Flying into major airports in... and other North America Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Flying into major airports in Canada and the U.S. can be difficult if you do not prepare for some delays especially today in the aftermath of September 11th. Be sure to leave plenty of time after you first arrive before you schedule the next leg(s) of your trip.

Public transportation is very uneven and automobile travel is the major way of getting around. Many U.S. airports are under almost constant expansion plans such as New York's Kennedy (JFK) and New Jersey's Newark (EWR), as well as Los Angeles, California (LAX).
I would like to say that trains are the best bet for getting around, however, if you are used to Britrail and Eurorail, you will find that the US and Canada versions are crude by comparison. AM Trak along the Northeast corridor from Boston to Washington is good, as is the West Coast variety in both the US and Canada, however connections from the train to busses and other rail connections is spotty at best and not well coordinated, especially in comparison to Europe. I enjoy train travel too, but if you decide to fly or take a train to your destination area, you would be well advised to rent a car for travel around areas outside of cities. If you are going to be in a city for your entire trip, forget the car and take plane, train or other public transportation. Even the subway (underground) systems are more complicated than say London or Paris, but you can get familiar with them in a day or two. One of the exceptions to this is the subway systewms in Washington (The Metro) and in San Francisco (BART) they are really easy to use, comfortable and clean. New Tork's subway system is better than it had been 10 years ago and I actually enjoy it now, as it is almost completely grafetti-free.

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