Modes of travel

When Trip planning, one of my favorite things to do is stringing together a variety of modes of travel.

Airplanes

I always get to the airport with plenty of time to set myself up and use the airport internet for a little while. Be ready to take off your shoes and take out electronic devices. Bring snacks to avoid airport prices. Fill up your water bottle after going through security. But you already know the drill.

Trains

In my romanticized version of digital nomadism, the train Internet is amazing, and you have plenty of space to work. In truth, the internet coverage tends to be pretty spotty. I often opted to use my mobile hotspot. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to dependably attend a 60-minute meeting, since trains tend to take you through remote areas of the country.

My experience with train travel has varied drastically, and I don’t think I’ve done enough of it to draw broad conclusions. I had a good experience on business class trip once, but that might have been a fluke. In general, passengers have been quiet, and I’ve made some friends in the diner car, but they can also be the thing that keeps you up if they get drunk and won’t shut up XD

Sleeping on trains can be a challenge, especially if you are cheap and go for a coach seat. I’m a little too tall for them, so it’s a struggle to get comfortable. In addition, it tends to be chilly in the night, so make sure to have a blanket, or at least a couple jackets to cover yourself with. Earplugs or isolating earphones are also essential, since the train engine will be blaring its horn constantly throughout the night. And usually your sleep schedule gets messed up, so having some late night entertainment saved on your laptop (see Entertaining oneself).

Keep in mind that long-distance trains often get held up by freight trains, since the shipping companies are the ones that actually own the railroad. Never plan anything for the day you are scheduled to arrive. In the US, use Amtrak’s train tracker to get info on departure and arrival times, and save yourself some stress.

ADDED 2025: In order to calculate how late an Amtrak train route tends to be, use this tool.

Rental Cars

Sometimes, you just need a car. It’s cheaper if you return it to the same place.

Boats & Ferries

No tips here - but they’re fun.

(Hashtag) Van Life

I stayed in a van for a week in late September in California, heading up the West Coast a bit before heading east to Yosemite. My van was fairly barebones, so I think my experience could have been different if I had customized my own. Overall, though, I felt that it was somewhat overrated. It is not as cool as the influencers make it seem. RV-life, but smaller.

I parked in: up a hill overlooking the Bay, on the beach at a state park, the back of a rural church parking lot, and a (comparatively bougie - running water!) RV park.

I’m definitely not a pro, but here are a few tips I picked up:

• Try to find a place to park when it is light out
• Use iOverlander (also Campendium, Hipcamp) to find a place. Or stay on Bureau of Land Management land
• I bought a phone mount to help me drive/navigate solo
• Buy a few gallons of water when you head off into the wilderness
• Look up how to deal with your waste properly (gray water, toilet paper, little shovel, etc.)

Don’t take my word for it - go to r/vandwellers and elsewhere for tips from the pros.

Public Transport

Public transport is awesome. I always default to it. Nowadays, most cities have an app you can use to buy a ticket in advance.

I’m a longtime fan of Citymapper for using public transport in NYC. I found that, unfortunately, Google Maps was a bit better in many of the US cities I visited.

The “Sharing” Economy

I used just about every transportation app out there to get around without a car. I don’t feel a need to endorse any of them - it was a marriage of convenience. But here’s the list, in case you need it:

• Bikeshare: CitiBike
• Ride-share: Uber, Lyft, Coop Ride, Curb
• Car-share: Gig, Turo, Zipcar (and Hertz et al.)
• Scooter: Uber, Lyft, Bird, Lime, Veo, Spin (yes, I used all of these)
• Bus: Flixbus, Greyhound
• Train: Amtrak

Other Options

I’ve hitched before, but in US it is not popular, especially within cities and during the pandemic.