Is it worth seeing the states before reaching 21?
What do people think of hitch hiking?
I'm 19, traveling through South and North America. I've been told the US is difficult if you're under 21 and don't have a car - is it worth my coming anyway?
I should probably just wait another 2 years, but for some reason I can't get the idea out my head!
Also - what are people's thoughts/experiences hitch hiking there and in Canada?
Reply to this Not only is hitch-hiking illegal in about 95% of the United States now, I would also consider it relatively dangerous. You won't find me doing it voluntarily. Times have changed since Jack Kerouac's classic tale of hitch-hiking America - now I feel you'd be most likely to be picked up by those with less than honorable intentions, IF you get picked up at all.
A few things to keep in mind - you must be a least 21 to rent a car, enter most bars and clubs and purchase alcohol. You must be 25 in order to rent a car without paying substantial extra fees.
But you can still have a great time the states. Greyhound buses will take you quite a few places, and/or your could always pick one of the coasts to see and travel up/down by train. If you want to see the big cities, you can easily get around without a car. You do need a car to get throughout most of the interior of the country and to most national parks and nature preserves, but you can sometimes arrange a ride-share with other travelers going the same direction.
Reply to this this question had me interested as i had never thought of the problem of renting a car under 25 in the US. At first I thought, why not buy a cheap car but my husband brought up the problem of insurance and registration and all of that nonsense. But it turns out that 25 isn't a hard and fast rule - sure you might get charged extra and perhaps only limited companies will rent to under-25 year olds but you can find those who will. I did a google search on 'renting a car 19 years old' and this was the first of many hits:
http://www.e-zrentacar.com/Reservations/
good luck and if you find yourself in the southwestern part of the states, drop me a message and i'll try to point you in the right direction!
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