Traveling Without a Car in the United States
Written/Edited by: Northern Latitudes Editorial Team
Updated: 6/15/2026
It simply takes a map to see that the United States is a large country. Distances between places are long, so long that the contiguous US features some 4 different time zones. If you are planning to visit the United States, you may wonder how you will move around and cover these large distances. If you’re not comfortable with driving, or perhaps you want to make some savings, you may be wondering if you need a car and how you can go around without one. This article will try to give you tips and information on how you can get around the United States without a car.
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Please, note that this article is not affiliated with any company or agency.
Can You Travel to the United States Without a Car?
Short Answer: Yes but No. The USA is a country that primarily uses cars as a means of transportation. It is a large and wide country where some places might only be reached with a vehicle. Now let’s be more nuanced. Although we do recommend having a car in the United States, the true answer to whether or not you need a car in the USA depends on your goals there.
Do you want to visit National Parks like the Grand Canyon? Then you will likely need to get a car.
Do you only plan to remain in big cities like San Francisco or New York? Then you should be able to get around without a car.
For sites like Horseshoe Bend in Arizona, you may need to rent a car.
Does The United States Have Public Transportation?
Yes, although there is no single transit agency covering the whole nation, each city features its own transit network. The only nationwide agency is Amtrak which operates trains across the United States.
When it comes to individual cities, each one is more or less effective. In our opinion, New York, San Francisco and Seattle feature some of the best transit systems in the United States. You can check our article on those.
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How to travel across the United States without a car?
The answer to this question depends a lot on where you go and what your travel goals are. If you only want to visit cities like Los Angeles, Washington or New York, you can simply go from city to city via plane, and move within the cities via their transit systems.
Fly
If your goal is to visit more remote places like national parks or small towns, you will need to rely on shuttles and private tours. For example, some private tours operate buses between Las Vegas and the surrounding national parks. This is the case of the National Park Express, one of the most popular companies for this kind of trip.
How you will proceed will depend largely on your destination. That’s why we highly encourage you to know where you go and the local offers on transportation.
Use Public Transit
Book a Private Tour
Does the United States have a railway system?
Yes, the United States has a railway system covering most of the country. This system is operated by Amtrak and offers trips to many of the major American towns. Knowing that, some people might wonder why the train system is not that popular?
There is mostly the downside to the train in the United States.
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Time - Trips can take up to multiple days for very large distances.
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Money - Some trips cost as much via train than they do via plane.
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Network - Although the main cities are covered, others like Las Vegas or Phoenix are not. The railway system tends to be limited when it comes to smaller destinations.
Amtrak trains connect the major cities of the United States.
Some routes may offer scenic views.
Is the train worth it in the United States?
If you’re looking to be time and cost efficients, no train is not a good option to travel in the United States without a car. However, if you don’t like to fly, or if you want to enjoy the scenery offered by some train routes, then yes, riding the train is a good option. The train in the United States is not really an effective transportation system anymore, it is rather an experience that can definitely be worth it. Treat it not as a transportation that will get you from A to B, but rather as an attraction that will take you from A to B.
Flying in the United States
Flying in the United States is probably the best way of moving from one place to another. Of course, when distances are long. There are a LOT of airports and airlines in the country, and some airlines offer some pretty good flights cost-wise. Here is a breakdown of the main airlines.
The mainlines (the “Big Four”). These are the main airlines for domestic service. They dominate most of the market.
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Delta Airlines
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American Airways
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Southwest Airlines
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United Airlines
The Lowcosts. These are airlines known for their cheaper tickets. They mostly make savings by limiting the services onboard and reducing the comfort. If you are looking to reduce your traveling fees, this can be a good option. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
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Frontier Airlines
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JetBlue Airways
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Breeze Airways
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Allegiant Air
The Bus
Traveling using the bus is fairly common in the United States. There are several big companies operating buses throughout the country. This tends to be a fairly cheap way of traveling around. The main bus companies are:
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FlixBus & Greyhound - Two main companies when it comes to long distances.
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Coach USA - Focuses mostly on commuter regional routes.
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Megabus - Offers mainly regional routes.
The service offered by buses is variable. Some have shared their very good experiences while others have been very disappointed by the service they got. There isn’t much more we can say.
Let’s Wrap Up: How will you get around?
As we have seen, how you will get around will depend a lot upon your destination. The United States has varied transportation options for long and short distances. So as you plan your trip, we would recommend knowing where you go, what transportation is available there, and see if this fits your needs.
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San Francisco, California
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Los Angeles, California
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Honolulu, Hawaii