Getting there & away
If you wish to avoid flying to New England, you do have some more environmentally friendly options. The East Coast of the United States is served by an excellent network of trains and buses, so it’s easy to get to Providence, Boston and other major New England cities from anywhere on the eastern seaboard. Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) runs frequent trains between New York City and Boston. The region is also well served by the national bus company Greyhound (www.greyhound.com) as well as by regional company Peter Pan (www.peterpanbus.com). Trains and buses between Boston and New York (four to five hours), for example, run frequently throughout the day. If you are coming from another part of the country, you’ll have to spend a bit more time. It takes about 3½ days to travel by train from San Francisco to Boston, but there is plenty to see along the way.
While the two most common ways to reach New England are by air and car, you can also get here easily by train and bus. Boston is the region’s hub for air travel, but some international travelers fly into New York City to do some sightseeing before heading up to New England.
Contents
Travel documents
Tickets
Airfares to the US and New England range from incredibly low to obscenely high. If you prefer to talk to someone in person, try STA Travel (800-777-0112; www.statravel.com).
Many domestic carriers offer special fares to visitors who are not US citizens. Typically, you must purchase a booklet of coupons in conjunction with a flight into the US from a foreign country other than Canada or Mexico. In addition to other restrictions, these coupons typically must be used within a limited period of time.
Round-the-world (RTW) tickets can be a great deal if you want to visit other regions on your way to New England. Often they are the same price – or not much more expensive – than a simple round-trip ticket to the USA. RTW itineraries that include stops in South America or Africa, though, can be substantially more expensive. Two airlines with good RTW programs are British Airways (800-247-9297; www.britishairways.com) and Qantas (800-227-4500; www.qanta susa.com).
Most airlines require a 14-day advance purchase. But if you’re flying standby, call the airline a day or two before the flight and make a standby reservation so that you’ll get priority.
Land
Border crossings
Generally, crossing the US/Canadian border is pretty straightforward. The biggest hassle is usually the length of the lines. As of 2008, all travelers entering the United States are required to carry passports, including citizens of Canada and the United States. You may also be asked to show a return plane ticket or proof of sufficient funds, but this is rare.
Bus
You can get to New England by bus from all parts of the US and Canada, but the trip will be long and may not be much less expensive than a discounted flight. Bus companies usually offer special promotional fares.
For travel between San Francisco and New England, Green Tortoise (415-956-7500, 800-867-8647; www.greentortoise.com) buses are relaxing and entertaining. You’ll spend 12 to 14 days winding across the country via state and national parks, monuments, forests and anywhere else your fellow passengers agree to stop; flexibility is key. Fares are $599, plus a food fund payment of $171 per person.
Greyhound (800-231-2222; www.greyhound.com) is the national bus line, serving all major cities in the United States. Greyhound advertises that you can go anywhere in the US for US$99 or less with a 14-day advance purchase, US$109 if you are traveling on a weekend. Prices are significantly cheaper for shorter distance, with prices as low as US$29 to US$39 for distances less than 300 miles.
Peter Pan Buslines (800-343-9999; www.peterpanbus.com) Serves 52 destinations in the northeast, as far north as Concord (New Hampshire) and as far south as Washington, DC, as well as into western Massachusetts.
Vermont Transit (802-864-6811, 800-552-8737; www.vermonttransit.com) links destinations around New England with Boston, Montreal and New York City.
The cheapest way to get to Boston from New York City is on one of the Chinatown Buses (www.chinatown-bus.com; tickets $15). These are bus companies that run between the major cities on the east coast, from Chinatown to Chinatown. It’s crowded, it’s confusing, but it sure is cheap:
Fung Wah Bus Company (212-925-8889; www.fungwahbus.com)
Lucky Star Bus (800-881-0887; www.luckystarbus.com)
Car & motorcycle
Interstate highways crisscross New England and offer forest, farm and mountain scenery once you are clear of urban areas and the I-95 corridor between Boston and New York. These interstate highways connect the region to New York, Washington, DC, Montreal and points south and west.
Train
The rail passenger service in the US is operated primarily by Amtrak (800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com). Services along the Northeast Corridor (connecting Boston, Providence, Hartford and New Haven with New York and Washington, DC) are some of the most frequent in Amtrak’s system.
Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains make the trip from New York City to Boston in three hours. One-way weekend special fares aboard Acela trains cost from $102 to $117 departing New York City, and from $164 to $184 departing Washington, DC. About 10 trains depart New York City daily for Boston’s South Station.
The Lake Shore Limited departs Chicago each evening for Boston, making stops in Springfield, Worcester and Boston.
