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HELP needed!!! UK Tourist looking to travel 1-6 months

My Girlfriend & I are looking to take the once in a lifetime trip to the US of A to experience the home of Ice Hockey in the most cost efficient way possible!!

14 years ago, December 10th 2009 No: 1 Msg: #96006 Delete Edit

JimDogg1982
Jimmy Eyre

N Posts: 2

Hi!

I'm new to the forum, and have been reading some of the advice given on here, all of which seems really helpful. So now i'm hoping to gain some myself!!

My girlfriend & I have recently decided to embark in a once in a lifetime trip to the US of A which has been motivated entirely by the NHL......Ice Hockey!

We are hoping to travel for anything between 1-6 months in the states going to as many ice hockey matches as possible!! After some study of distances between places and looking at the map, I think it would make most sense for us to do the east coast, New York, New Jersey, Boston going inward to Pittsburgh, Columbus, as these are the shortest travel distances for ice hockey teams!

As ever, the stumbling block is money!! *isn't it always?!*

We live in the UK, and I think the cheapest flight would be to New York, so we will look for that as a starting point.

Initially, we thought it would be a good idea to rent an RV and drive to these places, staying in the van, therefore killing off accomodation & travel concerns!

What I'm really looking for help with is

1) Accomodation - what are the thoughts on cheapest ways? Would renting an RV be cheapest? Buying a second hand one when we are there, then selling it before we come back?

2) Money - what sort of funds should we expect to take? Our duration of stay is hazy at the moment, but a rough idea of the funds we'd need would really help. We would be happy to live on a shoestring, and aren't too worried about the glitz & glamour!!

3) Travel - If buying/renting an RV wouldnt be the best way to go, what can we expect in terms of travel costs & accomodation prices?

4) Destination - any thoughts or views on our chosen area for what we want will be welcome also. Looking at the West Coast, it is pretty sparse when it comes to NHL arenas, so we thought the east coast would give us more 'bang for our buck!!'

That's it really!!

Any help would be really welcomed, and we look forward to seeing part of this beautiful country & sharing in its exciting culture!!

Look forward to hearing from you all. Thank you so much in advance for playing a part in helping our dream come true.

**I know that was corny, but it really would!!** Reply to this

14 years ago, December 10th 2009 No: 2 Msg: #96008 Delete Edit

Jo Trouble
Jo McCarthy

B Posts: 11.5K

Hi Jimmy,

Welcome to TravelBlog.

Check out couchsurfing.org as a cheap/free accomodation option. Reply to this

14 years ago, December 11th 2009 No: 3 Msg: #96051 Delete Edit

Phantek
Steven

B Posts: 73

Hi Jimmy,

Since you are such a hockey fan, is there any particular reason why you have ignored Canada in the course of planning this trip? The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, and Montreal is not that far away either. If you are driving through New York anyways, you can head up past Niagara Falls on your way to Toronto, which would be a nice sightseeing stop along the way.

Reply to this

14 years ago, December 11th 2009 No: 4 Msg: #96074 Delete Edit

JimDogg1982
Jimmy Eyre

N Posts: 2

Hey!!

Thanks Jo Trouble, had a look on the page, and whilst it is an option, for both me & my Girlfriend it may be a bit imposing, and i'm not sure I could return the favour as we both still live at home with our Mommys!!! =(

One of the main reasons for being able to do this trip soon, we arent quite tied down by life just yet!!

PHANTEK - It's a good point, and something I did want to consider. The only thing that put me off was the weather ( I've heard the roads can be treacherous when the weather kicks in, and for those less experienced with the roads of Northern America they might struggle) and also I had concerns about jumping between borders, I wasnt sure how easily that is done to be honest?!

But now you've mentioned it, I think Toronto would definitely be an option, and concerns about the travel can be eliviated by using public transport like the greyhound I guess.

Thanks for the feedback thus far, keep em coming guys!!! =) Reply to this

14 years ago, December 11th 2009 No: 5 Msg: #96082 Delete Edit

Jo Trouble
Jo McCarthy

B Posts: 11.5K

Do you mean that you feel asking someone to host 2 of you at the same time would be an imposition on the host? There's no expectation that you be able to offer to have someone stay with you in return.

If those are your concerns I think it is worth another look - but your call of course 😊

For what it's worth, I've got involved with the CS community here in Auckland (and I'm not currently able to have someone stay) - it's a really great network. Reply to this

14 years ago, December 12th 2009 No: 6 Msg: #96114 Delete Edit

Stephanie and Andras
Stephanie

B Posts: 883

Hi Jimmy -

I am going to second the idea that you also include parts of Canada into your trip. When I think of hockey, I think of Canada, then I think of the NHL so you could work a nice trip around the northeastern states of the U.S and the eastern provinces of Canada. Plus, if you're going to travel any distance away from major cities like New York, New Jersey and Boston, Toronto is 'way' more interesting than Columbus, OH in my opinion. Crossing the border shouldn't be a problem, even by car, as long as you have your passport and your vehicle is properly licensed, insured, etc. Also while I love the west coast dearly, it's not known for having many ice-hockey fans.

I also second Jo's recommendation to look into Couchsurfing. I have been a CS host in the past and have almost exclusively hosted couples, and I never expected a place to stay in return. Don't let the "couch" part fool you. While some hosts let people crash on the couch, others treat it more like a homestay or cultural exchange - you two could end up staying in the spare bedroom of some hardcore ice hockey fans who take you out to their favorite pre-game (match?) hangout! Who knows, but as she said, if those are your main deterrents, I'd give it a second glance. Hostels run around $25-30 per person, per night. RV camping sites/hook-up is about the same.

Renting an RV is rather expensive, and may be impossible depending on your ages. You have to be 21 to rent any vehicle in the U.S and 25 to not incur heavy additional fees and charges. Add in fuel, and an RV is a very expensive way to travel, particularly if you want to travel into the cities, which I imagine is where all the hockey rinks are. I cannot even imagine an RV driving down the streets of Manhattan.

I suggest looking up the Amtrak train routes to see which cities you're thinking about are connected, and then start planning an itinerary based around that. A lot questions like "How much will this cost?" are very city specific. For instance a hotel it's New York City is around $250/night. Hotels in Buffalo, NY are more around $80-120.
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14 years ago, December 12th 2009 No: 7 Msg: #96120 Delete Edit

Phantek
Steven

B Posts: 73

Hi Jimmy,

Regarding crossing the border into Canada, remember that it's just a border, and the weather doesn't know when it's hit the political boundary. The northeastern US gets hit pretty hard by the winter storms as well, so there may not be any difference in the driving conditions. This all does depend on the time of year that you will be travelling, though. If you do this in springtime just before the post season starts, you probably will have quite nice conditions.

If you're from the UK, you do not need a Visa to visit Canada or the US, and you can freely cross at the border - just make sure you have your passports.

If you are driving into Canada, consider doing a Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal trip. These are the three eastern Canadian cities with an NHL team, and they are all quite close to one another. Toronto-Ottawa is about a five-hour drive, and Ottawa-Montreal is only another 2.5 hours. Reply to this