

One of the things I hated about Europe is that people are stacked six deep, you can't really travel 100 miles in a straight line without running into civilization

well, it can be a plus, too. it depends on what are you looking for in a holiday. personally, while liking scenery and nature, i'm much more interested in getting in contact with people of different cultures, with their own quirks. that's why train or car trips in europe are much more appealing to me: you do get a small village or town quite often, on the road, and you can just stop and see what the place and the pace of life is like.

Basically, if you don't have a travel itenerary you will end up wasting a lot of time with unneccessary travel. I suggest getting a travel agency and hitting all the places you want with a well thought out schedule.

oh, i do have plans... only they are going to be very expensive, with normal airlines, because the only time i can actually go and travel is when everyone can (christmas, easter, summer), unless i manage to go on an educational trip (which i would really like to do, even if it's real work and study) and my university is a bit flexible... after all, i'm on an exchange program, and i just have to pass the courses!

things i want to see:
* austin-mexico city-kingston-haiti-santiago de cuba-havana-mexico city-austin
* the coast of california, plus probably las vegas (i'm sure there's nothing apart from the casinos, but i'll find it out before deciding... i'd rather spend more time in california)
* some natural parks
* north east (i have friends there)
* canada (probably just toronto and montreal, but you never know, i might go waaaay up north!)
* if i find something really cheap and if i have the time, i might go down to south america.

obviously, outside usa, the caribbean have the precedence. apart from the obvious touristi reasons, i'm a musician, and watching first hand their music *will* be invalutable.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

things i want to see:
* austin-mexico city-kingston-haiti-santiago de cuba-havana-mexico city-austin
* the coast of california, plus probably las vegas (i'm sure there's nothing apart from the casinos, but i'll find it out before deciding... i'd rather spend more time in california)
* some natural parks
* north east (i have friends there)
* canada (probably just toronto and montreal, but you never know, i might go waaaay up north!)
* if i find something really cheap and if i have the time, i might go down to south america.

I live in Missouri. Haved lived in the Midwest my entire life. Have traveled around a bit. My Grandmother lives in Texas (Alpine, now Midland-Odessa).

You do realize you are planning about 10,000+ miles of travel here?

The US is really, really, really big. I've found most Europeans just have no clue how big. We did Kansas City MO to Midland Texas in 1 day. 14 Hours at 70-80 miles per hour, only 2 stops. Also, America (esp everything between the coasts) has a really crappy public transportation system. It's often cheaper to rent a car than get a taxi.

When you get to Texas, just go out to the flat land. Nothing but Scrub for as far as you can see (which is all the way to the horizon). Travel for a hour, or 2, or 3 down the highway. The view won't change. (If you go far enough you can see the Mountains of West Texas).

You can drive almost 1,000 miles across Texas & see nearly a soul.

Unless you have an unlimited budget, be prepared to condense your plans. (I'd say stick with the US. Southwest; pretty much the size of Europe all by it lonesome.

1. Skip Canada. If you find a great deal to Toronto or Vancouver I'd recommend it, but if your in Texas, Canada ain't close.

2. Watch the Carribean. Its built around the tourist trade, so you CAN get some good deals in the off-season (which doubles as Hurricane Season). As for Havanna, The US has a little disagreement with some guy named Fidel going back 50 years of so. Getting into & Out of Cuba usually has to involve a 3rd party country, and DON'T try to sneak anything back in from Cuba (US customs is pretty strict on that one).

You can easily spend a year just going around the Southwest & still not see half of what's around.

There is the Alamo, Houston, Grand Canyon, Pueblo Indian Sites. I think the Confederate Air Force is base out of Texas.

If you make it to Cali, I can't begin to go with all the stuff there.


PS. You wanna go to Mexico? That's a big Okey-Dokey from Austin. People go to the Border Towns all the time. Sometimes for perfectly legal reasons. Be very careful. Go with someone who's been there before (pref. one that speaks Spanish). Mexico can be a rough place (Been there, done that).

Have fun, just realize that the State of Texas is what, 1/4th the Size of Europe or so?

 

[Umbran]

The US is really, really, really big.

This reminds me of an old saw about perspectives: The major difference between Americans and Europeans is that Americans thinks that 200 years is a long time, and Europeans think 200 miles is a long drive.

 

[kenobi65]

Indeed, cheap airfare in the U.S. can be difficult to find, esp. around the holidays.

I know that American Airlines (with their major hub in Dallas, not too hideously far away from Austin) flies to a lot of destinations in Central / South America. As far as cheap...well, that's another story. There are undoubtedly other airlines, either US-based or foreign, that can get you to some, if not all, of those non-US places.

Given the chilly relationship between the US and Cuba, getting to and from Cuba might be a trick.

As others have said, rail travel in the US is kind of spotty. Amtrak is the national passenger rail service, but they don't serve a lot of areas. Beyond fairly strong service in the Northeastern US (which is a lot more like Europe, as far as population density), Amtrak focuses mostly on a few long-haul cross-country routes.

There isn't much in Vegas beyond the casinos, true...but many of the casinos *are* pretty spectacular. Also, Vegas is only about an hour from Hoover Dam, which is a pretty cool sight...and only a few hours more from the Grand Canyon, which is cooler still.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

I know that American Airlines (with their major hub in Dallas, not too hideously far away from Austin) flies to a lot of destinations in Central / South America. As far as cheap...well, that's another story. There are undoubtedly other airlines, either US-based or foreign, that can get you to some, if not all, of those non-US places.

Southwest also has some of the cheapest fares going. If you are willing to take an early or evening flight, and get routed via Chicago or Atlanta Southwest is hard to beat.

Try Priceline & those sort of websties to see what you can get.

Also try the Airlines' Webpage for deals.

Heck, Amtrak doesn't even go to Austin. (2 at the bottom are the only TX stops at Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas).

 

[kenobi65]

Southwest also has some of the cheapest fares going. If you are willing to take and early of evening flight, and get routed via Chicago or Atlanta Southwest is hard to beat.

Yup, Southwest is, in many cases, the cheapest airline going. Unfortunately, they don't go outside of the U.S. (which was part of Spell's interest). However, they do serve a lot of cities in (surprise) the Southwestern U.S....and have a fair number of flights out of Austin.

BTW, Southwest doesn't fly into Atlanta, though Chicago (Midway) is indeed a big hub for them.