Amtrak offers excursion fares, seasonal discounts and rail passes good for unlimited travel during a certain period of time. Children receive discounts as well.
Entering the destination
Entering the country
Despite the fact that Boston’s Logan International Airport was intimately connected to the events of September 11, entering the country here is no different than entering any major US city. Be patient and pleasant and you will have no problems. As for border crossings from Canada, the worst problems you will encounter are long lines waiting in your car.
Air
New England
Because of New England’s location on the densely populated US Atlantic seaboard between New York and eastern Canada, air travelers have a number of ways to approach the region.
The major gateway to the region is Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS; 800-235-6426; www.massport.com), which offers many direct, nonstop flights from major airports in the US and abroad.
Depending on where you will be doing the bulk of your exploring, several other airports in the region receive national and international flights:
Bangor (BGR; 866-359-2264; www.flybangor.com) Serves central Maine.
Bradley International (BDL; 860-292-2000; www.bradleyairport.com) Serves Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts.
Burlington (BTV; 802-863-2874; www.burlingtonintlairport.com) Serves northern Vermont.
Manchester (MHT; 603-624-6556; www.flymanchester.com) Serves southern and central New Hampshire.
Portland Jetport (PWM; 207-774-7301; www.portlandjetport.org) Serves coastal Maine.
Green Airport (PVD; 888-268-7222; www.pvdairport.com) Serves Providence, Rhode Island.
New York City
Flights into metro New York may be more convenient for some travelers, who have three airports from which to choose:
JFK International (JFK; 718-244-4444; www.panynj.gov)
LaGuardia (LGA; 718-244-4444; www.panynj.gov)
Newark International (EWR; 718-244-4444; www.panynj.gov)
Australia
Qantas flies to Los Angeles from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. United flies from Sydney to San Francisco and Los Angeles, where connecting flights are available to the East Coast. In the summertime, fares are generally around AUD$2700 to AUD$3200 (US$2000 to US$2500) for a round-trip from Melbourne or Sydney to Boston.
From Australia, a Qantas RTW ticket permits six stops in North America and the Caribbean, four stops in Europe and four stops in Asia for A$3479 (US$3159).
Canada
Boston receives daily direct and nonstop flights from most major Canadian cities on many major carriers, including Air Canada, American, Delta, Northwest and United. Canadian fares to Boston in the summertime are reasonable: you can expect to find round-trips from Halifax for about C$250 (US$264), while flights from Montreal or Toronto are twice as much, unless you find a bargain.
The Canadian Federation of Students’ Travel CUTS (www.travelcuts.com) travel agency offers low fares and has offices in major cities throughout Canada.
Continental Europe
Many carriers offer direct services to Boston, but prices can vary substantially depending on the season and directness of routing. From Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Paris, expect a round-trip ticket to Boston cost from €419 to €454 (US$600 to US$650) in the winter, and from €560 to €700 (US$800 to US$1000) in the summer.
When calculating costs, don’t forget to add the cost of getting from New York to Boston or New England via some other mode of transportation.
New Zealand
United and Air New Zealand both fly to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Auckland (via Sydney). Fares are generally around NZ$1970 (US$1500). Connector flights are readily available to the East Coast.
From New Zealand, a RTW ticket via North America, Europe and Asia with Air New Zealand and other airlines costs NZ$3100 and up.
UK & Ireland
London is arguably the world’s headquarters for bucket shops specializing in discount tickets, and they are well advertised. Two good, reliable agents for cheap tickets in the UK are Trailfinders (0845 058 5858; www.trailfinders.co.uk; 1 Threadneedle St, London) and STA Travel (0871 2300 040; www.statravel.co.uk; 33 Bedford St, Covent Garden, London).
British Airways flies (round-trip) nonstop between London and Boston for about £400 to £500 (US$800 to US$1000) in summer, and £250 to £300 (US$500 to US$600) in winter. Virgin Atlantic often offers good deals for short stays (one month maximum) with a 21-day advance purchase. Flights in winter from London can be as low as £230 (US$450) to Boston or £190 (US$375) to New York.
Aer Lingus offers direct flights from Shannon and Dublin to Boston for about £225 to £250 (US$450 to US$500) in winter and £350 to £400 (US$700 to US$800) in summer.
USA
Competition is high among airlines flying to Boston from major US cities. With a bit of luck and flexibility, you can usually get a flight from the West Coast to Boston for about $400 round-trip. From Washington, DC, fares are in the $200 round-trip range. From Chicago, expect to spend about $300 round-trip. Savvy internet browsers can cut the cost of coast-to-coast airfares in half with a bit of flexibility.
