Travel in the U.S.A.
Please note the information supplied on this page is for the benefit of Fulbright Scholars travelling to the U.S.A. to assist with travel preparations and also to support Scholars in their transition to life there. The information has been extracted from recent Fulbright Scholar Final Reports and does not necessarily reflect the views or recommendations of the Fulbright Commission. The information is from Australian Scholars who have travelled within the last four years.We were amazed at the public transit services available in all of the metropolitan centres we visited – LA, NY, Seattle and Boston and Washington DC. All had extremely detailed timetables, fare and route information on websites that could be searched easily. The services were reliable, fast and cheap. Male SS, 2007
One facility that is growing in USA cities and around campuses is Zipcar, which is a car share program where you can sign up, normally at a low fee through the university and effectively rent a car for as little as an hour, with complete insurance and support. Male PGS 2007
New York and Princeton. From JFK the cheapest way to get into Penn Station is to take the airport shuttle to Jamaica station ~$5 (10min), then catch the sub way ($2) or Long island railroad to Penn station ~$5 (~20min). From here, you can take the subway all over NYC. New Jersey transit trains also leave from here to Princeton (1-1.5hours) for ~$13. Male PGS 2007
International and domestic flights can easily be arranged online – to get to Potsdam one has to fly to Syracuse and take a bus. Flights to Syracuse are available via Chicago or Dallas/Fort Worth if flying with American Airlines. Trailways coach tickets to and from Potsdam can be bought before departure at the bus terminal or at Watertown terminal if boarding the bus from Syracuse airport. The bus only departs twice a day so this usually means an overnight stay in Syracuse. To get to Potsdam there is a Trailways bus that departs Syracuse airport twice a day, 7:15am and 5:30pm, and costs $30 one way. Male PGS, 2007
I found the STA site to be very helpful for finding cheap airfares both internationally and within the USA. I would also advise future scholars travelling domestically in the USA to be aware of smaller airports near their departure/destination points; the best flight isn’t always in and out of the major airport. Overall making my travel arrangements was not a difficult task; I usually did it over the internet. A credit card (or visa debit) is vital to make these arrangements. Local public transport in the Bay Area was generally pretty good making it easy to get by without a car. The main public transport is the BART system, which gets you from Berkeley to San Francisco or either of the close airports. There are also a number of buses that run around Berkeley which are often free to use with a UCB identification card. Female PGS, 2007
San Francisco - Bay Area Rapid Transit and Alameda County busses were very helpful. Public transport in the Bay Area is sufficient and it is possible to get by without a car. However, I mostly travelled by bike. In my experience, riding a bike in the Bay Area is much easier than riding on Australian roads. Male PGS, 2007
Travel is getting easier. However, air travel in the US is becoming more complicated. Firstly, be aware that internal flights, including international connections, do not serve food and may not have the full range for purchase. This was difficult after the 14-hour trans-pacific crossing from Melbourne, then the cross country flight from LA to NYC. Also, they regularly oversell such flights. This means that they will not go out of their way to help you get on the plane by doing things like announcing that the plane is boarding. The reason for this is that there are usually 10+ people waiting, especially over the weekends. Tickets are readily available on-line. Male PGS, 2007
Scholars based in Boston or Cambridge can get around very easily using the “T” (the subway system). New York City is just 4 hours away on the bus, and you can get tickets at the bus station or online – I recommend Greyhound, which drops you off in Midtown, but the Chinatown buses are also an option. Female PGS, 2007
I used a travel agent to book my international flights, but in future would probably do it myself unless I was booking a round-the-world ticket – it’s just as easy. Domestic flights within the US are easy to book online, but the airports are much busier, the security processes take a lot longer, and it’s easy to miss flights if you don’t arrive quite early. Female PSG, 2007
I did a lot of interstate travel to give seminars. The only problem is the current high level of security associated with domestic air-travel in the US – which is tedious, but a necessity that we have to live with. My advice is get to the airport well in advance. Female SS 2007
My advice is don’t use the standard rental firms (ie Avis etc) – but go for inexpensive small providers, who rent used cars (they are all you need), often to students (so you will find in the student areas, or near airports). Insurance is included in the price (around $500-600 per month, discounted for longer contracts). The other option is a second-hand bicycle or scooter (I used both once my wife arrived), which I recommend – and then hire a cheap car every now-and-again to get out of the city. Female SS 2007
One thing that had changed was the requirement to carry our passports when travelling within the US. We used to use our passports to get into the country, then put them in a drawer until time to leave. A driver’s license with photo (even an Australian license) was always sufficient identification for internal travel. This time, the family flew to Florida for a vacation. Driver’s licenses got us down to Florida, but we were stuck in Florida for 24 hours, unable to fly back to Wisconsin without our passports. Eventually everything worked out, but we always carried our passports after that. MALE 2009 SS
Transport wise, a bike is a must! Davis is incredibly bike friendly, and there are several shops that sell secondhand bikes in town – make sure you get a lock, and fenders if you’ll be here in winter. There are buses that are quite cheap ($1/trip, 60c if you buy a multi-pass), but cycling is much more convenient. Amtrak is good for getting to San Francisco (~$25)/Sacramento ($8.50). Southwest airlines fly in/out of Sacramento and are generally quite cheap, also look at expedia. If you’re likely to visit a few national parks, buy an annual pass ($80 vs $15-25 for individual park entries). Same for state parks. Davis wiki is the go-to for all things Davis!! Female 2009 PGS
As for car-hire, we recommend Union Station – easy to collect and drop back, and make sure you ask for a GPS system as navigating the US interstate highway system would be a nightmare without it. Male 2010 SS
I found STA Travel to be extremely useful in finding affordable flights to the U.S. Male 2010 PGS
Be aware of the price of the MTA (public transport system) tickets when budgeting. As it stands now, the most efficient ticket is an unlimited monthly pass which costs $104 and allows you to catch any mode of public transport around the city as many times a day as possible. Male 2010 PGS