Again, as stated in my previous, recent post about Dominican Republic, I had to cope with the struggle to provide original and creative content for a country already well narrated on the Internet. As a matter of fact, plenty of articles are already available on the web about cities, National Parks and Forests, trekking trails, US lifestyle and so on.
The outcome is then a similar post concerning my limited personal experience as a low-budget backpacker trying to survive for almost 50 days in the dramatically expensive “Uncle Sam”.
My initial plan was to follow the PCT endless trails all the way down from the Canadian border to the Mexican one (about 4,000 Km). We had also figured out to camp with a tent and eat supermarket food (warmed up with a camping stove) along the entire path. However, the plan failed due to seasonal contingencies (too late and snowy in the Northern USA), pandemic hindrances (closed trails), summer forest fires, lack of proper equipment, etc. As a consequence, this “cheap” and tiresome way to live the States unfortunately went down in flames as well.
Therefore, together with my girlfriend, we resolved to visit “targeted” places where we could get logistic support (such as New York and San Francisco) and easily move around on a day or few days expedition. Given the oncoming cold season, after NY we focused on California and the neighboring States like Nevada, Utah, Arizona and California again before crossing into Baja California (Mexico).
Regrettably, after proudly withstanding this temptation for a while, we finally had to yield to the sole viable option to move forward and visit different places with decent speed: renting a car. In truth, US public transportation is generally poor, irregular and expensive. This is why a vehicle is in the end necessary, even though it technically collides against my backpacker principles regarding sustainability, frugality and communitarism.
As for the budget issue, we eventually got a deal for a utility vehicle (the cheapest) with Avis allowing us to deliver the car in a different city (from Sacramento to San Diego). That at least helped us to cut return costs and be close to the Mexican border thereafter.
At the end of this 30 days car trip we have also sharpened good practices to save money and stay within our individual 40 Euros maximum daily budget (including car rental fare, insurance, gasoline and everything). So here you have some potentially useful observations which might be interesting for your next trip as a backpacker on a shoestring in US. The list includes some notes collected before the car journey too.
- GET A WEEKLY METRO CARD IN NEW YORK:we underrated our usage and did not buy it. We thought Manhattan was smaller too. But indeed by spending 2.75 USD per ride, you end up exceeding the 33 USD for the weekly pass quite soon. The pass also covers suburban buses as well (unluckily no trains instead). The only solace is that we at least could sometimes pay only 1 ticket for the two of us by staying very close each other through the turnstiles : )
- GET PUBLIC LIBRARY AND FRIENDS’ MUSEUM PASSES:we managed to enter Moma, Guggenheim and Metropolitan (25 USD each) without spending even a penny. Entrances cover multiple people as well. We had to rely on relatives and pals’ advice for that though.
- ONLY USE PUBLIC TRANSPORATION AND NEVER EAT AT RESTAURANTS IN NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO:the only budget-saving option for a backpacker in New York and San Fran is cutting accommodation costs (use your friends, relatives or even Couchsurfing network), taxis and Uber fares, astronomical restaurant bills (eat at home, prepare snacks and sandwiches for the day or at least find cheap Asian or burger eateries on Tripadvisor and similar) and nightlife establishments (pubs, clubs, concert halls, etc.). We had our beers in the classic black plastic bags on the streets for example : ). Try to walk as much as possible either (effortlessly you can make 25-30 Kms in a day in NY). Walking is healthy, economical and time-consuming (not to remain idle and thus spend).
- USE PLANES INSTEAD OF BUSES OR TRAINS FOR LONG DISTANCES ACROSS STATES: again a bitter, hard-to-digest decision for an incurable overlander, but necessary to save money and time. Air rates are indeed very competitive in US.
- RIDE A BIKE IN SAN FRANCISCO: we purchased a Groupon deal for 20 USD the whole day. Very healthy and enticing too.
- RENT YOUR CAR OUTSIDE THE BAY AREA IN SAN FRANCISCO:after a thorough examination, we realized that Sacramento was cheaper for instance.
- BUY AN INSURANCE COVERAGE: it costs you about 10 USD per day but it may protect you from much bigger expenses, especially if you go off-road with a small 2WD car : )
- RENT YOUR CAR FOR 1 MONTH INSTEAD OF 3 WEEKS OR MORE:investigation stated it ends up more affordable. You may wish to use Expedia or Cheaptickets for fare comparisons.
