4 ways to maximise your road trip

4 Ways to Maximise your Road Trip experience!

Here we have suggested 4 ways to maximise travelling across America.

You’re all set to explore the United States and one of the 3.8 million Brits who troops off stateside every year.

If you’re heading back, or if this is your first taste of Americana, here are 4 tips to help make your road trip even better…

1. Get a pre-paid card for your money

Using your debit card or credit card abroad can be expensive, but taking all your travel money in cash is risky.

Most banks charge a fee on top of the approximate 3% transaction fee. They can also charge up to £5 a time for withdrawing cash. See what your card provider charges here.

American Road Trip Tip Dollars

An easy way to avoid this is to take out an (often free) pre-paid currency card. They’re safe, usually fee free and easy to manage via an app on your smartphone or online. They make budgeting for a trip easy too.

We’ve used a few over the last 10 years and had no issues. They usually offer a very competitive exchange rate too. Read more on pre-paid cards here.

2. Join the airline loyalty schemes

The frequent flier scheme was invented in America in the 1970s and companies big and small have scrambled to have loyalty schemes to keep customers coming back since. Joining a loyalty scheme can often be done online in few minutes.

Flights with American Road Trip Company

Earning points can really add value to your trip. For example, a return flight to Los Angeles in economy class will often earn enough points for a return trip to Spain.  Even lower cost carriers like Norwegian offer points too you can redeem for future trips. 

3. In cities use public transportation

There’s no better feeling sticking your arm out and hailing a yellow cab in New York. But if you’re looking for value – riding a subway or tram in most US cities is often quicker and cheaper. City traffic can rack up taxis fares quickly!

Downtown American Road Trip Company

Most cities offer daily or weekly passes that let you ride underground systems or entire systems for a reasonable cost. Compared to the UK, buses and metros can look a bit ‘edgier’. Don’t let it put you off.  Public transport in cities is usually reliable and will get you to almost exactly where you want to go.

The best people to ask about public transport are front desk or concierge staff who no-doubt use it themselves. Staff at stations or drivers on buses can be less friendly and/or harder to find.

4. Get an offline city map app

Using your phone or a tablet to access the internet can still be very expensive in the USA. The ‘Three’ network offers roaming in the USA (but not Canada) as part of their standard plan. Grab a pay as you go SIM before you go to take advantage, alternatively, make the most of the wi-fi when its available and take screenshots of the areas in which to travel for reference. 

Downtown map American Road Trip Company

Though our experts provide you with maps for each destination travelled, finding your way around using the likes of Google Maps or Apple Maps can be difficult to manage too. We recommend downloading an offline map app before you leave covering the city or area you’re visiting. The best ones we’ve used are City Maps 2Go and Citymapper.

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If you’re interested in visiting the U.S.A. contact us today to start planning your road trip adventure.

You can call us on 01244 342 099 or contact us online here.