- SLEEP IN THE CAR OR IN A TENT: almost everything costs in US. It is additionally quite questionable and problematic resting in a vehicle at night, unless in limited areas (camping or rest areas) with proper facilities, which costs at least 20 USD per night, even for the sole parking without tents. In order to escape this burden, we thereby decided to travel and trek the whole day so that we could arrive at destination in the dark of the night and sneak into some camping areas (sometimes open). Alternatively, you might try to find a rest area (regularly only for day use) marked along the highways or a trailhead parking inside a National Park or Forest. This last option worked quite well indeed. Of course, in remote or mountain locations, the trick pans out more easily. The only two “light” mishaps we faced were a “Warning note” at the visitor center campground in Death Valley National Park (we ignored it and left the park without settling the camping fee: in truth we only slept in the car there); and another “please move away” from a View Hotel guard inside the Monument Valley National Monument. That’s it in 30 days car trip. We were able to save around 500 Euros (camping fees) this way. Once (it was usually cold and dark when getting to final destination) we employed the tent too (beautiful campsite on the shores of Riggs Lake – Coronado National Forest). I believe that it could be riskier to camp with daylight. As a final note, be sure to be equipped with sleeping bags and blankets for the cold nights : )
- FIND LAST-MINUTE HOTEL DEALS IN BOOKING, AGODA OR AIRBNB: it goes without saying that every 5 nights or so in the car, you need to properly rest and have a shower. We consequently tried to discover last-minute bargains (between 40 and 60 dollars though for a private room) in the above-mentioned platforms. Not always possible in big cities unfortunately, where rates are higher. Naturally, we attempted to avoid weekends to increase our chances. A couple of times we could also redeem a special discount (provided by a relative working there) for family and friends within the Choice hotels holding.
- BUY FOOD FROM THE SUPERMARKET:really money-saving piece of advice. Once every 5-7 days we passed by the closest Walmart center to buy any kind of provisions (from breakfast to dinner). With around 100 USD shopping value we could endure almost the whole week. That means an average of 10 USD per day each including beers and a bottle of wine.
- BUY A CAMP STOVE, GAS AND CAMPING EQUIPMENT TO COOK: following the previous point, with an initial 50 USD investment you can get a camp stove + gas, a portable cooler (to keep fresh things refrigerated), a small pot, two hard plastic dishes, cutlery, Tupperware containers, cups, glasses and other camping tools (e.g. cans opener, ice blocks, washing liquid and sponge, etc.). The cheapest way to get them is heading for Goodwill Thrift Stores, Donation Centers (e.g. Salvation Army) and Dollar Trees spread out across the entire country. In Goodwill and Donation stores you will find charity, second-hand products given by citizens for free to help underprivileged people. An helpful gesture too.
- WASH YOUR DISHES AND FILL UP YOUR WATER BINS AT THE REST AREAS OR PUBLIC TOILETS: most of times, water is good even to drink, especially near the mountains. We always kept a few empty 1 gallon water cans aside to fill them up with water for cleaning and drinking whenever possible.
- SET YOUR MAPS.ME OR GOOGLE MAPS PREFERENCES TO “AVOID TOLL ROADS”: quite obvious but still good to remember. By the way, almost all the American highways are free.
- USE SPOT ANGELS TO DISCOVER FREE PARKINGS IN THE MAIN CITIES: in San Diego it helped a lot to freely park for 3 full days in the city center (although by our mistake we got a fine the very last night, damn it! : )
- GET US MOBILE AS A SERVICE PROVIDER: the 20 monthly dollars for unlimited calls and sms + 5 GB data was the best balance between price and good coverage we could find. Classic AT&T or T-Mobile or Verizon might cost even 2 or 3 times more. We ordered the sim cards online and received them within 3-4 working days at the designed delivery address. You then need to go online and easily activate them.
- DOWNLOAD OFFLINE MAPS WITH MAPS.ME: useful to avoid hassles in mountains and deserts as well as spare tour guides, visitor centers and other costly services.
- PAY HEED TO GASOLINE PRICES: they can vary a lot from city to province and from State to State. For instance, California is appallingly expensive compared with the neighbouring States. We timely filled up the tank on the way back in Yuma, Arizona, right before entering California again. Price was around 20 % less. National Parks pump stations can also be shockingly overpriced (up to 6 USD / gallon registered in Death Valley). Therefore, better to calculate gas tanks autonomy. Chevron, Shell and other big companies should always be avoided because of their higher rates.
- GET FREE COCKTAILS IN LAS VEGAS CASINOS: stranded at the airport for almost 10 night hours between New York and San Francisco, we ventured into the legendary gaming hotels to experience the gambling thrill and get free cocktails with it. Good deal.
- BUY A 80 USD ANNUAL NATIONAL PARKS CARD: this card allows you to enter for 365 days all National Parks and Forests (not the State Parks or regional areas though), with a vehicle and 2 or more people. It is quite a bargain as every entrance would cost between 15 and 30 dollars. We crossed about 15 of them in our trip. Hence it is definitely recommended and may be purchased at any National Park entrance ticket booth. Only credit cards accepted in Covid times. However, since we accessed those parks quite late in the evening or at night, very seldom somebody was there to check the pass. As a result, I would say that you could even skip it, unless you really wish to comply with norms and be relaxed with displacement timing. Nevertheless, it is certainly unadvisable to buy single entry tickets. Be informed that the annual pass only covers the entry fee, not the internal camping slots.
To resume, we spent wonderful time during our trip in the United States. Besides, without European tourists (banned for Covid restrictions) and in low season (October), we cherished the country even more. No major issues happened to us and we relished all the multi-colored spots across thousands of miles. The main pain point remains, however, the unaffordable cost of living which can be staggeringly exorbitant for a common tourist day. Easily hundreds of dollars can evaporate every day without even realizing it. In the end we identified a very good balance between adventure and flexibility. We can keep travelling still for a while, luckily.
